Well, I have another kidney infection! Just 2 weeks after having the last one and I’m back on the antibiotics. Hope they’re not doing anything horrible to the baby because I’ve had a LOT of antibiotics during this pregnancy.
Unfortunately, the infection is with Group B Strep which is a really nasty bacteria. If the baby were to catch GBS from me during labour, he could get meningitis and septicaemia. GBS infection kills about 700 babies per year in the UK and it is the most common cause of serious infection in a newborn.
Luckily, intravenous antibiotics from the onset of labour will drastically decrease the chance of infection. It does mean that the water birth and staying at home for as long as possible etc… is out of the window and I’ll be in the horrible delivery room we saw at the hospital tour rather than in the pool or one of the “home from home” rooms (one even has a double bed).
Also the baby is measuring big again and no-one knows why (test for diabetes was negative). So it does look like I’ll need an extra scan to see what’s happening. Still, it’s another chance to see our baby before March so it’s not all bad.
Apart from the infection that I’ve now picked up, I’ve been much better the last week and have managed to get everything sorted. I’ve finally packed my hospital bag and even pre-washed the nappies and taught Joe and the rest of my family how to fold them for a boy. Feeling rather smug about this. It’s good to know that if he comes early, like most of the babies on my side of the family, we’ll be ready for him. So excited about meeting him now – I can’t wait to be able to hold him in my arms and kiss him.
I don’t think they’ll be much about pregnancy that I’ll miss. Aside from having this lovely little baby wiggling around in my belly, I’ve had a pretty rotten time of it. Maybe if I hadn’t been poorly the whole pregnancy I’d feel differently about it drawing to an end (only 6 weeks until D-Day). I am, however, concerned about what my belly will look like after the baby comes out and whether or not it will ever be the same again – but I think this is probably a fairly common concern. Also, obsessing about pointless stuff like that is helpful because I can avoid thinking about actual scary stuff like getting the baby out of me!