pregnancy update

My better half had to be admitted for 24-hour observation today in Holles St, so a bit of a crazy time.

We experienced a mixed bag of emotions: worry, fear, and surprise at S having to overnight, and the whole associated aura of "medicalness" that goes with a stay (hopefully brief!!) in hospital; I was also full of gratitude for the genuine warmth and care shown to both of us by the majority of staff we dealt with in there, especially given the conditions they have to work in, which brings us to; frustration!! with the appalling environment in which we are supposed to bring our child into the world :(

The ward S is in has exceeded it's occupancy: I reckon there was 20 women in a room where there should only be 14. This means that in some cases (like for S), there are 2 beds squeezed into a single bed space, which leaves very little room for manoeuvring, and even less for privacy. It doesn't look like S is going to get a great nights sleep, at a time when she needs more than ever to be focussing on keep herself and baby relaxed and well. The lady S is sharing with is in the late stages of labour, and was in audible discomfort with her contractions - she should be able to move around without having to ask S or myself to move, or worry that she's inconveniencing us. Herself and her birth partner were (IMHO) showing great patience, especially (and this is the killer) as there was a recently vacated bed directly opposite from us! When I last spoke to S, the bed had been free for over an hour, and there were no sign of any of the "doubled-up" mums-to-be moving into it.

I'm not going to go off on a rant about the HSE - many others are in a better position to do that than me. I will say that the level of maternity services on offer in Ireland can improve, and there are people like AIMS Ireland who are doing good work to make it happen.

On a more positive note, I got "exit polled" by a Finnish camera crew after casting my vote this evening :) That's the first step on the path towards world-renowned political punditry complete. I'd better start learning off some Minister's names...