Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Saturday, 23 August 2008
One month old
Dear Noah,
Today you are officially 1 month old, in truth however you shouldn't even be born for another 4 days. I'm glad you came early - I was ready to meet you.
The first couple of weeks at home were really hard and I was starting to wonder if I was going to be any good at being your Mum. You and I never got the hang of the breastfeeding thing but once we resigned ourselves to bottles and formula the stress just melted away.
It goes without saying that your dad and I are completely in love with you - in fact we are totally besotted. Sometimes I waste hours of the day just watching you sleep - you look so peaceful and angelic.
Sleeping is something you love to do, which, in theory sounds great (and it is) but you never sleep for more than 2 -3 hours at a time. In fact 3 hours and 15 minutes is your record and I was very excited when it happened. I thought it was the start of longer sleeps - I was wrong!!
You haven't been the most settled baby - and who could blame you - it was a very rough start you had mate. Daddy and I have been experimenting with lots of things (different formulas, gripe water, massage etc) to try and help your tummy pains but I think you're just a windy baby and it will get better in time. You are a happy content little man so long as you're not in pain.
It's taken a while for me to start to understand your signals and your different cries but I'm really getting the hang of it now and we're doing fine. You always wake up starving and you sure let us know about it. You love baths and showers and make the loveliest happy noises once you're in the warm water immediately followed by horrendous screams when you are taken out.
You've started life with lots of socialising and interacting and love to be held and cuddled by anyone. This makes Daddy and I very happy. You absolutely hate to have your nappy changed and your clothes taken on and off. You scream every time without fail - at first it was quite distressing but we're getting used to it. We really hope you grow out of it.
You love your hands and do all kinds of funny things and gestures with them - it's really adorable.
So, here's to your first month, Noah. I hope I haven't annoyed you too much with all the kissing. Your cheeks and lips are amazing and I can't help myself. Thank you for the life lessons you are teaching me, I look forward to what's coming next on our journey together.
Today you are officially 1 month old, in truth however you shouldn't even be born for another 4 days. I'm glad you came early - I was ready to meet you.
The first couple of weeks at home were really hard and I was starting to wonder if I was going to be any good at being your Mum. You and I never got the hang of the breastfeeding thing but once we resigned ourselves to bottles and formula the stress just melted away.
It goes without saying that your dad and I are completely in love with you - in fact we are totally besotted. Sometimes I waste hours of the day just watching you sleep - you look so peaceful and angelic.
Sleeping is something you love to do, which, in theory sounds great (and it is) but you never sleep for more than 2 -3 hours at a time. In fact 3 hours and 15 minutes is your record and I was very excited when it happened. I thought it was the start of longer sleeps - I was wrong!!
You haven't been the most settled baby - and who could blame you - it was a very rough start you had mate. Daddy and I have been experimenting with lots of things (different formulas, gripe water, massage etc) to try and help your tummy pains but I think you're just a windy baby and it will get better in time. You are a happy content little man so long as you're not in pain.
It's taken a while for me to start to understand your signals and your different cries but I'm really getting the hang of it now and we're doing fine. You always wake up starving and you sure let us know about it. You love baths and showers and make the loveliest happy noises once you're in the warm water immediately followed by horrendous screams when you are taken out.
You've started life with lots of socialising and interacting and love to be held and cuddled by anyone. This makes Daddy and I very happy. You absolutely hate to have your nappy changed and your clothes taken on and off. You scream every time without fail - at first it was quite distressing but we're getting used to it. We really hope you grow out of it.
You love your hands and do all kinds of funny things and gestures with them - it's really adorable.
So, here's to your first month, Noah. I hope I haven't annoyed you too much with all the kissing. Your cheeks and lips are amazing and I can't help myself. Thank you for the life lessons you are teaching me, I look forward to what's coming next on our journey together.
Pictures of Noah
You've all been asking for new pictures so here they are.
The whole family gathers around at feeding time!!
Mummy and Noah's first shower together
Play Time
Friday, 15 August 2008
The best piece of advice I ever received
When you are pregnant or have a new baby or even a child expect to receive a lot of unsolicited advice from everyone - friends, family or strangers (especially strangers).
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
We'll be back
Rob, Noah and I are all doing really well and settling in to life as a very happy family. I know a lot of you check the blog daily for updates and I will try to keep you informed, however, we might be missing for a while as we get our new life sorted out. Rob is half back at work and Noah and I are working very hard to get the hang of our breastfeeding so we are all very busy. Thanks as always for your love and support and please leave us any tips or advice you have on breastfeeding or anything at all about surviving these early months. We love you XXX
And in the red corner......
Noah weighed in yesterday and he had put on 165grams - what a clever boy. We think he's on the up and up now and should continue to get big and strong.
Sunday, 10 August 2008
I have Milk!!
I haven't fully admitted this to many people - but - I have been very worried about my ability to feed Noah effectively. Between his seeming inability to gain weight and my poor attempts at expressing I have wondered if my milk supply is sufficient and if I am going to be able to breastfeed successfully. I know it's not the end of the world if I can't breastfeed but I really wanted to be able to do it.
Anyway finally today I think it may have fallen into place - I have just hand expressed (yes I milked myself like a Jersey cow!!) and got 40ml in only 6 or 7 minutes. That tells me my supply is pretty good and as long as Noah and I work hard to improve his sucking we might just get this breastfeeding thing right after all.
I'm very excited.
Anyway finally today I think it may have fallen into place - I have just hand expressed (yes I milked myself like a Jersey cow!!) and got 40ml in only 6 or 7 minutes. That tells me my supply is pretty good and as long as Noah and I work hard to improve his sucking we might just get this breastfeeding thing right after all.
I'm very excited.
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Days in the park
The community health nurse visited us on Friday and one of her pieces of advice was to get Noah out into some natural sunlight to help get rid of the last of his jaundice. We laughed and told her it would never work - he hates being nude we said - he'll scream the whole time.
Well here he is in the park yesterday and the day before soaking up the winter sunshine. What a sun lizard.
Well here he is in the park yesterday and the day before soaking up the winter sunshine. What a sun lizard.
Wednesday, 6 August 2008
2 weeks old...
Noah is 2 weeks old today. Wow what a crazy 2 weeks it has been. One week spent in the hospital and now a week at home fending for ourselves. So far so good - I think we're doing a pretty good job and even managing to get some sleep every now and then. Here are some photos of the little man taken today.
Relaxing in his capsule before I harassed him to try and get some pictures.
The calm before the storm
'I hate being nude!!'
Tiny toes
Daddy soothing him after Mummy made him cold and annoyed
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
Things I know about Noah
He loves noise and lots of it - he sleeps best in a noisy room
He loves driving - god forbid if you have to stop at traffic lights
He loves his hands and especially loves having them on his face. (This is how he was in every ultrasound we had and nothing has changed)
He hates nappy changes - he cries and cries until his clothes are back on and he's cozy again
He's the most beautiful baby in the whole world!!!!!
He loves driving - god forbid if you have to stop at traffic lights
He loves his hands and especially loves having them on his face. (This is how he was in every ultrasound we had and nothing has changed)
He hates nappy changes - he cries and cries until his clothes are back on and he's cozy again
He's the most beautiful baby in the whole world!!!!!
The Birth Story
I've told this story so many times but there are still people asking - What happened? Why did he arrive so much earlier than expected? So here it is in all it's gory detail.
From before I even fell pregnant this second time my OB had said that in light of what had happened with Banjo she wanted me to deliver any future babies at 37 weeks (anything from 37 weeks is considered full-term even though most pregnancies go to 40 weeks). So although Noah's due date was technically August 27th we expected to be induced today August 5th.
For the last 4 or 5 weeks I had been going to the hospital twice a week for CTG monitoring just to keep an eye on things and it had always shown a perfect heartbeat. On Tuesday July 22nd the same was the case except the midwife who does the monitoring felt that I had gotten too large too quickly and that I may be carrying excess amniotic fluid. She really didn't want me to leave the hospital until my OB Margo had seen me and organised for me to have an emergency appointment. I saw my doctor and she gave me a quick scan and then no more than 5 minutes later was calling the ward and having me admitted.
Apparently I had a condition called polyhydramnios - literally too much water. The concern was that I would go into early labour and as Noah wasn't engaged the cord can fall through causing complications. I was going to need a Caesar and until then needed to do everything possible not to go into natural labour. (Here is a link to some more information about my condition http://www.babycenter.com.au/pregnancy/complications/polyhydramnios)
I was in complete shock - I had shown up for a routine check and wasn't going home again. At this point a very preliminary plan of action was laid out for me before she raced off to deliver a baby. I was to be admitted and have bed rest for a week then have a Caesar the following Wednesday July 30th ( a week earlier than originally planned). She sent me for a full scan then I was to check in to my room and wait for her to come and talk to me a couple of hours later. Rob raced to the hospital from work so he could be present when Margo came to give us more info about what was happening.
When Margo came and saw the results of my full scan it turned out the extent of my polyhydramnios was worse than originally thought and coupled with the fact that Noah was a large baby already she advised us she would be moving the Caesar forward to Friday August 1st.
Mine and Rob's heads were spinning - we weren't ready. The baby's bassinet was still in the box, my hospital bag wasn't packed, the house was a mess, the laundry basket was overflowing and worst of all I hadn't had my waxing done and my haircut!! I convinced Margo to give me a chance to come home and at least pack my own bag. I was a woman possessed - I tidied the house, put on loads of washing, dropped the rest off to mum and went and had my haircut. It really helped me feel more in control of an out of control situation. Little did I know what was to come.
I spent an uneventful night in the hospital then it all happened. Wednesday morning the nurses did all the standard observations on me - blood pressure, temperature etc then started some routine heart monitoring on the baby. Unlike every other time I've been monitored this time the baby's heart rate was dropping down below 90 (usually around 145). The midwife told me that something was wrong and she would have to call Margo to come and see me. Margo was in theatre doing a Caesar but was in my room within 10 minutes telling me that this baby was coming out now. It was 9.50am when they told me I was having my Caesar immediately and Noah was born at 11.00am. Luckily Rob was already on route to the hospital to visit me before starting his days work or he may have missed the whole thing.
The drama didn't end there though - the Caesar itself turned out to be very eventful as well.
I was rushed to theatre with a midwife monitoring the baby, the anaesthetist was trying to put a cannula in my arm, other nurses were putting on pressure stockings - there were people everywhere. There was some talk of putting me under a general but the decision was made to try for the spinal block and see how it went. Once the spinal was in place everything should have calmed down but for some reason I was having strange reactions. I was losing consciousness and vomiting (all over the anaesthetist). There was a lot of concern about the amount of blood I was losing and an emergency call for blood to transfuse was made (It turned out I lost nearly 2 litres and had a half a litre transfusion that evening but it was not the disaster they had originally thought). Some of the details are a bit sketchy but essentially after it was all over the anaesthetist told Rob and I he had not a scare like that from a patient in several years - seemingly he thought I was in really big trouble.
They ended up concluding that it may have only been a severe compression of the vein that runs down the left side of the body which cut off oxygen supply to my brain. It's really normal to have a mild compression of the vein in pregnancy and it's what makes pregnant women feel lightheaded and unable to sleep on their back.
No matter how it transpired Noah arrived safe and sound and tomorrow he'll be two weeks old. We are the happiest two people on the planet and can't wipe the smiles off our faces.
From before I even fell pregnant this second time my OB had said that in light of what had happened with Banjo she wanted me to deliver any future babies at 37 weeks (anything from 37 weeks is considered full-term even though most pregnancies go to 40 weeks). So although Noah's due date was technically August 27th we expected to be induced today August 5th.
For the last 4 or 5 weeks I had been going to the hospital twice a week for CTG monitoring just to keep an eye on things and it had always shown a perfect heartbeat. On Tuesday July 22nd the same was the case except the midwife who does the monitoring felt that I had gotten too large too quickly and that I may be carrying excess amniotic fluid. She really didn't want me to leave the hospital until my OB Margo had seen me and organised for me to have an emergency appointment. I saw my doctor and she gave me a quick scan and then no more than 5 minutes later was calling the ward and having me admitted.
Apparently I had a condition called polyhydramnios - literally too much water. The concern was that I would go into early labour and as Noah wasn't engaged the cord can fall through causing complications. I was going to need a Caesar and until then needed to do everything possible not to go into natural labour. (Here is a link to some more information about my condition http://www.babycenter.com.au/pregnancy/complications/polyhydramnios)
I was in complete shock - I had shown up for a routine check and wasn't going home again. At this point a very preliminary plan of action was laid out for me before she raced off to deliver a baby. I was to be admitted and have bed rest for a week then have a Caesar the following Wednesday July 30th ( a week earlier than originally planned). She sent me for a full scan then I was to check in to my room and wait for her to come and talk to me a couple of hours later. Rob raced to the hospital from work so he could be present when Margo came to give us more info about what was happening.
When Margo came and saw the results of my full scan it turned out the extent of my polyhydramnios was worse than originally thought and coupled with the fact that Noah was a large baby already she advised us she would be moving the Caesar forward to Friday August 1st.
Mine and Rob's heads were spinning - we weren't ready. The baby's bassinet was still in the box, my hospital bag wasn't packed, the house was a mess, the laundry basket was overflowing and worst of all I hadn't had my waxing done and my haircut!! I convinced Margo to give me a chance to come home and at least pack my own bag. I was a woman possessed - I tidied the house, put on loads of washing, dropped the rest off to mum and went and had my haircut. It really helped me feel more in control of an out of control situation. Little did I know what was to come.
I spent an uneventful night in the hospital then it all happened. Wednesday morning the nurses did all the standard observations on me - blood pressure, temperature etc then started some routine heart monitoring on the baby. Unlike every other time I've been monitored this time the baby's heart rate was dropping down below 90 (usually around 145). The midwife told me that something was wrong and she would have to call Margo to come and see me. Margo was in theatre doing a Caesar but was in my room within 10 minutes telling me that this baby was coming out now. It was 9.50am when they told me I was having my Caesar immediately and Noah was born at 11.00am. Luckily Rob was already on route to the hospital to visit me before starting his days work or he may have missed the whole thing.
The drama didn't end there though - the Caesar itself turned out to be very eventful as well.
I was rushed to theatre with a midwife monitoring the baby, the anaesthetist was trying to put a cannula in my arm, other nurses were putting on pressure stockings - there were people everywhere. There was some talk of putting me under a general but the decision was made to try for the spinal block and see how it went. Once the spinal was in place everything should have calmed down but for some reason I was having strange reactions. I was losing consciousness and vomiting (all over the anaesthetist). There was a lot of concern about the amount of blood I was losing and an emergency call for blood to transfuse was made (It turned out I lost nearly 2 litres and had a half a litre transfusion that evening but it was not the disaster they had originally thought). Some of the details are a bit sketchy but essentially after it was all over the anaesthetist told Rob and I he had not a scare like that from a patient in several years - seemingly he thought I was in really big trouble.
They ended up concluding that it may have only been a severe compression of the vein that runs down the left side of the body which cut off oxygen supply to my brain. It's really normal to have a mild compression of the vein in pregnancy and it's what makes pregnant women feel lightheaded and unable to sleep on their back.
No matter how it transpired Noah arrived safe and sound and tomorrow he'll be two weeks old. We are the happiest two people on the planet and can't wipe the smiles off our faces.
Sunday, 3 August 2008
Mummy's Back!!
Oh my god I know you're all wondering where Rob's daily blogs have gone and you're probably having Noah withdrawals ( I think we may actually have let 1 or 2 days pass without taking his picture!!). We've been so busy since we've come home there hasn't been a moment to spare - not because of Noah - he is a dream baby so far and sleeps ALL day. We've just been out and about visiting and also had lots of visitors at home as well. Noah is so easy to get around with he hasn't slowed us down at all. So many people think we're crazy but we're loving showing him off everywhere.
So far he has been grocery shopping at Whitfords in the sling (the afternoon we came home from hospital), watched his Dad get beaten at squash by his grandad, been to the Pub for lunch and out for breakfast and been the star attraction at his Daddy's office.
So far he has been grocery shopping at Whitfords in the sling (the afternoon we came home from hospital), watched his Dad get beaten at squash by his grandad, been to the Pub for lunch and out for breakfast and been the star attraction at his Daddy's office.
Yesterday he had the first of no doubt many parties in his honour. All his immediate family - Grandparents, Great Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins gathered at my mum and dad's house for a lovely afternoon tea to celebrate his arrival. There were a few fights about whose turn it was to hold him next but we managed to break them up without any bloodshed.
Rob and I are just loving having him at home and are especially looking forward to next week when we are going into lockdown for a couple of days so we can just stare at him and have him all to ourselves.
He's feeding really well but at this stage his weight isn't going up as fast as we or the doctors would like so we have to traipse back to Joondalup every second day for a weigh in.
Thanks to you all for all your text messages. emails, phone calls and cards we are so lucky to have such wonderful friends who are as excited about Noah as we are.
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