Balls

Swiss balls, to be precise.

Yes, I’m at the hospital having been called in for induction of the bump – the hospital are a bit worried about what they call ‘precipitate labour’, which basically means ‘the baby popping out rather quickly’.

Surprisingly I have managed to restrain myself and have arrived with only two bags, and three pillows – and a very limited number of gadgets. One of these is my TENS machine, which, assuming I do have a precipitate labour, will not see much use as it takes half an hour to get working and they are predicting the baby may well have arrived by then.

The second is my iPhone. I’m sure most people know the advantages of that one, especially when you are waiting around in a hospital ward with only other mothers in active labour for company. (Due to a lack of beds in the antenatal ward, I’ve been placed in a bed in the delivery ward to wait out the beginning of the process. If the timescale is the same as my last wait for induction, I’ll be here for at least two days. I also have some un-gadgety entertainment with me for that eventuality, in the form of good old fashioned books (A Storm of Swords 3 and four and A Feast for Crows, part of the Songs of Ice and Fire set of books). Being a gadget geek, I’m trying to warm myself towards the kindle but I’m kind of old fashioned in regard to reading – I do like the feel and smell of a proper book in my hands. Its also a lot safer when reading in the bath.

The third ‘gadget’ is a swiss ball from Mothercare. This is basically a large pink ball that comes with a stand, to stop it rolling all over the place, and some handles for exercise. I can definitely recommend the stand – midwives don’t seem to like large balls rolling freely around the ward, especially one with such restricted space as the one I was in. Its great for sitting on and bouncing comfortably, when you are sporting a large bump like I am. The texture of the ball is a bit ‘sticky’ being a PVC kind of material, so its best if you’re sitting with something between the ball and your skin, otherwise it can make rather strange squeaking noises, and stick to you after a time. Well worth having though, and – excuse the pun – roll on induction time!