My sister, Vikki, finally gave birth on Sunday after being induced. Phoebe Erin came in to world at about 6.30am weighing in at 7 pounds 6 ounces. Both Mother and baby are doing great.
Most babies when they are first born and for the first few weeks are, to be frank and honest, ugly little wrinkled things but Phoebe certainly is not. She’s a very cute and very beautiful little thing and no, I am not being biased. From the moment I saw her lying in her cot on the maternity ward I was struck how small and perfect Phoebe looked. I was then struck by the thought “oh dear God, I’m going to be taking one of my own home in about 3 months time!”
I couldn’t help thinking that when we bring our bundle of joy home and it is just Sophie and me left on our own with this new life, I really have no idea what to do. We’ve been reading books about pregnancy, birth and babies but I find them no real help. All they seem to say is “don’t worry, you’ll cope and know instinctively what to do”. Cheers, that’s a great help.
Now we’re back in Lincoln I will take courage from the fact that we’ll have friends and relatives who have had babies of their own so we can get support and advice from them, plus we have Sophie’s family on the end of the phone for their support and input too. With all these loving people I am sure we’ll be fine in the end though I am under no illusions that it will be easy.
Scared? You bet.
Feeling dread? A little.
Wish it wasn’t happening? No even slightly. As terrifying a prospect as this is, I can’t wait to be taking Sophie and our own little baby home for the first time. I just apologise in advance if you receive a stressed and upset phone call in the middle of night from us because ‘Bean’ will not stop crying and go to sleep! Oh the joys of parenthood.
Tuesday 26 May 2009
Thursday 14 May 2009
He moves in mysterious ways
I was delighted at the weekend to have my first tangible contact with my son: I actually felt Bean moving around in his Mummy’s tummy. Granted it wasn’t exactly belly wobbling stuff but I definitely felt something and Sophie confirmed it was Bean. I am sure I will feel him moving around more and with increased vigour over the next 3 months or so but, as with most things in life, the first time is always special.
The big name debate continues with little agreement or resolution. Sophie is sticking to her guns with the name she loves but which I am adamant I don’t want to use. And no, I don’t think I am being unreasonable. There are plenty of names I believe we’ve agreed we are happy to consider and it is now likely that the final name chosen will be a compromise. Which shouldn’t be a problem as most marriages are based on compromise. Aren’t they? *waits to be set straight by all the female readers of this blog*
The big name debate continues with little agreement or resolution. Sophie is sticking to her guns with the name she loves but which I am adamant I don’t want to use. And no, I don’t think I am being unreasonable. There are plenty of names I believe we’ve agreed we are happy to consider and it is now likely that the final name chosen will be a compromise. Which shouldn’t be a problem as most marriages are based on compromise. Aren’t they? *waits to be set straight by all the female readers of this blog*
Tuesday 5 May 2009
Bumps A-Plenty!
Just a quick post today to share a photo. Here's me at 21 weeks and Vikki at around 38 weeks, taken Sunday May 3rd. Bean's newest cousin was in fact mooning the camera at this point so I'm told!!!
Friday 1 May 2009
What Was I Saying...?
So what did I write here only a few days ago about how easy the pregnancy had been so far? You'd think by now I'd have learned to keep my mouth shut!!! So, after a hellish few days, here's the full report of last night's drama. Before we start I must say that me and Bean are doing ok today, the little fella is giving my innards a nice kicking at the moment so all is well.
End of March when we were officially moving out of the old house/city I started feeling like I wasn't coping well. As I have a history of depression the medical bods were keen for me to report anything like that so I saw my doctor and was diagnosed with very mild antenatal depression, most likely down to the stress of moving and having to live with inlaws during the pregnancy. Fast forward to Wednesday of this week and I had my initial appointment with the mental health assessment centre (who incidentally confirmed the initial diagnosis and are referring me for some sessions to help deal with stress and fight off any negative stuff before I give birth.)
I was feeling really bad, stomach churning etc but I put it down to nerves based around that appointment. Had the appointment, then did some shopping finishing up with booking out most of the library's collection of parenting books! Weds night I started to feel bad. My stomach hadn't settled and I was getting severe back pain. I did my pregnancy yoga DVD which eased it a little, barely ate anything and had an early night. Figured I'd just pulled something carrying those books up the hill to DH's office and my stomach would be fine in the morning.
Woke up yesterday and it was immediately obvious I wasn't any better. My back was even worse, my stomach too and now I was feeling chest constrictions similar to when my asthma flares which it hasn't done in years. I knocked back paracetamol and did my yoga to try and ease up my back but nothing worked. All day things continued to get worse, by mid afternoon I'd also developed a very sore throat, was coughing terribly and feeling sick. When DH got home I went for a bath and felt better as it eased my back and blocked nose which had also come on over the last few hours. I thought I was ok when I got out but after an hour it became obvious that I was worse than ever. I was also worried that Bean had been unnaturally still all day.
At about 9pm I called the midwife assessment centre and described how I was feeling, they immediately advised me to ring the emergency out-of-hours doctor's practice which I did, now in floods of tears as I was in so much pain. They did a telephone assessment and said they wanted me in the hospital to check me and the baby over as they suspected a virus and they booked me an appointment for 15 mins later (we live very nearby!) We grabbed coats and left, after DH told his parents what was going on and they freaked out a bit.
At the hospital I had a pretty comprehensive exam done, twice in the end as the first guy wanted to be sure he hadn't missed anything. They also listened in on Bean who seemed to be happily ignorant of anything going on outside the comfort of the womb! In the end they told me I had been incredibly unlucky and contracted a basic cough/cold along with a stomach bug on the same day I'd most likely pulled a muscle in my back!!! Worst of all, as I'm pregnant I'm not allowed any pain killers stronger than basic off the shelf paracetamol!! I was not happy and ended up coming home, doping up on the maximum safe dose and spending most of last night getting to know the inside of the toilet more closely than I'd care to!
I'm glad to say that today I feel much better, except like I went 20 rounds with George Foreman last night and he got to use some of his grills as weapons!! I'm eating little and often, just having toast when I feel like it and my back is very sore, although not within a million miles of the pain it caused yesterday. Taking lots of rest and I don't plan any more day long shopping trips until I'm well recovered from giving birth!
End of March when we were officially moving out of the old house/city I started feeling like I wasn't coping well. As I have a history of depression the medical bods were keen for me to report anything like that so I saw my doctor and was diagnosed with very mild antenatal depression, most likely down to the stress of moving and having to live with inlaws during the pregnancy. Fast forward to Wednesday of this week and I had my initial appointment with the mental health assessment centre (who incidentally confirmed the initial diagnosis and are referring me for some sessions to help deal with stress and fight off any negative stuff before I give birth.)
I was feeling really bad, stomach churning etc but I put it down to nerves based around that appointment. Had the appointment, then did some shopping finishing up with booking out most of the library's collection of parenting books! Weds night I started to feel bad. My stomach hadn't settled and I was getting severe back pain. I did my pregnancy yoga DVD which eased it a little, barely ate anything and had an early night. Figured I'd just pulled something carrying those books up the hill to DH's office and my stomach would be fine in the morning.
Woke up yesterday and it was immediately obvious I wasn't any better. My back was even worse, my stomach too and now I was feeling chest constrictions similar to when my asthma flares which it hasn't done in years. I knocked back paracetamol and did my yoga to try and ease up my back but nothing worked. All day things continued to get worse, by mid afternoon I'd also developed a very sore throat, was coughing terribly and feeling sick. When DH got home I went for a bath and felt better as it eased my back and blocked nose which had also come on over the last few hours. I thought I was ok when I got out but after an hour it became obvious that I was worse than ever. I was also worried that Bean had been unnaturally still all day.
At about 9pm I called the midwife assessment centre and described how I was feeling, they immediately advised me to ring the emergency out-of-hours doctor's practice which I did, now in floods of tears as I was in so much pain. They did a telephone assessment and said they wanted me in the hospital to check me and the baby over as they suspected a virus and they booked me an appointment for 15 mins later (we live very nearby!) We grabbed coats and left, after DH told his parents what was going on and they freaked out a bit.
At the hospital I had a pretty comprehensive exam done, twice in the end as the first guy wanted to be sure he hadn't missed anything. They also listened in on Bean who seemed to be happily ignorant of anything going on outside the comfort of the womb! In the end they told me I had been incredibly unlucky and contracted a basic cough/cold along with a stomach bug on the same day I'd most likely pulled a muscle in my back!!! Worst of all, as I'm pregnant I'm not allowed any pain killers stronger than basic off the shelf paracetamol!! I was not happy and ended up coming home, doping up on the maximum safe dose and spending most of last night getting to know the inside of the toilet more closely than I'd care to!
I'm glad to say that today I feel much better, except like I went 20 rounds with George Foreman last night and he got to use some of his grills as weapons!! I'm eating little and often, just having toast when I feel like it and my back is very sore, although not within a million miles of the pain it caused yesterday. Taking lots of rest and I don't plan any more day long shopping trips until I'm well recovered from giving birth!
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