Finally - My Update

Okay this could take a while as I have a bit to report back on....

Trent:
I am not sure where to start but we have already done 2 clinic visits and 1 paed visit (yesterday). He has had an eye infection which the paed gave me medicine for yesterday and also some saline spray for his nose as his nose is blocked. Apart from that he is now nearly 1 month and we are both starting to settle into a bit of a routine. Night times however can be a complete different story. Last night was brilliant because he went down at 9pm and only woke at 3am where he drank his full bottle of 125ml, burped and went straight back to sleep. These nights are few and far between however since he mostly prefers to keep me up all night hehe.
He poops and pees like a champ - I mean EVERY single nappy is full of poo and pee - never mind the farting ... he could put others in this house to shame. In fact sometimes I can't help laughing because he farts a little too loud and gives himself such a fright he nearly jumps through the roof!! hehe

He is now weighing a very healthy 4.9kg's and my breastmilk is still ample for him. I was advised by the paed yesterday however, that if I want to continue breastfeeding then I should only give one bottle of formula at night and not two as I have been doing. So I will give the formula at the 10pm or 12 midnight feed and when he wakes at around 4:30am I must breastfeed.

On Friday 17 July we took Trent for a lovely photo shoot (pics to follow).
On Monday 20th July a lady came to the house to take a mould of his hands and feet and I will have them in 4 to 6 weeks (can't wait).


My Recovery:
I am feeling strong and healthy now but must admit that all the comments I had read that your c/s is better after the second day did not hold true for me as I felt I was in a lot of pain for at least the first 10 days. In fact I was walking doubled over for the first 7 days and sometimes needed a hand to stand from a sitting position. This could have been because sometimes I forgot to take my painkillers because once I took them I felt a damn sight better. I had a bit of a relapse on the Monday after coming home and was booked into hospital where they were going to do immediate surgery on my ...... ass area - yes a hemmoroidectomy!! Now I had this operation about 4 years ago and would never ever contemplate doing it again ESPECIALLY when I have a newborn baby to look after. They thought that hemmoroids were causing a blockage which was preventing me well .... doing as nature intended. I was so distraught in the hospital I just cried all afternoon but eventually I went to the toilet and through sheer will I managed to just let go and said a prayer of thanks then and there!! Dr still wanted me to stay overnight and I begged him to let me out and promised him I was cured - shooo - close call. Let me tell you my last surgery took me a month to recover from and every day was sheer agony. Well thank goodness I am now completely recovered albeit a little itchy over c/s scar.


Other than that I am down 13 kg's already and I am thrilled considering its only been three weeks. I am still eating badly but am slowly changing my habits to include lots of veg and salads. I also promise to cut back on the coke .... tomorrow !!

Below I have included quite a lot of pictures of Trents photo shoot for my mom's viewing pleasure.


xoxo

Busy Busy Days

Yes I am here alive and kicking just don't know right now if Im coming or going.

I am feeling so antsy since it is not like me to not update my blog for this length of time and I have so much to report back on that I am worried I will forget. Tomorrow I will definately update all the news post birth but as all new mommies know, this tiny little being demands that the house gets turned right on its head and he will accept no less hehe....

P.S (Pics from photo shoot will also follow tomorrow - can't wait for sister and mom to see them)

P.P.S (Chez - busy loading them on F/B so maybe tomorrow you can take a look)

xoxo

Trent Riley is finally here

Yes I am finally the proud new mommy of my first little boy Trent Riley. What can I say except that I am so in love with him and often catch myself just staring at him in a trance-like state.

The birth story itself is very uneventful and almost seems a little too "planned" when compared to the excitement and unpredictability of the birth of both my girls but either way I loved the experience and I am completely infatuated with the little boy that was my gift at the end of it.

Sunday, the day before my scheduled caesar was a little surreal. There was always an element of doubt that I was actually meeting Trent the following morning but still I went through the motions of making sure the room was completely ready and that my bags were packed perfectly. I lazed around a lot on Sunday and Oli cooked us a lovely beef roast. By Sunday evening the nerves started kicking in and I started thinking of everything that could possibly go wrong - I probably said 50 prayers. I eventually fell asleep at about 11:30pm and was awake again by 3:30am even though my alarm was only set for 4:30am. After trying unsuccessfully to go back to sleep I decided at 4am to get up and bath. I woke Oli up at 5am and it was really nice to not be alone anymore because my nerves were completely frazzled for some reason. We kissed the kids goodbye and were on our way. I was back in bed in the hospital at 6:15am listening to baby's heartbeat and feeling like my own was going to beat a hole in my chest. When they put up the IV line Oli actually got so nauseous and quickly left the ward - just for a tiny bit on blood on my hand? When he got back I told him I hoped he was not going to pass out with the caesar as he needed to take the video. I was told I was going through at 8am and suddenly things just felt like they were haoppening so fast.

Two sister's came in - one armed with a plastic razor and the other with the catheter. I had shaved just about everything off but still she dry shaved me in front which made my skin crawl. I asked the other sister why they were not doing the catheter after the spinal and she said it was my dr. that preferred his patients were completely ready when he came in to operate. So much to my embarrassment and utter discomfort she inserted the catheter there and then - VERY uncomfortable. I still kept feeling like I needed to pee and it burned like hell. I was told it was just because my body was trying to get rid of something foreign. The anaethetist came and met us and I really liked him a lot as he offered to take pictures with the camera for us while Oli manned the video cam.

Before I knew it I was being wheeled into theatre and all the theatre staff were so amazing in trying to relax me - even those that were not going to be in theatre with me. Oli was taken away to get dressed and I was wheeled into the room. The midwife (who I know quite well from around town) was amazing and stood close by me when the spinal was administered. First he cleaned my back with some very cold stuff and then injected a local anesthetic which was a little painful. The midwife had me curl right into her and I felt the needle go very deep into my back - not painful just uncomfortable. It seemed to take a very long time for it to start working and I remember asking him how I would know it had taken fully before they started cutting me and he made a joke that i could just scream if the cutting hurt - I contintued to wiggle my toes at intervals and pannicked when I could still do it. My dr. came in at that point ready to start the procedure but on pinching my lower belly I could still feel it in certain spots so they had to wait. I asked about 3 times where Oli was and they said they would let him in just as soon as the spinal had taken full effect. Finally I could no longer wiggle my toes but I was still amazingly nervous about them cutting me and that I would feel it.

The anaesthetist was amazing at relaxing me by talking to me the whole time. Oli was then let in the room and the camera started rolling - at one point I still asked him how he was feeling and the dr's found it quite funny since I was the one under the knife. All I can say is that I felt every single pull and push sensation (minus the pain) but it was not pretty to feel or listen to. I heard them saying they had to make the cut a little wider because of scar tissue from the previous one so getting through that took a little longer than expected. Before I knew it they had pulled his head out and the comments were flying around the room what a huge baby he was. They struggled to get his shoulders out and at that point the anaesthetist told me I needed to help them push, which I did and his shoulder came out a little like a cork on a champagne bottle....

All I waited for was the first cry and he did not disappoint me.... it was a gurgled little cry but I just burst into tears the minute I heard it. Dr held him up and I got the briefest look at him before they took him to the table to clean him and give him oxygen. They allowed Oli to cut the cord shorter at the table and I remember he told me he couldn't believe how strong the cord was. I also heard comments about my placenta and how big it was, my dr actually said "for such a big baby you needed such a big healthy placenta". After Trent was wrapped Oli brought him to me to look at and again the tears just flowed. The midwife and Oli then left for the nursery and I remember feeling so alone. I just wanted to hold and be with my baby but I was trapped. The stitching me back up seemed to take forever but that could have also been because I was feeling cheated that I had as yet not got to hold baby and hadn't seen his face properly.

I was wheeled into recovery thereafter and kept asking the nurses there when I could leave. They checked my b/p about 4 times and I was ready to start screaming for them to let me go because the one nurse was training another one so they were very thorough with their checks with me and taking added time .... time that I would much rather use bonding with my brand new baby. Finally they asked the anaesthetist if I could go and he said yes. The corridor seemed to go on forever and finally I got wheeled into my ward. My FIL and both my girls were already there and had seen him and I know this may sound very strange to say but I was a little grumpy about that. I would have loved to have been there with him introducing him to my girls, seeing their expressions the very first time they laid eyes on him but I guess it was not to be. That and the fact my FIL got to see him before I had even seen him did not sit that well with me. Oh well - it was all over when the the midwife brought him from the nursery and put him in my arms.... everything else just slipped away - it was just him and I at that moment. When I was told how much he weighed I simply could not believe it. 4.2kg's is very big but to me he still looked like a small newborn baby albeit a little on the chubby side. 52cm's in length and a 36cm head circumference. His apgar was 9/10 and then 10/10 so all was healthy.

I was pretty helpless that first day due to the catheter and the IV and hardly slept because I felt like I was in a drug induced state was awake but up in the clouds if that makes sense - not a nice feeling. They looked after Trent in the nursery that night which was a God-send because I just couldn't have done it. They let me breastfeed at 10:30pm and then I told them to just top up with formula through the night, which they did in a small cup. Early hours of the morning they took the IV out and then at 4:30am they took the catheter out. It was so wonderful to stand up have a shower - even though my legs initially did not want to carry me. After my shower things deteriorated rapidly. The ward was incredibly busy that day and my husband was busy at work so popped in for a very short morning visit and only came back again late afternoon. During the day I had no help because the staff were busy and I had no visitors to help me pick him up and put him down without causing more pain to my already very sore c/s cut. The pain of having gas was absolutely terrible and I had to keep asking for something to take it away ... my stomach was so bloated I felt I was going to explode. Then suddenly early afternoon I got the runs - badly!!! Picture it - baby cryng for milk all time time and me running to the toilet every five minutes - sitting in the toilet having to hear my baby cryng for me down the hall. Trying to hurry back to him to give him the breast when my stomach was in so much pain. Just getting him settled on the breast and the cramps to go to the toilet starting again. Nipples starting to crack up at a rapid rate so very sore nipples to add to all the other problems. Oli arrived at 3pm with Morgan for his visit and I was so glad to see him as I needed all the help I could get. He had to leave to finish something up at the office (which is 5 minutes away) and asked if he could leave Morgan with me - BIG MISTAKE!!!!!! I wanted to say no but felt bad for her so I said yes but told him he needed to make sure he was not longer than half an hour. Well there I was alone with baby and Morgan and the stomach cramps started again and I needed to run to the toilet. Baby was awake and trying to feed again and I didn't want to leave him alone with her so I sat with a dilemma again and at this point I just wanted to sit down and cry!!! I called Oli and told him to get back to the hospital PRONTO!!! When he got there I was on the verge of breaking down but what eventually did it was when he calmly told me that some friends Paul and Kathy were coming to see me during visiting hours that night. I lost it with him and went through the whole day's events (crying through it all by the way) and told him he was the most insensitive person on earth that he just expected me to pop a baby out and carry on as normal, putting on smiles for every Tom, Dick and Harry that decides to visit. Of course he tried to argue with me .... once again BIG MISTAKE!!!! I actually kicked him out .... hehehe - can't remember my words but told him to get out and not come back.

I managed to catch up ever so slightly on some much needed sleep that night so by the following day things were looking positive again. Trent and I had bonded so well during the night because he slept with me and we did our own little photo shoots in the middle of the night. I decided the following day that I was rather going to go home and not stay the final night - it was just too much and I have a brilliant support system at home and felt my recovery would be quicker there. I have a wonderful live-in maid Anna and of course my teen daughter so was more than ready to go home. My bandage had torn from all the moving around the day before so dr had them redress me. While they were doing that Oli (who very wisely did not mention my previous night's outburst) sat in the corridor with Trent and the paed happened to walk past while he was there and commented that Trent looked a little yellow and he wanted to check him. Bloods were ordered and a few minutes later a lady came from the lab and took him to the nursery where she was to draw blood. She pricked his heel and couldn't get blood to come out and all I heard was Trent screaming blue murder - I burst into tears and told Oli I couldn't take it anymore because his crying just wouldn't stop. My heart was breaking :o(( She then pricked him AGAIN but this time in his arm to try get the blood from there and once again both Trent and I were hysterical. Damn I wanted to kill that woman!! When I got him back I kept telling him how sorry I am (by the way he had terrible bruising on his heel because of this). We obviously then couldn't leave as planned because we had to wait for the results so Oli went back to work and Trent and I fell asleep again. Eventually the results came back and thank God he was fine - no jaundice so I was over the moon we did not have to spend another night.

We came straight home and I got back into pj's and straight back into bed. I had the most relaxing afternoon sleep while Oli lay next to me with Trent. I had breastfed just before sleeping so whenever he moaned Oli gave him a dummy and he was fine until I woke up.

I have to post news on my days at home but since this post has already been so long I will stop here and update again very soon including stories on breastfeeding, c/s pain, slight fevers and indescribable love...

I love this little boy so much it scares me .... every part of my being just wants to protect him. God has been good to us ... we are truly blessed.

2 More Sleeps!! (Or should I say sleepless nights?)

Pictures below are a pair of leather hand-made shoes for baby sent from hubby's cousins in the UK - they are absolutely adorable and were found by Becky and Kate online.





Sleep, when it comes is dream-filled, muddled, confusing and very restless. So I had to sleep this afternoon to catch up but even that is difficult with my daughter slamming my door open every five minuets :o( - Yet here I sit at 8:45pm completely alert knowing that I will probably only attempt sleep shortly before 12 midnight again. I have so many thoughts going through my head and once again I am feeling sad that my family can not be here to share this special moment with me. My MIL called today and said she would definately try get a flight out on the Friday and come for the weekend (next weekend) which is at least something.

I have a "friend" that I spoke about earlier in my blog - a fairweather fried who proved herself completely incapable of supporting me through my pregnancy and having nothing at all to do with the organising of my stork party etc (in fact she did not even come to my stork party and with no good reason either since she was at home that day). I have little to no respect for her anymore because of what she put me through including making nasty comments behind my back which ppl were quick to repeat to me(again this is stuff I have previously mentioned in my blog). Well she has suddenly reared her head in the last few weeks and my hubby seems quite open to the fact that she is trying to get back in my life as he has a good relationship with her husband and my being friends with her would make his life easier (you know how men are) but in my opionion she is doing it for the fame and glory now that the birth of baby is here - she wants to be the one that spreads the good word to everybody in town - she wants a bit of that limelight for herself but a sad part is that she is probably thinking now that the pregnancy is over she can pick up with me where we left off and get her old drinking buddy back again...? No such luck, I have absolutely zero fucking respect for shallow people like that - let alone do I want them to be a a part of my life when their only interest is sitting getting shit-faced in a pub all weekend.
Hubby went to her house this afternoon to work on his porche before we sell it and to watch a bit of the rugby then came home and told me she wants to come visit me tomorrow and "see me one last time with my tummy". If I can be brutally honest the thought of her coming here and putting on pretences makes me want to vommit. I told hubby as much too - I think my words to him were along the lines of "She can fuck right off - I have no interest in her spoiling my last family day before baby arrives - and besides she's going to head straight for my bar and think drinking in celebration is the order of the day again" (sorry but I feel very strongly about this). Hubby shrugged his shoulders as usual and didn't feel it pertinent to agree with me at all even though he has told me on a few different occassions that he doesn't like her one bit. Either way I will make sure the family and I go out somewhere nice for lunch so I can avoid her.
At some point after the pregnancy when things all settle down I fully intend to confront her with all she has said and done and I fully expect her to plead innocence which is her norm. I ALWAYS get whats bothering me off my chest - I wont have it any other way but I love this boy way to much to have challenged her about her wrongdoing while pregnant because once I get started I can work myself into an uncontrollable rage if the wrong buttons are pushed so best it was avoided for mine and baby's sake.

So this post has become all about something I didnt even intend to discuss but you know what? I feel better .... It's off my chest in a manner of speaking and it will be one less thing to worry about when I try to sleep tonight.

Apart from all that I repacked mine and baby's hospital bag today. Mmmmmmm baby's clothes smell so nice I just can't help holding them up to my nose. I use the sunlight baby handwash powder and baby sta-soft and the whole room smells of it when you walk in there. I recharged my camera's and deleted all current pics from my memory card so I don't run out of space. Its pretty much all done now. I will be taking my two small holiday bags and probably a kit bag as well for odds and ends including the camera's - whew feels like Im moving in .....

I'll be back tomorrow and may even brave posting a last pic of my belly xoxo

P.S - to all the ladies on OPM thank you so much for your support throughout my pregnancy - I could not have done it without you. To those still pregnant, relish every single moment - don't wish it away because its all gone too quick and trust me - even though your precious baby is here there is an emptiness when the belly is gone. To those still TTC or those who have suffered through losses I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your constant selfless words of encouragement which speak of such bravery and strength it brings tears to my eyes. I want you all to know that you are constantly in my prayers and I will continue to follow your journey until those prayers are answered..... xoxoxoxoxo

Appointment today - 3 More sleeps!!!

Last night was a very restless night due to bad cramps and I really thought this was it - even when I did manage to sleep all I could dream about was the birth. I woke this morning to bad menstrual cramps and couldn't wait to have a hot bath to see if it got worse. Well the bath made my skin all pink but took the cramps away completely!! hehe ... Oh well its only three more days - I've waited this long haven't I?

Dr's visit went well - he did a steroid shot and I am getting another tomorrow - he says its just an extra precaution because we are not sure of my exact dates due to my screwed up cycles before falling pregnant. I won't complain about extra caution because him and I have actually developed a very good dr / patient relationship and I trust him fully. Baby was looking pretty cramped up in there so for his sake Im really glad he can stretch out soon. I asked dr. to give me a weight estimation and again he said that after they get to 3kg's its not accurate but that his scanner was saying 4kg's!!! I certainly hope thats off although he really didn't put much stock in that figure - I think at the most baby will probably weigh 3.8kg's but we will wait and see.. he is what he is afterall. Dr was nice enough when I was walking out to tell me to make sure his receptionist puts me at the front of the queue on Monday as I believe its quite a busy day. I really hope I don't have to share a room with other mommies but that's minor.

I have been so excited about every little twinge I am feeling but in all honesty I prefer for baby to come on Monday because I want to spend a very special weekend with my girls and hubby... doing things like going out for a nice Sunday meal, baking (which Im doing right now - myself and Morgan have just put some chocolate muffins in the oven). I want to repack my bags for the last time, do one more check of baby's cupboards and make sure both my digital camera and my video camera are properly charged (even though I charged them a week ago). I need to also make a list of ppl hubby must sms on Monday incl. Tammi and Marthie if you don't mind updating the forum for me? I will take a pic from my cell phone and email it to one of you as well (oops ... the control freak in me is planning again *blush*) hehe can't be helped :D

Anyhooooo thats all from my side for now ... until tomorrow ... Peace out cyber sista's ...


xoxo

5 MORE SLEEPS!!!!

I must admit to feeling very uninspired lately and I assume it just comes with the territory of being very late in pregnancy and uncomfortable. Coupled with the fact that I sit on my bed with laptop and its not very comfortable. I really need a proper desk like I have at work so I can be a good little blogger but then again I only have a few days left .... I can't believe that on Monday I will have my cute little bean in my arms and I can finally get to look at him. I'm also so excited for the girls to meet him - they certainly have waited a long time, especially the little one.
I have my last app. on Friday and dr. still wants me to go and get the steroid inject tomorrow so he can give it to me at the app. I am not sure why but like I have always said his dates were always a little behind mine and he wants to be extra cautious that he is not taking baby out too soon even though he told me there was a chance of my going into labour this week after looking at all the signs on the scan. *sigh* what do I know - but I do like that he is careful.

A very strange thing happened on Sunday - I developed a cluster of about 5 small fever blisters on my lip and I NEVER get fever blisters except maybe once or twice in my whole life. The first time I was pregnant with DD and another time but it seems to be when my system is so run down and considering I have just got over some bad flu I guess its understandable but still freaks me out either way.

Yesterday the bikini wax did not go according to plan either and she was halfway done when I told her not to even contemplate trying to finish. Firstly it was pure agony (a first for me) and secondly my blood pressure was dropping at a very fast rate due to lying on my back. I felt like I was going to throw up all over the room. After I got up she sat me in a comfortable chair and gave me some iced tea - wouldn't let me drive home either until I was feeling better. So here I sit with a half waxed .....! I will just have to use a bit of baby powder and razor on Sunday before I go in - its not like they're going to be worrying about any 5 o' clock shadows on one side when they are (hopefully) more interested in keeping me alive hehe.

My sis and bil came to see me on Monday and brought the cot and some other bits and pieces. It was really great to see them again and she couldn't believe how big my tummy is now. My little nephew Brett is also soooo adorable and I really wish we could have spent longer with them but they were headed back to Jhb so hopefully after baby arrives we can make a plan to see them again.

DH and I were at eachother's throats last night and again I think I'm just walking on a tightrope because of the whole birth on Monday. I have been crying a lot this past week and emotions are just all over the place. I am wanting more sympathy from him, more telling me to relax and put my feet up while he cooks supper, more of everything and I just don't know what but sometimes I really do feel that men can be emotionally cripple. Why can he not just be at my beck and call for this last week? Am I asking too much?

I am so damn heavy now and to stand and cook in the kitchen is becoming very uncomfortable because when I stand for any length of time baby's head seems to press on a nerve and cause pain to shoot through my legs. I am completely clumsy now when getting up and down and almost need to send a scout before me through the house to make sure there are no toys or hazzards before I drag this big body down the passage since I can barely see anything past my tummy anymore. Bathing is something I love and I refuse to shower especially now that its colder but even that favourite passtime is becoming challenging for me - the getting in and out is a whole planning process in itself. I am getting a lot more BH's now and a lot of period type pains and every time I feel it I hope and pray that this is the beginning. I know I'm going in on Monday but to labour first would mean to me that baby was ready to come and his starsign and birth date was actually his choosing and not mine.

Anyway after the cot arrived I finally managed to finish the room. The room has a shower en-suite which is great for storing the baby bath and for filling and emptying it. There are just a couple of areas where I still need to put wallpaper but for the most part I am more ready than I will ever be.... to add to that ... um ...
I am so embarrassed about my holiday luggage that I have given DH strict instructions that it is only to be brought in after baby has been born as I refuse to go into hospital at 6am in the morning with all my luggage and have the receptionist think I have lost my way and direct me to the beach holiday resort down the road ;o)