Patience and Persistence wins the race!

Since my last post about the flu shot and the NHS, I've made some progress and it did have a happy ending! It just took some effort on my part to get the system to see the flaw in the system. I went back to the Doctor (different one this time) today and explained my predicament, and a light bulb went off inside her head. She actually saw how I was in a bind because I couldn't get the flu shot where it was free (from the NHS GP) because of restrictions and I couldn't get a flu shot from where I could pay for it (the drugstore) because they weren't licensed to vaccinate pregnant women. So, where do I go to get the shot? The doctor I saw today explained the situation and told me that in two weeks time they would offer the vaccines to anyone who wanted it. She decided that today would really be no different than two weeks from now, so she told me she was willing to "break the rules this time" and give me the vaccine. So, I am now the proud recipient of both the H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccinations! It took a lot of patience and persistence on my part, but I did it and I think my little baby would be proud of his or her mommy for fighting for his or her well-being! I still think that the NHS has its flaws and it would take a miracle to change my mind of that. So much time and energy was wasted for something that could have been avoided. I've left work early twice now, taken up two appointments with a doctor that could have been used for other patients, Public transport had to get me there twice rather than once, the tread on my shoes was worn 1 more time than it needed to be for me to walk there, I'm sure that's effected the environment in some way. True, this sounds petty, but I'm just one person that this has happened to, imagine how many others have gone through something very similar, chasing their tails when it's just not necessary. All the pettiness adds up to be a real problem. I believe the NHS was negligent in this matter and it's only one of many. There, I've spoken my mind and as Forest would say "that's all I have to say about that".

Back to the matter at hand, my sweet little baby and I are doing well. I've had to learn how to deal with a stuffy nose and sore throat this week without any medication. Vic's Vapor Rub is my new best friend! Luckily, little baby feels nothing from my cold, so that's good news. He or she is growing so much! The baby will be as big as a navel orange by the end of this week (week 15). I believe he or she is developing some hair now, eyebrows are filling in, most all organs are in place now and are functional. It's so amazing!

We went for our first ultrasound at St. Thomas' Hospital and it was an experience. The one good thing that I will say is that I was able to get a lot of information out of everyone I spoke to. So now, I have the info I need to make a decision about whether I want to go private or continue with the NHS. I will likely go private through the NHS. It's sort of a middle ground option. I would still have the baby at St. Thomas', but I would have my own Obstetrician who would see me for all of my appointments and would be present to deliver the baby. If I do it solely through the NHS, I would see a different midwife each time for my prenatal appointments and it's likely that the midwife who is present on the day I go into labor, the one who will deliver the baby, will be someone I've never even met before. That fact scared me to death! I would just feel more comfortable having some continuity in the care that is provided to me pre-birth, during birth and after-birth. So, jury is still out at the moment, but we at least now have more information to make our decision.

During the ultrasound, we learned lots of info about the baby. He or she has 2 arms 2 legs, 10 toes and 10 fingers. Structurally, everything checked out okay. We were also able to do a Nucheal Screen, which is a test that measures the risks for Downs Syndrome. We are in the very low category, which is great because that's the lowest you can go! The baby was very very active during the ultrasound. It was doing flips and standing on its head. Quite the little showoff! I had to get up, jump up and down, take a walk down the hall, all sorts of things to get the baby into the correct position for the test that needed to be taken. We finally got it. At the end of the ultrasound, we opted to have a photo taken of the baby. Well, the child definitely belongs to Jamey because as soon as the word photo was mentioned, the baby turned right around and showed us his or her beautiful bum! Yes, Jamey and I have already been mooned by our baby before it's even old enough to understand what that means. We're going to have our hands full indeed! The ultrasound technician didn't see fit to take a photo of the mooning shot (she obviously doesn't know Jamey), but we did get a couple of profile pictures. Have a look. The baby looks much more human in these than the ones at 10 weeks (where it looked a bit like an alien).

13 weeks ultrasound, head on left



13 weeks ultrasound, head on right



That's all the news I have for now. Baby and I are both doing fine we're about to go and have some Thanksgiving dinner. I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! I know many of you reading this are awaiting new photos of my growing belly and I promise, those photos are soon to come. I think I've gotten up enough courage to finally take out my belly button ring this weekend, so maybe a photo then.

Until next time,
Jac