Babies Born August 1st - 15th 2008

[thepixie]

Hey a question for you all I was curious about... when you gave birth, did you cry and get all emotional about your new baby? Or what was it that got you and/or your partners emotional (in a positive way!)?

hmmm we kind of missed out on that.... Beth wasn't breathing when she was born and spent 30 minutes on the resuscitaire being bagged with oxygen. after that they gave her to me for about 30 seconds, the Bear took a photo and then they took her to the nursery. Everyone left with her including the Bear. I was left in the room completely alone, on this filthy bed, hooked up to a drip so I couldn't move. Either no one had told me what was going on or I was too stunned to really take it in,cause I knew something was wrong but I never really considered that she might not be OK until later. I felt like I was in shock or on drugs. The whole thing was completely surreal. When the Bear came back to take me to see her in the nursery he was trying to act like everything was pretty much ok, but when the paed said "if something changes for the worse overnight I'll call you" I realised it was quite serious. but again it didn't really sink in. She was in intensive care for two days, and then she had jaundice on day four, so it kind of wasn't until we got her home that we started to relax and enjoy her a bit more. It wasn't until she was about a week old that I actually said to the Bear "I can't believe how close we came to losing her". I think for me it took that long to sink in that she had such a rough time, and by then she really was completely fine. Anyway we both had a good cry about it.
TBH it's kind of my only regret about the birth, other than that it went absolutely fine. It was sad that we missed out on that time together but as long as she's OK that's really all that matters.
hmm so not really what you asked??? sorry!

[mountain mummy]

Pixie - I'm so sorry that it turned out like that ... when Veygas was born, he came out so quickly that he caused a kink in the umbilical cord, so he wasn't breathing for the first minute or so, but they got him breathing (his 1 min agpar score was 3). I remember lying there watching people rush in and having 4 or 5 people standing around him lying on the heat bed .... so I can kind of associate with that surreal feeling you mentioned.

I'm glad everything worked out for you guys - Beth is just adorable!!

ETA: just got back from v's u/s, apparently he has a smaller hernia on the left side as well. I wanted to read the report, but they didn't put it in - they said they faxed it to the referring doc, but fat lot of good that's gonna do me when the paed surgeon is about 100km in the opposite direction!! Plus the referring doc was emergency dept at the hossie! It'll get lost for sure!

[TheBear]

Beth's 1 minutes score was also 3, and two points of that came from having a good heart rate - 5 minute score was only 5, and that was only because she turned a nice shade of pink once she was being artificially respirated and on oxygen.

Whilst the pixie missed out on the first few minutes, I was a bit more involved - one of paeds let me help at the resus crib and during the transfer to ICU.
I took a photo when I had to leave her in the ICU to go back to the pixie that chokes me up each time I see it - Click Here - I'd been holding her hand and talking to her as the staff wired her into the crib, and she'd been pretty calm up to that point...I took the photo just as I turned to walk away.

The OB handled the whole thing really well, and had the paed resus team in the room and ready to go before the delivery finished, all without alarming the pixie in any way.

I've been trying to get the pixie to post her birth story....

[squidipa]

pixie the bear, my first born was born vaginally the only one, and she had the cord around her throat and was blue not breathing I remember it all being so real yet sorta there but not there feeling. My sis in law and hubbie at the time was praying real hard and i could hear this yet i didnt feel like it was realy real. It took me a few days to grasp that we could have lost our wonderful 8.5 pound over due 47cm HC 34cm ray of sunshine. I hardly new what was going on at the time.


GRRRR the neighbor has been spraying some thing like a gas or paint thing i smells yuck and strong its all in my house grrrr went out side to investigate and was almost knocked over by the smell this house is old and has lots of gaps i hope the kids will be alright. ill get hubbie at 7 to investigate it. might turn bathroom extractor fan on tooo!!!

[Arimeh]

Squidipa - thank you for those nice comments - makes me feel special!!! We cab get together next Thursday if you like?? I hope that gas smell was nothing too serious..

Leasha - hope your day was ok hon it can be overwhelming when your partner goes back to work for the first time!!!!

Bear - that is such a beautiful yet tragic pic.... so sad

Pixie chick - you better yet honey? Please write your birth story, definitely helps to get things out....

MM - bugger they didn't put the report in!! Hopefully everything gets sorted out shortly!!!

Hi to everyone else. I'm going to try to put down sleeping baby and get a shower in.

Nice lovely rainy weather we are having here today...

[squidipa]

Gudism where do you live? I was hoping on meeting at morayfield on Thursday next week?? as i dont know any other place round here.

Feeling k today still got this sore throat tho. Josh has been very restless poor man, unsure why but i have been doing my best to feed him lots even having to go from one boob to the other. I normally feed all one side and next feed other side. Got peeded on this morning i thought my winning steak might be at an end soon Must have been drinking lots yesterday as i went toilet several times at night. i guess thats good.

I dont feel overwhelmed by my 3 year old today but he does take it outa me. The other son was great at his age and so i think im just all in shock hehe. the 3 year old drives me bonkers at times hehe. you know how mother and baby should be comfortable and relaxed i feeding times. It VERY rarely happends here. I normally are walking around trying to keep an eye on things. Or when i do sit done he gets up to mischief so darn fast its increadable. He is actually a really good kid He is an absolute joy as well i just dont always comment on his GREAT and good stuff but he has a great sence of humour.

He just wants to be a chief well thats what me and hubbie think and with all those cooking shows on tv that he LOVES to watch it makes mornings difficult. Its not just the stuff he gets into its the creations he makes that also are frustrating. This mornings creations was. Golden suryp under table on rug. A fresh Orange cut with the marble cheese slicer. And to top it all off A very salty couch covered in salt with a side portion on the carpet and in the washing basket for later. Yesterday was the tomato sauce soup which obviously didnt turn out that great as he poured it all down the drain. But he did say "i like that stuff mom." You put alarms on things and he doesnt get into them but its if something is left out that he gets into. I put two barriers up the other day and the 3 year old just took em down. Cant win! But i will keep telling him how much i dont like him doing that and it makes me sad. And that he should come and ask for food if hungry.

the naughty stuff he got up to this morning was playing with my digital camera that hubbie didnt put away. Drawing on the fridge. And all over the kids cards they had made me on the fridge.

hey he has humor tho after all that he brought me in his star reward chart haha as if he is getting a star for alla that fat chance. He is a silent angel in the mornings you dont hear a peap outa him. Increadable hey.

how is every one? BTW that smell we were all fine from just confined us in my room instead it turned out to be spray pain or varnish of some type but very strong it lingered for hours GRR

[Indadhanu]

Just a quick one about being emotional and crying when bub was born... I cried when I heard her cry, because when I was getting the epidural topup before the c/s they lost her heatbeat for a bit, they don't think it stopped but no one told me anything all I knew was they had the doppler and no sound was coming out so I freaked out, and didn't relaz a bit until I heard her crying. But I found it hard to get emotional - bonding emotional - as I only got to see her for a minute before they took her away, Shel left as well and I was in recovery by myself trying to process what the heck had happened. One moment I had her inside me and Shel next to me and hospital staff telling me what a great job I had done, the next she was on the other side of the hospital and I was alone. It really was one of the loneliest and emptiest times of my life, and I was so numb. I am only now starting to fathom that I did give birth, because it just didn't seem real. Physically yes but emotionally not, and I've only just started to bond with Jazz since I have started to accept the birth as a birth.I am still finding it hard to call myself a mum,a nd call Jazz my daughter. My emotions during the birth weren't that rush of love and joy about giving birth, but relief that she was ok and then a lot of mixed emotions about the actualy event but none really about Jazz or about being a mum.

[*Beema*]

Woot I was at work for just over 6 hours Wednesday, and spent a lot of that time working, always bf'ing at the same time hehe, my "boss" is very encouraging and this was a deal we agreed to 3 1/2 years ago. I am a Landscape Architect, 5 years of Uni, 2 degrees and Honors. Finshed and got a F/T Permenant Gov job, after 18 months I became Senior LA, then by 3 years out I was managing 4 other designers and a few Million $ worth of design/construction work, it was great experiece, but I was getting bored as I had turned into a Manager.. wasn't doing design work anymore.

I did a Design Construct, of a $800,000 Japanese/Australian Garden, in the end due to staffing shortages I ended up being Site Supervisor and was working with a Lead Contractor from one of the major developers in the country. We got along really well - had been working together for a couple of years but not as close. I left site one day thinking I'd like to work for him one day! LOL!

6 months later some of the pipeline projects we had chatted about had come to fruition and he offered me an awesome opportunity. Start my own business, sub-contract to him (plus open to do my own work), he would pay for all equipment - cost about $30k to set up a design side of the business (laptops, large format printer, design programs) on top of that he bought a town house which we use as an office. Then we negotiated a good pay rate (hourly). I worked both Gov and for him for 6 months while we got established, but I had a lot of committments coming up in the ACT, and decided that after 5 years with the Gov that I'd had enough, so resigned and we FT my own business, and commuted to Canberra for 18 months, while we built a more local base. So I do the major design work and documentation, along with Site Supervision/Construction. And because we set the office up to be portable from the start it meant i could do what I liked really and W knew I was going to be trying for kids within a couple of years and set it up so I could work from anywhere - anytime

Our office started with the two of us, we now have 2 LA's, one Landscape designer and another Site Supervisor, plus the "boss". We have most of the design work for the major Land Developers in Adelaide - I have the best job!!!!

Hey a question for you all I was curious about... when you gave birth, did you cry and get all emotional about your new baby? Or what was it that got you and/or your partners emotional (in a positive way!)?

We cried, we were both in shock that is was all over so early and quickly, she was on my belly for quite a while (not sure how long) as her APGARS were 9 and 9 then after they took Nakita to Special Care and DH went with her I was getting stitched up, he did drop back to show me video and photos he had taken of her so that I could still see her, I then and then had a shower, I was just shaking my head, stunned.. After all of that it was about 3 hours after the birth that I got to see her again in the Humidi-Crib. I got pretty teary as she wasn't doing as well, her blood sugars were extremely low, she was on oxygen, IV drip was in and a heap of monitors plugged in, that was a lot scarier, we didn't take any photos at that time...but have others on our blog in the HC. The next day when I went down by myself, it felt like the longest walk and doing it alone was very scarry. When I saw her in the crib again it was pretty emotional the tears just flowed and I could hardly say a word, until the nurse spoke to me and explained everything. I was still very emotional when I got to cuddle her for the first time after the birth, I couldn't believe it... the machines kept going off, and I didn't know what to do...

I also got really emotional while she was back in the humidi crib under lights, after being in an open crib, as she was so scared, she was screaming, and I felt such a terrible mother, because if I took her out to cuddle her it would increase the amount of time she would have to stay under, and it just broke my heart to be able on only hold her hand, or she would be in there even longer.

Also Nakita had a lot of blood tests which really upset her, they try to do most of them when the parents aren't around, especially when they are trying to squeeze blood out of their tiny bony feet, they are not nice to see, and hear bubs screaming! We had a another round of BT?s to get done, but I was due to try a BF so we spoke to the pathologist and she agreed that I would feed her, poke her legs out under my arm and she did the BT's, it was a brilliant was, and she didn't get stressed out the boob was much more interesting!!

I think anytime see your child requiring assistance to keep them alive, get poked and prodded with needles (oh don?t remind me of the day I had to take her back and she had needles in both arms then the Heel pr1ck? aurrgghhh!!!), or is in a humidi-crib, very upset and the only thing you can do is hold a hand ? each of those moments make me very emotional....

Sorry that was long!

Wow Eli is doing fantastic Rachel!!! Growing so much!! Hooray for the sleep too. Yeah it was great to be back at work, for more than just a visit too!

Leasha, I am glad that you are seeing yourself as a mum, even if it is taking a little bit more time

Squidipa - glad to hear the smell has dissappated

Sunny blue skies here today Mel, think we will have to head outside!

MM, the Bear and the Pixie, it must have been a very scary time when bubs weren't breathing - I glad Nakita came out screaming!

Must run have a shower if Nakita will let me, sounds like she might be working up to a bit of a cry....

[squidipa]

leasha i so understand having now delivered both ways i know the difference. Its like all of a sudden you feel empty and alone its when they take bubs out of you its an over whelming change of feelings. You know exactly at that time the baby has been removed. i remember saying the baby is out i feel empty now tis was before the cries. Un complete i felt. Its a very unsettling feeling. But i do trully understand leasha. Theres no real gradual process to a c section is there??? its just bam your a mom.

[kiwigirl]

hey just a quick note probably as the little man is stirring.. but i have been really moved by all your stories in response to my question (e.g. thebear - that photo soo made my eyes well up, that is such a full on special and emotional photo) and your posts have made me realise how much we have to process after the birth - like get our heads around everything that's happened and talk about the birth and remember different things over time (just yesterday i remembered something little that i hadn't since the birth!).

I can't imagine being left alone in a room by myself leasha and thepixie after the birth. leasha - I have heard your experience is really common for women who have a c-section - like the whole bonding side of things as well - but i am glad you are working through everything *hugs*.

mm - hope you hear news from the report soon. i hate it when i dont get to read reports arghh.

must go sorry, time to bf.

*hugs* to everyone xox

[mountain mummy]

Morning all

Veygas has become my little alarm clock - he wakes every morning between 5.30 and 6am, and that's the start of my day! It's good in a way, because I have time to get everything done and get everyone organised for school and preschool etc ... but my days are so full on that I really feel the need to crash out by about 7pm!! LOL!

He's a little unsettled today - won't sleep unless I'm holding him (but at the moment, he is having a little whinge in his cot) I desperately need to eat and have a cuppa!!

Vic - it's funny, none of my kids came out screaming!! So it wasn't until they took Veygas away from me and all these people rushed in that it clicked there might be something wrong!

Bear & Pixie - that is such an emotion charged photo ... I think someone else said this as well, it's so beautiful and tragic at the same time. It must me so hard (and Vic too) to see your little baby in that situation.

I know I am getting worked up about this appt on Monday - it's hard to think that such a tiny person should require surgery, but at the same time, it makes you appreciate that some parents have it alot worse (like those kids on waiting lists for heart surgery that keeps getting postponed - on the news the other day) And I don't even know if it will come to surgery, but the ECH nurse said more often than not they will do the surgery to ease the discomfort of the hernia ... kinda puts life on hold for a bit, but I would do anything to make sure my kids are healthy!

[squidipa]

MM.. good luck with Master Veygas's appointment monday. i hope you get all your answers your after and you come out feeling like you know whats going on

i have a permanent velcro baby one handed typing.. just repaired the blocked up vac for hubbie. it had two barbie doll house things in it a large lot of fluff from a broken pillow and leggo in it blocking it up and a hook . hubbes vacuuming the salt up for me.. the rain i intense today hey!

[thepixie]

Thanks for the support guys, it was pretty full on and it really didn't sink in at the time. I think that's how I got through it, it was all just a daze and a bit of denial and I didn't really think about how bad it was till it was over.
Mel - I am better, and I did start writing my birth story, but unfortunately it's developing a resemblance to war and peace. I'm on page 3 and I'm only 3 cms dilated! LOL
Beema, Leash, MM and squidipa thanks for sharing, and I really understand how you feel - not the C-section thing, but being alone and not knowing what was going on, feeling like you had gone through this huge thing and all of a sudden you were totally insignificant, no one would even tell you what was going on. Even your husband had left. That's how I felt anyway. TBH when I was alone in the room I was kind of proud of myself for getting through the birth with only gas and no tears or stitches. Then afterwards I felt stupid for feeling that way while my baby was in intensive care.
Leash, I saw your other post about birth anxiety. I know what you mean. The birth itself I could do again I think, it was hard and scary and painful, but I think I could do it again. The part I'm a bit traumatised by is that she wasn't breathing, I think I would have a hard time if I was pregnant again, getting over the fear that it would happen again KWIM?
Anyhoo, back to the present and Beth has managed to get that cold the Bear and I have had, so we are discovering the joys of fess.
MM hope all goes well with Veygas' appointment on monday, I know it's hard not to stress, but remember we're all here if you need to talk about it.
& to everyone

[squidipa]

Beth has managed to get that cold the Bear and I have had, so we are discovering the joys of fess.

its awful to have to syringe it out do it very slowly.. But on the upside it helps even tho baby hates it and it breaks ya heart having to do it. The drops arnt much better but it does help and to sleep bubs in a more upright position. Josh has this bug too.

[mountain mummy]

I swear you ladies (and Squidipa's DH and The Bear ) are my lifeline ... with my DP away so much, it's great to come here and get support (and give it too!) I think I would be having a much harder time coping with no-one to talk to (or type to for that matter!) I do get to talk to DP on the phone every night, and on weekends, but not having him physically here is hard - at least he'll be there on Monday.

Well I had a look at the u/s scans and it has special instructions for "the patient to take it unreported" WTF??????? How on earth is that gonna help the paed surgeon?? And I can't get a hold of the hossie atm to see if I can pick up a copy of the report from them I just don't want Veygas to have to go through more unnecessary u/s's IYKWIM?? Especially if having a copy of the report could prevent that!

Pixie - I think you have every right to be proud of yourself for getting through the birth with only gas, no tears and no stitches! I can imagine you would have mixed feelings about it though, knowing that Beth was in NICU But don't feel stupid for feeling that way!

Damn, there was something else I wanted to say, but my mind is like a sieve these days!

On a totally unrelated note, my 4.5yo DD is TOTALLY toilet trained, day & night! She hasn't had any accidents in the past week since wearing undies to bed (and her pullups were dry for about 2 weeks before that!) but she has been day time toilet trained for over a year! 2.5yo DS on the other hand has no interest whatsoever and will even hold in his morning poo until AFTER his nappy is changed! Little bugger! Oh well, not gonna push him ... YET!

[squidipa]

Pixie - I think you have every right to be proud of yourself for getting through the birth with only gas, no tears and no stitches! I can imagine you would have mixed feelings about it though, knowing that Beth was in NICU But don't feel stupid for feeling that way!

my 4.5yo DD is TOTALLY toilet trained,

MM you took the words outa my mouth with your comment to pixie. Heck i had several shots of peth with my first born. I was in tears Saying "i cant do this, I want to go home This isnt happening" i was 18 years old delivering on my back. In the end i was so exhausted the hubby held bubs for 1 hour before i got to.. I couldnt even see her face. i was just so tired and had lost a lot of blood and was being stitched up.

Congrats on toilet training good work DD and mom!

[thepixie]

sorry double post!

[squidipa]

ahhh did u double post?