Pregnancy

So, I previously posted on the situation that friends faced. Their little boy battled on for five days before his little body gave out and his spirit moved on. Our thoughts remain with his parents who remain earthbound and whom we love dearly.

For many, the last few weeks have been an opening of old scars of babies loved and lost either during pregnancy or in the duration thereafter. There have been hugs and tears all round with a true sense of community not just wanting to wrap around this couple but around each other.

Love does conquer all.

At some point, for many of us, our world is turned upside down. Usually this is a short-term journey and often to do with our health or that of our family. No-one goes untouched in these situations as family and friends do what they can. For some it is too much to even see you, afraid of what they should or should not say, or even fearful that they may not have the words to say anything.

It was almost two years ago now that this image appeared in my web browser:

Yes, a friend is pictured in the background with his baby girl born at 30 weeks. The pre-Facebook world had us in that same situation. As we had not been in touch for some time it seemed that to pray for the best possible outcomes would be the best thing we could do until we were able to re-connect after the hard journey of parenthood at a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit had passed and the next chapter opened.

In the weekend that has just passed we have been touched in the same way once more. This time a young man, born at 27 weeks gestation, has entered our lives. Already he has made an impact on friends and family as they consider what they can do to reach out and support his parents at a time when they need the space to process all that is happening and the events that brought them to this place.

There have been many ideas thrown around about how to practically support them. Meals are an obvious need, as I expect washing clothes would be too for the first-time Mum who would want to be by her baby's side as much as possible. Other suggestions have also included supporting the immediate family with meals also to free them up to be there for emotional support and to also bring something regular to bless the NICU nurses who are entrusted to care this little baby's life. The question is, what else can be done? If you have any ideas then please let me know!

Image Source: Rusty's Bleeding Edge Page

With all that is going on in the life of PJ Bear at the moment I can't help but wonder what makes him the way he is. Whilst we play the 'wait to see' game with the neurologist my thoughts have been with possible causes of his situation. It has made for interesting discussion with Child of Nature.

Of course, when we get to the appointment the paediatric neurologist will look at our genetics, will look for nerve damage, including the insulating layer, they will also look for things like tumours. But for the last few days I haven't been able to help wondering whether the intervention at his birth may have something to do with it.

The whole train of thought was kicked off with a discussion about the wiring of the brain from birth into adult years. You see, PJ Bear was not the most settled child in the world and he was very demanding in his first year. It was a hard slog, especially at night in those early years. (Quite similarly to what I am going through now with Princess Poppy).

We discussed it in car on the way home tonight. The thing that I had to ask was whether the lack of stimulation went back further than we thought, that his need for sensory input and lack of pain sensation went back as far as birth but possibly without a genetic cause.

This made me wonder if the early induction of labour with the use of syntocin drip had anything to do with the child I am dealing with today. We know that the long contractions of a syntocin induced labour can lead to oxygen deprivation - often leading to other interventions.

Lack of oxygen can do all kinds of funky things to the brain. I remember clearly the midwife coming in and checking the CTG (foetal monitor) and specifically saying, "Your baby is showing signs of distress, so we are going to see what is going on *now*." Yes, those five minute long contractions from hell, with the epidural that only took on one side, were equally as ill-received by PJ Bear.

It felt for that first year that his life was a daily reflection of the day that he was born - full of stress to mother and baby alike. So now I wonder whether my accepting my Obstetrician's recommendation for the induction (due to a DVT in my calf) was really necessary. I wonder whether my decisions were the cause of all that lies on the road we have travelled with him.

What if an induced labour and intervention can cause neurological problems? I don't know myself, right now, if that is possible but would be interested in what research is out there about this.

It's weird - it happened again last night.

There is a mild trait in my family of 'feeling' the weather. Leg cramps being the usual and historically attributed as an old-wives tale to having Rheumatoid Arthritis which none of my family have.

But riddle-me-this, twice now in the past month I have been totally wiped out by a change from warm dry weather to wet weather. At first, I feel a little like vomiting (aka nausea with accompanying stomach quenching) and then I feel like passing out on the spot after having all the blood drain from my face. On both recent occurences, I have had to take immediate action to prevent myself from fainting on the spot - which would have been embarassing on two counts because one would appear that I had been struck down outside our church and, yesterday, it would appear that my son's Kindy concert just all became too much!

So, what explains such phenomena? I have no clue and am throwing it to you...

My theory includes the change in barometric pressure in combination with the fact that my lungs have a greater impact on my system because I am pregnant. That said, I do not have a medical science or even a science background - so I throw it to the gallery for your theories too.

In the past fortnight, another staff member has added to the work family by adding a beautiful baby girl. Of course, there will need to be more attempts of this nature to catch up to the number of baby boys which are around!

So, Homeschool Mum's hat is again in the ring - what will it be for their family this time - another boy or that illusive girl?