Gosh I can't believe how fast time is going now. I wish it would just slow down a little. I think time is going so fast because of a few things, all of them I am relieved about.
Angus is now 12 weeks old. And he is sleeping through. Did you read that bit? I"ll shout it for you "HE IS SLEEPING THROUGH!". I am so happy about this. Charlotte didn't come close to sleeping through until she was nearly 12 months old, and even then it took a few months before I could say I had a full night sleep. So for Angus to be doing it now is heaven. He has been doing it for a few weeks although he varies it a bit. Most nights he is down by 7 then up around 6, but he can be up anywhere between 4 - 7 (and the earlier it is he has a feed, then goes back to sleep). He isn't a great sleeper during the day but I'm still getting a few good naps out of him.
It also appears that his reflux is settling down. There are some days where he doesn't vomit at all. However just as I begin to think that it is stopping, he spends half a day covering me in puke. But it is nowhere as bad as Charlotte ever was. And the difference is so obvious. Apart from the sleeping, he likes to lie on the playmat and grab his toys. He will smile, and just these past few days, giggle. I could never leave Charlotte alone or lying down as she would just cry and cry. At the moment he is lying on his playmat and I can hear him cooing away. So divine.
One other thing I am relieved about is Angus's hypospadias http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypospadias. We knew about this from birth as it is a congenital abnormality. Initially the paediatrician said that he might need a minor corrective procedure. Then at the 6 week checkup he thought he would need his urethra reconstructed and referred us to a surgeon. While it was still a minor procedure, the thought of my baby undergoing surgery was just awful. We saw the surgeon last week and we are so relieved that he doesn't need surgery. The surgeon thought that it was mild, and that as long as his aim is straight (which given my showering the other day I think it is), then no surgery is required. He does have two openings for his urethra though so it might even be a party trick when he is older.
But it felt odd as we were leaving. The specialist was on the side of town where the IVF clinic and my OB were. Driving home I realised that we don't need to go to any health professional in the foreseeable future. We don't need to find money for medical costs, we don't need to think about any health issues. That stage is finally over. I am still sad that that also means no more babies, but hugely relieved that we can start to move on with our lives.
Lastly I am relieved that the sickness that has plagued us these last few weeks seems to be abating. Last week all of us except Angus were on antibiotics which was very unpleasant. Even though Angus is sleeping through, I am still on the weary side. And being sick just wasn't helping. This weekend I am hoping that we can have a nice day out as a family as there has been a bit of tension in this household lately (largely due to James working stupid crazy hours!).
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Just support and encouragement
One thing that has surprised me about motherhood is breastfeeding. I am finding that I am quite pro-breastfeeding, which surprises me.
Before Charlotte was born, breastfeeding scared me. I wasn't sure if I could do it; I heard that it hurt; I thought it might feel weird and just be weird. However I was determined to give it a go. I figured that if I could get to 3 months then I had done well. Yes I knew that "breast was best", but my main motivation was money. My frugal nature was coming through and I couldn't see the point in paying for formula (and bottles and so on) if I could supply it for free. I am now a huge convert for the immunological benefits that breastmilk provides.
So when Charlotte came along I gave it a go. And it was hard. Very hard. My nipples were sore and cracked from the first feed (which was partly because I was unconscious for it and had no idea what they were doing). Charlotte wouldn't attach. She kept pulling away, or latching on then pulling away (trust me, this is alot worse). The midwives regularly came in to help and I had my boob shoved this way and that. I was milked like a cow to get colostrum to feed Charlotte with. You definitely give up your modesty when having children. Unfortunately most of the advice was contradictory, but we kept trying their suggestions. It was simply exhausting.
It didn't get easier when we got home. By now my nipples were bleeding, I would take painkillers before each feed and sit there in tears. My Mum was here though and kept encouraging me and giving support. And this is what you need. Someone telling you to keep at it. Because it did get easier. We saw a lactation consultant who offered some suggestions but ultimately said we were doing it right. The pulling away we later worked out was due to Charlotte's reflux. After about 3 weeks the nipples healed. It took a few more weeks for it not to hurt. Before I knew it we had reached 3 months, then 6, then 12. By then I was getting over it but I was still sad when we stopped at 13 months because of the IVF.
So I knew with Angus that we were going to breastfeed. I can't tell you the relief when he latched on straight away in recovery. I got a bit sore at first. I mentioned this to the paediatrician who commented that those with fair skin tend to get sore nipples, no matter what you do. I had never heard this before! If I had known this with Charlotte I would have felt less like I was doing something wrong and just accepted that it was in my makeup.
I think this is one of the problems with breastfeeding. There is so much information out there, alot of it contradictory. When really all you need is some encouragement to keep at it. There seems to be so much emphasis on weight gain, supply, foremilk/hindmilk. As long as the baby is putting on weight, you should just be able to stick them on and do what is right for you. Babies make you feel like you are doing everything wrong anyway, you don't need someone else confusing you. At the end of the day it is a hard thing, it can hurt, and it is tiring, and confusing. I still feel confused if I am doing the right thing or not, but I have to keep challenging myself that it seems right, so it must be ok. The last few days I have questioned myself whether I want to continue breastfeeding as I'm just so tired at the moment (this cold is really knocking me around) but then I just think how much money I'm saving and I snap out of it.
I just want to say that I'm not anti-formula. You do what is right for you and your baby. But, if you are wavering on whether you can keep doing it, then I think we should openly come out and say good on you for trying, and just keep at it!
Before Charlotte was born, breastfeeding scared me. I wasn't sure if I could do it; I heard that it hurt; I thought it might feel weird and just be weird. However I was determined to give it a go. I figured that if I could get to 3 months then I had done well. Yes I knew that "breast was best", but my main motivation was money. My frugal nature was coming through and I couldn't see the point in paying for formula (and bottles and so on) if I could supply it for free. I am now a huge convert for the immunological benefits that breastmilk provides.
So when Charlotte came along I gave it a go. And it was hard. Very hard. My nipples were sore and cracked from the first feed (which was partly because I was unconscious for it and had no idea what they were doing). Charlotte wouldn't attach. She kept pulling away, or latching on then pulling away (trust me, this is alot worse). The midwives regularly came in to help and I had my boob shoved this way and that. I was milked like a cow to get colostrum to feed Charlotte with. You definitely give up your modesty when having children. Unfortunately most of the advice was contradictory, but we kept trying their suggestions. It was simply exhausting.
It didn't get easier when we got home. By now my nipples were bleeding, I would take painkillers before each feed and sit there in tears. My Mum was here though and kept encouraging me and giving support. And this is what you need. Someone telling you to keep at it. Because it did get easier. We saw a lactation consultant who offered some suggestions but ultimately said we were doing it right. The pulling away we later worked out was due to Charlotte's reflux. After about 3 weeks the nipples healed. It took a few more weeks for it not to hurt. Before I knew it we had reached 3 months, then 6, then 12. By then I was getting over it but I was still sad when we stopped at 13 months because of the IVF.
So I knew with Angus that we were going to breastfeed. I can't tell you the relief when he latched on straight away in recovery. I got a bit sore at first. I mentioned this to the paediatrician who commented that those with fair skin tend to get sore nipples, no matter what you do. I had never heard this before! If I had known this with Charlotte I would have felt less like I was doing something wrong and just accepted that it was in my makeup.
I think this is one of the problems with breastfeeding. There is so much information out there, alot of it contradictory. When really all you need is some encouragement to keep at it. There seems to be so much emphasis on weight gain, supply, foremilk/hindmilk. As long as the baby is putting on weight, you should just be able to stick them on and do what is right for you. Babies make you feel like you are doing everything wrong anyway, you don't need someone else confusing you. At the end of the day it is a hard thing, it can hurt, and it is tiring, and confusing. I still feel confused if I am doing the right thing or not, but I have to keep challenging myself that it seems right, so it must be ok. The last few days I have questioned myself whether I want to continue breastfeeding as I'm just so tired at the moment (this cold is really knocking me around) but then I just think how much money I'm saving and I snap out of it.
I just want to say that I'm not anti-formula. You do what is right for you and your baby. But, if you are wavering on whether you can keep doing it, then I think we should openly come out and say good on you for trying, and just keep at it!
Monday, May 16, 2011
8 weeks
When you have a baby, you get all sorts of advice. It usually comes from "they". This person called "they" is very smart, and knows all sorts of things. For instance, "they" say that you shouldn't wake a sleeping baby. How true is that. And "they" say that breastfeeding shouldn't hurt if you are doing it right. Bollocks to that. Another thing I disagree with is when "they" say that the first 6 weeks are the hardest. Utter rubbish.
Yes those first 6 weeks are hard. You are overwhelmed with this new life you have created. Who doesn't have a manual and is trying to work things out himself. You are sleep deprived, physically drained from the birth and pregnancy, and at times just a little bit irrational and deluded. But you seem to struggle through. There is that new baby high you have. And usually there is a fair bit of support on offer as everyone wants to come and visit to meet the new baby.
Unfortunately once you hit the 6-8 week mark alot of this support just seems to disappear. But you are still tired. You still don't know what to do with this baby who seems to change the rules all the time. And you are somehow expected to get back into doing normal things, like housework. My physical reserves have taken a battering and I am now sick (thanks to some sharing of snot from Charlotte). And it is hard work taking care of a newborn and a toddler when you are sick.
We found with Charlotte that her reflux, and therefore her behaviour, got so much worse at 6 weeks. I can remember the day when she wouldn't sleep AT ALL during the day and just screamed and screamed. Her reflux peaked at about 4 months and then things gradually got better.
Unfortunately Angus took a turn for the worse last week. We had a number of days where he wasn't feeding well, and would scream and arch his back for up to 90 mins after a feed. We managed to see the paediatrician earlier and he confirmed that he has reflux. So we started on losec and I have my happy little baby back! The losec takes a while to build up completely but immediately we saw an improvement. He is back to self-settling, feeding well, and is still sleeping well overnight. We have even seen a sudden increase in smiles. Yesterday he sat in his bouncer quite happily for over an hour, smiling at the world. I hope that we managed to get onto the reflux quickly and so some of the damage was limited. He still pukes though, that won't go away for a while. It does make it easier to manage though when he smiles at you, pukes all over you, then smiles some more, especially at 2am.
So yes the first 6 weeks are hard, but I wouldn't say they are the hardest. I think this time period is probably the hardest. But at least I know that things can only get better from here.
Yes those first 6 weeks are hard. You are overwhelmed with this new life you have created. Who doesn't have a manual and is trying to work things out himself. You are sleep deprived, physically drained from the birth and pregnancy, and at times just a little bit irrational and deluded. But you seem to struggle through. There is that new baby high you have. And usually there is a fair bit of support on offer as everyone wants to come and visit to meet the new baby.
Unfortunately once you hit the 6-8 week mark alot of this support just seems to disappear. But you are still tired. You still don't know what to do with this baby who seems to change the rules all the time. And you are somehow expected to get back into doing normal things, like housework. My physical reserves have taken a battering and I am now sick (thanks to some sharing of snot from Charlotte). And it is hard work taking care of a newborn and a toddler when you are sick.
We found with Charlotte that her reflux, and therefore her behaviour, got so much worse at 6 weeks. I can remember the day when she wouldn't sleep AT ALL during the day and just screamed and screamed. Her reflux peaked at about 4 months and then things gradually got better.
Unfortunately Angus took a turn for the worse last week. We had a number of days where he wasn't feeding well, and would scream and arch his back for up to 90 mins after a feed. We managed to see the paediatrician earlier and he confirmed that he has reflux. So we started on losec and I have my happy little baby back! The losec takes a while to build up completely but immediately we saw an improvement. He is back to self-settling, feeding well, and is still sleeping well overnight. We have even seen a sudden increase in smiles. Yesterday he sat in his bouncer quite happily for over an hour, smiling at the world. I hope that we managed to get onto the reflux quickly and so some of the damage was limited. He still pukes though, that won't go away for a while. It does make it easier to manage though when he smiles at you, pukes all over you, then smiles some more, especially at 2am.
So yes the first 6 weeks are hard, but I wouldn't say they are the hardest. I think this time period is probably the hardest. But at least I know that things can only get better from here.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The baking bug
My baking bug has returned. While I was pregnant I struggled to look at food, or even be in the kitchen, let alone think about cooking anything. It is good that James does the cooking in our house (he says he likes to be hands on after working in front of a computer all day) otherwise we would have spent the last 12 months eating cheese on toast. But that did make me sad, as I love to cook desserts. Cheesecakes, cupcakes, muffins, all sorts of cakes, I love to make them.
I've always enjoyed baking and used to make a cake nearly every week when I was younger (probably from about 10 onwards). A few years ago this ramped up when I made some cupcakes for a work morning tea. They were praised quite highly and I started to think that it was something I was good at. It went from there and I became more practiced at all different sorts of things. I have some staples in my repertoire (white chocolate cheesecake, basic butter cake, cupcakes with butter cream icing) but don't shy away from a challenge either (lemon, lime and white chocolate mud cake, 4 layered chocolate sponge cakes, profiteroles, and my latest was a sticky date cheesecake with caramel sauce).
So I am so pleased that my desire to bake has returned again. I get such satisfaction from cooking and decorating a cake. I try to get Charlotte to help me in the kitchen too. She loves to pour out ingredients and of course to lick the beaters. I may not be great at keeping a clean house, but I can make an awesome birthday cake! Being a great cook is one of the things that I associate with Mum (although she disagrees). I hope that one day Charlotte and Angus will think of my baking fondly too.
Some of my creations:
Sticky date pudding with caramel sauce and almond praline
Charlotte's birthday cake for her 2nd birthday. It was the moon from "hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle". I made the bowl and spoon from sugar paste but the other bits were store bought. I did try making the fiddle but it flopped. I still have alot to learn! I would love to do a proper decorating course but they are quite expensive. I guess I just have to keep practicing.
A min croquembouche (have to thank Masterchef for that one)
I've always enjoyed baking and used to make a cake nearly every week when I was younger (probably from about 10 onwards). A few years ago this ramped up when I made some cupcakes for a work morning tea. They were praised quite highly and I started to think that it was something I was good at. It went from there and I became more practiced at all different sorts of things. I have some staples in my repertoire (white chocolate cheesecake, basic butter cake, cupcakes with butter cream icing) but don't shy away from a challenge either (lemon, lime and white chocolate mud cake, 4 layered chocolate sponge cakes, profiteroles, and my latest was a sticky date cheesecake with caramel sauce).
So I am so pleased that my desire to bake has returned again. I get such satisfaction from cooking and decorating a cake. I try to get Charlotte to help me in the kitchen too. She loves to pour out ingredients and of course to lick the beaters. I may not be great at keeping a clean house, but I can make an awesome birthday cake! Being a great cook is one of the things that I associate with Mum (although she disagrees). I hope that one day Charlotte and Angus will think of my baking fondly too.
Some of my creations:
Sticky date pudding with caramel sauce and almond praline
Charlotte's birthday cake for her 2nd birthday. It was the moon from "hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle". I made the bowl and spoon from sugar paste but the other bits were store bought. I did try making the fiddle but it flopped. I still have alot to learn! I would love to do a proper decorating course but they are quite expensive. I guess I just have to keep practicing.
A min croquembouche (have to thank Masterchef for that one)
Saturday, April 30, 2011
No more vomit!
Please, no more vomit. I've had enough of it. Angus is a chucker; I am pretty sure he has reflux. But, unlike Charlotte, I don't think he has GORD. The first few weeks of his life I lived in fear every time he vomited. Which he did a bit. He did a few projectile pukes and I promptly burst into tears.
We suffered with Charlotte with reflux. Now when I would say to people that Charlotte had reflux I would get one of two responses. One was a dismissive "oh every baby vomits" and the other was "oooh, I had a reflux baby. If they had been my first I would never had had more!". The first comment would make me so angry, the second would nearly make me cry with relief that I wasn't alone. Yes alot of babies vomit. It is called posseting. Charlotte would posset, then cover the walls, floor, myself and herself in a spray of vomit that seemed to last forever. There were a few times I swore her head was spinning around at the same time as she committed her exorcist child routine.
But the actual vomit wasn't the worst of it. Because she vomited - constantly - she was also a bad sleeper. If I put her down she would vomit in her sleep and wake up. I would then have to try and settle her again. I found that it would take over an hour of rocking and patting for her to fall asleep for less than 40 mins. She very quickly got into a pattern of short sleeps. And she would scream. And scream. And scream. The reflux brings up a small amount of stomach acid as well and that burns and hurts. This is why reflux babies are so unsettled. I simply couldn't calm her down. She hated the pram and the car seat as the position made it worse. She wanted to be held and rocked all the time.
And I was afraid all the time. When she was 2 weeks old she choked on her own vomit, and went into a laryngeal spasm where she then went all floppy and unresponsive. My Mum was still here then and immediately called an ambulance. Being a retired nurse she recognised what was happening and later said that had she been at work she would have hit the emergency button. So after that I was terrified of hearing that choking noise and was always checking on her.
My GP was very dismissive of my concerns (I've since changed GP's) and said I was being overanxious but thankfully my paediatrician agreed it was reflux - GORD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) and prescribed losec which is an antacid. It took a few months to get the dosage right and she ended up on the highest dose for a while. By about 7 months she had mostly grown out of it although we spent a long time trying to fix the sleeping issues and had to go to sleep school when she was 5 months old.
Having another reflux baby was one of my greatest fears about having more children. So when Angus did his first big chuck I did lose it a bit. We have been on constant alert for more signs of reflux (like back arching) but haven't seen them. He has had a few screaming fits after a feed but a small dose of mylanta has settled him down. That's why I'm sure he has reflux, but it isn't bad enough to bother him. But he does like to chuck. I've been limiting his feeds to make sure he's not overfed. He still brings alot up even doing this but we have only had a few major vomiting episodes. Otherwise it is just a constant stream of vomit that comes out of his mouth, even 2-3 hours after a feed.
One of the big things with reflux babies is how unsettled they are. So I can't begin to tell you ecstatic I am that Angus has just put himself to sleep! It has happened a few times now and really makes me happy. It is so different having a baby that is generally happy. He has started to smile now, and I remember that Charlotte didn't' do that until she was about 7 weeks old which I think was due to her being in pain alot. He does have unsettled times but he seems to have more wind pain than anything.
So to any mums out there who find this post and have a reflux baby - you are not alone. You will get through it, and even though I had one first, I still went back for more!
We suffered with Charlotte with reflux. Now when I would say to people that Charlotte had reflux I would get one of two responses. One was a dismissive "oh every baby vomits" and the other was "oooh, I had a reflux baby. If they had been my first I would never had had more!". The first comment would make me so angry, the second would nearly make me cry with relief that I wasn't alone. Yes alot of babies vomit. It is called posseting. Charlotte would posset, then cover the walls, floor, myself and herself in a spray of vomit that seemed to last forever. There were a few times I swore her head was spinning around at the same time as she committed her exorcist child routine.
But the actual vomit wasn't the worst of it. Because she vomited - constantly - she was also a bad sleeper. If I put her down she would vomit in her sleep and wake up. I would then have to try and settle her again. I found that it would take over an hour of rocking and patting for her to fall asleep for less than 40 mins. She very quickly got into a pattern of short sleeps. And she would scream. And scream. And scream. The reflux brings up a small amount of stomach acid as well and that burns and hurts. This is why reflux babies are so unsettled. I simply couldn't calm her down. She hated the pram and the car seat as the position made it worse. She wanted to be held and rocked all the time.
And I was afraid all the time. When she was 2 weeks old she choked on her own vomit, and went into a laryngeal spasm where she then went all floppy and unresponsive. My Mum was still here then and immediately called an ambulance. Being a retired nurse she recognised what was happening and later said that had she been at work she would have hit the emergency button. So after that I was terrified of hearing that choking noise and was always checking on her.
My GP was very dismissive of my concerns (I've since changed GP's) and said I was being overanxious but thankfully my paediatrician agreed it was reflux - GORD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease) and prescribed losec which is an antacid. It took a few months to get the dosage right and she ended up on the highest dose for a while. By about 7 months she had mostly grown out of it although we spent a long time trying to fix the sleeping issues and had to go to sleep school when she was 5 months old.
Having another reflux baby was one of my greatest fears about having more children. So when Angus did his first big chuck I did lose it a bit. We have been on constant alert for more signs of reflux (like back arching) but haven't seen them. He has had a few screaming fits after a feed but a small dose of mylanta has settled him down. That's why I'm sure he has reflux, but it isn't bad enough to bother him. But he does like to chuck. I've been limiting his feeds to make sure he's not overfed. He still brings alot up even doing this but we have only had a few major vomiting episodes. Otherwise it is just a constant stream of vomit that comes out of his mouth, even 2-3 hours after a feed.
One of the big things with reflux babies is how unsettled they are. So I can't begin to tell you ecstatic I am that Angus has just put himself to sleep! It has happened a few times now and really makes me happy. It is so different having a baby that is generally happy. He has started to smile now, and I remember that Charlotte didn't' do that until she was about 7 weeks old which I think was due to her being in pain alot. He does have unsettled times but he seems to have more wind pain than anything.
So to any mums out there who find this post and have a reflux baby - you are not alone. You will get through it, and even though I had one first, I still went back for more!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The first few weeks
I have a dream baby. I really hope that I don't jinx myself by writing that. He feeds well, he sleeps well in between feeds. It is great. I keep expecting it all to go wrong. Charlotte was a challenge, and I will write about that later. She had reflux and I fully expected Angus to have it too. He has done quite a few chucks, and likes to puke (I don't just mean little possets like all babies do, I mean call the priest your child is possessed type chucks). However he isn't showing any of the other signs of reflux like Charlotte did.
He is still a small baby and didn't put his birth weight on until his 3 week checkup, but seems to be stacking it on now. We aren't quite sure why he wasn't putting weight on at first although he was a tiny bit jaundiced. He is going 4-6 hours between feeds, and last night fed at 8, 2am, then 8 again. He does have some unsettled times, and sadly until about midnight he seems to be really unsettled. But James has been great at sitting up with him so I can get some sleep.
And Charlotte loves her "baby Angus". When Mum and Dad brought her into hospital for that first visit she came running in with a baby book to give him, then stood there with her arms out for a cuddle. She wants to cuddle him all the time. One of the first nights home he was crying just as we put her to bed and she started crying out "I help baby Angus". Mum and Dad were a great help but went home last weekend. Charlotte's behaviour has gotten a little worse since then with wanting attention so I am trying to play with her as much as I can. I can't believe how big she is though compared to him! At the moment he is still smaller than she ever was and that is so hard to believe.
So things are going really well at the moment. I'm not stressing about little things like housework and it is hard to find the time to jump on the computer (when sleep really is a priority). I am also starting to feel really good in myself. I think back a few weeks when everything was a chore and can't believe how sick I really was. I still have some discomfort in my back and my pelvis is still really loose - I can still feel it grinding and clicking. I can't wait to go back to the gym and get fit again. Of course I have lost all of my baby weight (given that I only put 1kg on the whole pregnancy) and am now working on the IVF weight I put on. But I'm not trying too hard, I am just finishing off a hot cross bun now. tee hee.
He is still a small baby and didn't put his birth weight on until his 3 week checkup, but seems to be stacking it on now. We aren't quite sure why he wasn't putting weight on at first although he was a tiny bit jaundiced. He is going 4-6 hours between feeds, and last night fed at 8, 2am, then 8 again. He does have some unsettled times, and sadly until about midnight he seems to be really unsettled. But James has been great at sitting up with him so I can get some sleep.
And Charlotte loves her "baby Angus". When Mum and Dad brought her into hospital for that first visit she came running in with a baby book to give him, then stood there with her arms out for a cuddle. She wants to cuddle him all the time. One of the first nights home he was crying just as we put her to bed and she started crying out "I help baby Angus". Mum and Dad were a great help but went home last weekend. Charlotte's behaviour has gotten a little worse since then with wanting attention so I am trying to play with her as much as I can. I can't believe how big she is though compared to him! At the moment he is still smaller than she ever was and that is so hard to believe.
So things are going really well at the moment. I'm not stressing about little things like housework and it is hard to find the time to jump on the computer (when sleep really is a priority). I am also starting to feel really good in myself. I think back a few weeks when everything was a chore and can't believe how sick I really was. I still have some discomfort in my back and my pelvis is still really loose - I can still feel it grinding and clicking. I can't wait to go back to the gym and get fit again. Of course I have lost all of my baby weight (given that I only put 1kg on the whole pregnancy) and am now working on the IVF weight I put on. But I'm not trying too hard, I am just finishing off a hot cross bun now. tee hee.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Welcome to the world
It has taken me awhile to post this as we have been a little busy. But we are very pleased to announce that Angus Joshua arrived into the world nearly 3 weeks ago weighing a healthy (but unexpectedly small) 2930 gms (6pds/70z).
Here is the story of that day. It was such a wonderful experience for me (compared to Charlotte's arrival) so I wanted to write it all down.
We arrived for our scheduled c/s nice and early. I hadn't slept much the night before which I had expected and I got quite emotional leaving the house. I gave a sleeping Charlotte a big kiss goodbye and did start to feel a bit anxious then. It was only on the way to the hospital that James and I finally decided on the name! (just about the point we passed our local bunnings, in case you were curious).
We went to our room at the hospital and they came and prepped me. This took ages as a new midwife was being trained but it did make the time go faster. Before we knew it they were taking us down to theatre. We met with the anaesthetist and I talked through my concerns after the last spinal I had. Coincidentally, he was the anaesthetist who did my first IVF procedure. I found that really ironic that he was there for our first step towards a family and also our last.
Cutting the cord
Our first family picture together
A precious angel
Here is the story of that day. It was such a wonderful experience for me (compared to Charlotte's arrival) so I wanted to write it all down.
We arrived for our scheduled c/s nice and early. I hadn't slept much the night before which I had expected and I got quite emotional leaving the house. I gave a sleeping Charlotte a big kiss goodbye and did start to feel a bit anxious then. It was only on the way to the hospital that James and I finally decided on the name! (just about the point we passed our local bunnings, in case you were curious).
We went to our room at the hospital and they came and prepped me. This took ages as a new midwife was being trained but it did make the time go faster. Before we knew it they were taking us down to theatre. We met with the anaesthetist and I talked through my concerns after the last spinal I had. Coincidentally, he was the anaesthetist who did my first IVF procedure. I found that really ironic that he was there for our first step towards a family and also our last.
I was still feeling a bit sick and
I was pretty exhausted for the rest of the day though and was still vomiting for several hours. We actually had some family want to come and visit and we had to tell them no. I was not a pretty picture!
The next day I was up and moving around. I had alot of pain in those first few days, and it wasn't until Sile changed my pain meds to voltaren that I got any relief. I was also feeling very sick all of the time. Last time I felt great within a few days but this time it took ages for that sick feeling to go away. And my appetite didn't return until Angus was about 10 days old. I actually found that very frustrating, especially being in hospital with limited food options. The food there is actually quite good but everything seemed unappealing to me. The baby blues kicked in the morning of day 4, just as Sile walked in. My milk had also come in so I was very sore from that as well as the pain from the c/s. We talked about staying in another day as I just didn't feel ready to come home but once the voltaren started to work we changed our mind.
Cutting the cord
Our first family picture together
A precious angel
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)