Miss Kolka

When you lie in hospital for more than 6 weeks and you are a total sucker for hospital tv series such as ER or Grey's Anatomy, you almost start making your own hospital drama, listening in on what's going on with your neighbours, asking questions, following the staff's routines and just become over all curious about everything because you have so much time. I would'nt call it my "journalistic elements" because frankly I've never been convinced of my own wish to belong to that club. But I have a thirst for knowledge. Even if some might called it plain old fashioned nosyness. 

So 6 weeks, 2 rooms, 8 roommates and countless lovely midwives later I have learn so much about the female body, pregnancy, especially risky ones and newbornes that Im not sure a medical degree would have taught me more. Well ok, Im not an expert of course but sometimes it sure feels like it. Roommates can be as different as they are many: the smoker who went outside 4-5 times a day although the doctors kept telling her quitting was the best option for her too-small baby to grow stronger, the lovely danish positive one that had gone through one babyloss and one healthy baby before - she gave birth to a healthy little girl, 2 kilos in week 33 and was allowed to take her home only a week later, the sri lanka princess who's doctor husband didnt trust the establishement and always thought he knew better, the most-definately middle age lesbian expecting twins who rarely, if ever, said a word and now the algerian mother of 2,having an opinion on almost everything and sharing thoughts in a mixture of french, arabic and danish. I tend to understand most she says though, which for now is a good thing. 

So women lie here for multiple reasons, because they've started labour too early, because they have too much/too little amniotic fluid, because one of the twins is too small/too big or because their cervixes are faulty and they need a cerclage or have one like me. Most stay for a few weeks, some just overnight and others for long months. And for those staying longer, routine things like getting the food on time (rugbrød and always some pork assemble for lunch) becomes highly important. I was almost beside myself when the "cake-wagon" didn't come one evening, even a simple cake becomes heavenly in here - although cake baked by the hubby is always a 100 times tastier (lucky me - we have "date nights" where he comes with food, often homemade and we eat and lie together in my hospital bed).

Lying here it almost seems like pregnancy is anything but a routine thing...there are just so many things that can go wrong - chemical or hormonal unbalance, strange hand diseases, babies stopping to move, mothers almost bleeding out or worse. We can only be thankful to live in the western world where knowledge, equipment, right medicine and handpower are available. Sometimes I dont think people realise how much of a miracle it is to have children though and we take it too much at a face value. But that's just because I see the world through my eyes. Women today are supposed to handle everything all the time (the demand on men is getting stronger as well) but sometimes it is necessary to slow down and acknowledge we arent robots and that expecting mothers need to rest more - Is our life which already is full with work, family, friends, shopping, cleaning, hobbies worth stressing over? Isn't it just ok to take some periods of "Off time"?  Of course most pregnancies will work out perfectly fine, thank god but its not always the case. And If there is anything all these women have tought me is that they are scared. Very scared. They will do ANYTHING for their baby to be born healthy but in some cases it might even be too late.

Unlike the tv-series that have to remain sexy so people can watch all the gross medical stuff alongside it, there aren't many sexy stories here at the department of mother and child - mainly because most of the staff are women helping other women to give life and only two of the doctors are men, and although they are great men they are maybe not love-story material. The real love stories here are parents with their newborn children roaming the halls, happy and relieved their little angles have arrived safe and sound.

I want to blog. Problem is when you take a break for so long, you dont know how to come back. but you have to start somewhere.

What about saying that baby number two is on its way. Yes, we dont waiste time in this family. Due to pregnancy problems Im in the hospital and have been for 5 weeks (still 10 to go to be safe). The baby is not due until march but if you ask me it could come anytime. Since nothing ever goes according to plan. But hopefully this little guy doesnt come before Mr. F first birthday on new years day..because then the brothers might have to share everything, even a class. 

Yes, the brothers. I have two wonderful men at home and another little one on the way. Soccermums, join the club. I thought I had so much to teach to a little girl (being so obsessed with makeup and clothes) but I guess we will just have to hope I can be of some use to the guys, although you wont catch me playing rugby anytime soon. Football... maybe.

At least I'll be able to bake and fill them with food since there is one thing that runs in the family and is very clear from Mr. F's behaviour - He loves his food! This year though someone else will have to bake his birthday cake since mummy is taking some "personal time" in room 24.

So it turns out this country isn't perfect. Although I might have praised the ultimate "motherland of maternity" as my friend calls it, the number of babies here is not always a good thing. As Pan experienced at 5. am this morning. This is why my man got up at this ungodly hour:

We live 100 meters from a very nice pool. Mr. F has shown with some impressive acrobatic moves for a 3 month old (at the time) that he likes going to the swimmingpool. So the parents thought that they could make this a weekly activity for the little one. One catch: there aren't so many classes in this swimmingpool and in the particular timeframe we were interrested in there were only 4 spots available. And they would "go on sale" this morning when the pool opened at 6 am. I did not believe Pan when he said he was going to get there a bit early, he even laughed at himself and thought he could propably joke with the other 3-4 loony toons about how crazy they were to turn up so early. At 5.10 sharp, imagine his disappointment when at least 60, perhaps 100 people were lying there all around, on the floor waiting for the sale to begin. Men, women and children, yes small children because some people turned up MANY hours earlier, to wait in queue, in the middle of the night, WITH THEIR BABIES!

Ok, we love our child, but so desperate for babyswimming we are not! We will just have to train Mr. F ourselves (and you'll see, he'll be a swimming olympic champion)

Oh ...I was looking so much forward to it -it had been such a long time since we had met and the point of the trip was more exciting than ever. Instead it became a total bommer journey from A to Z.

I took my old friend betty bike to go to the swimming pool and realised that it needed some pump - pump it up - treatment before we could go anywhere. Not surprising you might say since the bike had not been ridden since june last year. When I arrived to the gas station however, instead of pumping air INTO the wheels I managed to take the little that was left out and could in no way figure out how to get air back in. I had done this a million times before but no. There was no having it - and since I had about an hour left to try to find a solution - go to the swimming pool and back - without mentioning all the swimming that was supposed to take place  -I gave up and went back home. Just as well since I discoverd a major cramp in my leg after 5 MINUTES of bicycling. 5 freaking minutes. What happened to me?

That question was answered as soon as I entered the door and saw the two boys there laughing together. That's right, Im no Angelina Jolie - I dont look a million 2 months after giving birth and yes, I admit it, its tough to get back into shape. (and I haven't even entered the swimming pool!) AND she had twins, so anyone who says she just works out is just plain lying.

Im often asked if I miss my tummy - mostly by other pregnant women. And I have to admit it was something I had thought about myself. But no - although you become one with your pregnant identity, losing the stomach is strangely comforting and quite a relief. Actually the baby takes over pretty much everything and what I do miss is time. I never seem to have any time anymore. Time to do all the things Im supposed to do, or when I decide to do them there is a diaper to change, a bottle to give or simply attention to be given to the little one. Sometime it is way pass tea time when I realise I was going to take a shower that day - that will simply have to wait. Well I'm told this is how it is in the beginning. And its ok. Its amazing how you adapt to different situations and frankly, one little weird baby face or sound makes it all worth it.

And the little time you have left - you should use it to take a nap, not spend it on blogging something noone will read anyway. And so I will.

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