Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Hubby and I had a date!

This week James' mum has been staying with us.  She has been helpful and is currently helping to finish knitting the blanket I started (I didnt get a chance to finish because he came early and now that he is here I dont have enough time to knit the rest.  I am a slow knitter, she is a fast knitter.)

Anyways... tonight James and I went out on our own.  The first time we have been alone together in 3 weeks.  It was lovely but we only stayed out a couple of hours because we missed Ollie too much.

We went to a place nearby called Jo' Burger.  DELICIOUS!!  Such a cool and relaxed atmosphere... weird music... lovely menu... I got a lamb burger with brie, bacon and avocado (with mango salsa) and a side of sweet potato fries.  Hubby got a beef burger with balsamic pineapple and cheese on top and a side of potato fries and corn on the cob.

It was nice to get out and talk just the two of us for a little while.  I have to admit it felt so strange holding hands.  We haven't held hands in 3 weeks because one of us has always been pushing the pram!! :)

Love my hubby...

It was lovely to come home and cuddle Ollie...

Emma xx

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Being a Mum


Being a mum is hard.  To be honest, I have found the last couple of weeks a lot harder than I had imagined they would be and find that I didn't expect Ollie to cry so much.  At first I felt so unsure of myself and had so little confidence and this made me worry about every little thing I did with him... was I holding him right?  Was I feeding him right?  I think I had trouble getting used to being a mum at the start because the birth was, in my opinion, a little traumatic and I think this got in the way of Ollie's and my immediate bond.  Also because my stitches were so bad I found it hard to sit down and cuddle him comfortably and everything I did hurt a lot.  Feeling in pain constantly made me a little miserable. (Gosh I hope this post isn't making me sound awful)

James has been sooooo confident with Ollie and he is a brilliant dad.  He is a natural.  In the beginning I really thought I was a bit useless but I think this was down to my hormones.  I felt like he was better than me at everything and I was so scared to do anything that he did incase I did it wrong.  I even dunked Ollie in the bath by mistake and ended up in tears.

The past week though I really feel as if I have bloomed as a mummy.  I feel like I'm finally getting the hang of everything and feel a super strong bond there between Ollie and myself.  His little face makes me so happy.  I even gave him a bath yesterday all by myself with no-one else in the house and Ollie LOVED it.

I didn't know being a mummy would be as hard as it is... but I'm really enjoying it and were never bored anymore.  There is always something to keep us on our toes.  Ollie will be 3 weeks on Thursday and I honestly cannot imagine life without him here.  Every day is different and I notice something new and exciting and interesting about him and his little personality.  I heart my family of 3.

Emma xx

Wanted to share some excitement...

I can fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans!  So the other day I was going through my wardrobe to see what old stuff I could wear and yup... I fit into them.  I have to admit I have a TINY bit of a pouch belly but 2 and 1/2 weeks after I've had a baby!!!  I'm pleased with myself!  I even got to wear a dress that was in my wardrobe that I've never worn before and I bought it pre-pregnancy!! :D

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Baby Routine

AAAAGH... my baby thinks daytime is nighttime and nighttime is daytime... how do I fix this???

Emma xx

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Nappies :)

It would seem that Oliver is saving his worst nappies for his daddy and his granny to change.  Any time I go to change him they are just wet... no poop :)  Maybe he thinks he put me through enough with giving birth to him that he is taking it easy on me for a little while.  THANKS OLLIE :)

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

This is the life!

Family life is just fabulous.  Were all settling in really well.  Last night Ollie woke just once for a change and a feed at 3.00 which means I had a full 6 hours sleep.  I feel like a different woman today.  His routine is going ok.  Were feeding him every 4 hours so at night James does his last feed and change at 11pm.  I do the 3am feed and then we get up at 7am with James doing the morning feed.  This is our compromise because James has to work.  He does the first and last feed of the day and I do the middle of the night one.

My mum has been here since Monday and is going home on Friday but you should see my house!!  She has really put my cleaning skills to shame.  My house has NEVER looked this good and I wish she could stay forever.  Tried bribing her with hugs from Ollie if she would stay hehe.  As tempting an offer as this was... she had to decline.  It's been brilliant having her around here though.  Think she is enjoying it also... she has new to grannyhood.  This one is her first grandchild.

Ollie is doing well.  He is slightly jaundiced but this is going away.  We were signed off by the midwife yesterday because she is happy with his progress.

James and I are getting on better than ever and working really well as a team.  I seem to be feeling so much more love for him since Ollie arrived.. he is so good with him and so confident.  Makes him sexy! Hehe.

Breastfeeding has not worked... but I'm expressing and he adores the breastmilk so im happy :) He latches on well but then doesn't suck.  Not sure why... it could have something to do with his jaundice and him being a bit lazy/ sleepy but I'm glad he is having my milk anyway.  Expressing isn't bad... it's actually more convenient because when my boobs get sore I can stop at anytime for a rest and do it as slowly as I like and when I want to do it.  I'm expressing enough to cover all his feeds without having to top him up with formula.  Midwife was the one who helped me get expressing... they werent helpful with the breastfeeding at the hospital at all and didn't encourage it.  

I've been out and about with the pram a couple of times now.  It's strange pushing around the baby I've been carrying inside me for so long!!  I feel like going out with the pram more... just to show off hehe but I'm still very sore and tired.

Have to say all in all I'm very proud of myself...Ollie and James... I think were great!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Birth Story!


Wednesday 4th I went into the kitchen about 10.30pm to make something to eat. This was when I had my first contraction and I remember it vividly. I carried on making something to eat and went into the bedroom. The pains got gradually worse in my back and I sat on my gym ball for a little while. I wasn't sure at this point whether or not I was having real contractions because they felt just like backache. I searched google and James noticed I had typed in "what do contractions feel like" and he said it probably wasn't contractions hehe. Shows how much he knew.

After a couple of hours and pains getting worse I told James that maybe we should go to hospital because the pain didn't feel like anything I had ever had before. We got a taxi to the hospital with our bag and everything ready to have a baby :)

One we were there I was monitored for a while by a really lovely nurse who made me feel really calm about things. They said as I was not dilated any I was not in labour but that it was definitely contractions I was having. As we live so close to the hospital I decided to go home and monitor things myself.

At 3.00am we returned home and got into bed and started timing the contractions. They were every 3 - 5 minutes. James and I must both have fallen asleep soon after because at 5.00am I woke up and asked James when the last one had been and he said 40 minutes ago. I was so disappointed that they had stopped. So on Thursday 5th he went off to work because there was no point in him taking a day when nothing was happening. I went back to sleep and got up at 8am. As soon as I stepped out of bed I had the wildest shooting pain. I knew it was starting again.

Very excitedly I called James to tell him they had started again but not to come home just yet as they weren't bad. I just rested in bed with my laptop and dozed a little. At 9.30am I called James to come home because the contractions were getting bad quite fast.

I have to say that I got a lot of relief from the contractions from my shower. Hot showers really made them better for me and also my gym ball. I found that I couldn't stand through a contraction so I sat and bounced. It really helped.

By the time James got home contractions were 2 minutes apart and very very bad but I was able to manage for a couple more hours. We went to hospital at 11.30.

First of all I was examined and immediately marked on the chart as being in labour and at 2cm dilated. I was so excited to hear this as I was disappointed before when I was told I was having contractions but no labour. I had a lovely midwife come in, check all my stats, inform me of my choices of pain relief and she then told me that she was ready to break my waters. WHAT A WEIRD FEELING! So bizarre having them broken. It felt like I had wet myself.

I tried for as long as I could without pain relief and then opted for an epidural but took some gas and air before the anesthetist could make it round. The gas and air did nothing for me at all which scared me as I'd heard such good reports. It just made me vomit. Such a horrible feeling being sick while having a contraction.

My contractions were very very bad and every 2 minutes. If I had known how bad they were going to get I wouldn't have bothered coming in the night before. What I thought was painful then was nothing compared. I think I asked about a hundred times for the epidural. I was moved to one of the delivery rooms and the student midwife introduced herself. She was lovely and made me feel so relaxed. Epidural still had not arrived and it seemed like forever since I had requested it. I asked for the pethidine injection to take the edge off until she arrived but just as I was about to be given it the anesthetist arrived.

The epidural was SCARY! The woman told me that I had to stay completely still throughout or there was a risk of paralysis or nerve damage if she hit a wrong spot in my back. It took longer than I thought. I thought it would literally take about 2 minutes but it took about 10. I had at least 4 contractions during this time and each one was stronger than the one before and the thought of having to stay perfectly still while enduring the pain or risk paralysis was awful. It was the hardest thing in the world to not move at all but my husband was very good at helping keeping me calm. I remember asking them to just cut him out and really believing at the time that that would be better.

Once the epidural started to take effect I was in my element. It was so weird having the strong pressure of the contractions but not the pain I had been feeling the night before and all morning. James says that is when it got a bit boring because he then was not needed hehe. We just sat and chatted and listened to music on the radio. He took himself off for a break for something to eat and I tried to rest as much as possible. I had regular examinations and was dilating steadily. Apparently I was dilating and things were happening at text book speed with nothing at all to worry about.

I was told at about 8.00pm that I was fully dilated and ready to push and things all happened very quickly. Before I knew it there were 5 people around the bed. I can't quite remember why there were so many people. There was the student midwife, a couple normal midwives, James and a student Dr (who I might add was a bit strange. He was there a while earlier and for a training Dr. he was very easily embarrassed. He blushed every time I was being examined!). The main midwife showed me how to push and I had to hold my legs up myself... so strange when you have had an epidural and can't feel them! The student Dr. and James helped me hold each leg.

Pushing was hell! I won't lie. I was so scared. More than I have ever been in my life, but time passed so fast. The main midwife was yelling at me like she was the commentator at a horse race... "aaaand we see the head, we see the head, just one more push and we will have a baby... come on come on one more push". Bizarre. I had a panic attack during the pushing because I really believed at one point I couldn't do it and there were all these people looking at me. I don't remember much more after this except being able to feel the baby's head myself. The Dr. was then called for and before I knew it the end was off the bed and I was in the stirrup things instead. The baby's heartbeat was dropping rather fast and they were worried about him so the Dr. told me she would have to use suction on him. The suction didn't work so she had to use forceps and also episiotomy. I got very dizzy at this point and with one great big pull from the Dr and a lot of blood, there was my baby on my tummy.

Oliver Charlie James Hughes was born at 8.49pm weighing 8lbs 1oz after 10 hours of established labour.

I remember thinking how MASSIVE he looked and then thinking how identical to the 4d scan he looked also. We did not get skin to skin for very long because he was taken away to be checked and put in an incubator.

I was given the vitamin K injection (it made me sick) and stitched up (now when I feel my stitches I am convinced they didnt stitch me up straight but we will have to see with time hehe). I can also remember asking many times if he was ok, being told he was fine and not believing them.

Oliver and I spent the first night apart. I can't remember why but I think I must have looked distressed and exhausted. It really made me miss him and I think this probably helped with us bonding given that labour was a bit traumatic... I missed him and had to pull out my camera to see photos I had taken a while earlier. He was brought back in his little crib at about 5am and I have been the happiest since. :-) I felt so much love the minute I saw him and the love has only increased each day.

I developed a hematoma on my 'bits' right under the stitches so it was extremely hard to sit up to cuddle him but we found our ways and neither of us has gone short!! hehe. The hematoma meant I had to stay in 2 nights so they could make sure the swelling was going down, but we got home on Saturday.

Were now settled in at home and James and I are loving every minute of being parents. It's really hard and very scary but were doing well. It's not hard in a bad way but in an exciting and fun way. I can't stop looking at Oliver now and have taken so many pictures!!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Welcome to the world Oliver



Oliver Charlie James Hughes was born at 8.49pm on 5th June 2008 weighing 8lbs and 1 ounce. All 3 of us are doing very well and are having fun adjusting to family life. Oliver is just so handsome and worth the pain. I will write a proper account of the birth when we have all settled in a little more and I get some free time.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

OUCH

...think they might be starting again!  Ouchy but exciting!

Bump Watch + Contractions


Ouchy. Skin... stretching... Notice how it has dropped though. It is sitting much lower than before. 

Well here I sit at 8am having had a painful and restless night.  Contractions started at 10pm and got strong and regular very fast.  When we rang for a taxi at 12.30am they were every 7 minutes and when we got checked in at the hospital, they were every 5.  The hospital told me that I was not dilated at all but my womb was softening and she thought I would be in labour within the next 24 hours.

We decided to come home because we live so close to the hospital anyway and the thought of my own bed, shower, tv and fridge to keep me occupied sounded better than the hospital.  We arrived home at about 3.00am.

Contractions kept coming and were at 3 minutes apart at the fastest but they seemed to slow down then.  At 5am I fell asleep and this morning I woke with nothing.  So frustrating!!  I have since had just one contraction and hope things take off again.  Could it be that my body was so so tired what with being awake all day and contractions only starting at night, and they stopped so my body could rest... if so... I'm rested now... BRING ON THE PAIN!!

Fingers crossed everyone... I want to meet my little man today!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

My belly is going mad!

Honestly... whoever said that the baby's movements would decrease the closer I got to my due date, lied!  The baby has been moving nonstop all day and most of the night for the past week and shows no sign of slowing down any.  I constantly have a foot poking out of my right side just under my ribs.  I wonder if his movement is an indicator of how excited he is to come and meet us... I have this vision of him sitting in my tummy jumping up and down clapping his hands because he is so excited.  I wouldn't blame him... James and I have been talking about so many plans and fun things we are going to do when the baby arrives.

I think I'm going to miss all the crazy movements and shapes my belly makes when the baby is born.  It would be odd to not feel any movement at all... I won't miss the need to pee 4 times during the night because the baby is bouncing on my bladder.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Yay!

When we got home on Saturday, hubby checked his work phone for new emails and noticed one that mentioned about everyone in the office being off on Monday.  He asked me surprised, whether Monday was a bank holiday or something and we found out that it is!  Neither of us had any idea.  So it means I have my James for a whole extra day tomorrow and he only has a 4 day week next week.  How nice to have an unexpected day off!  Mind you, it's lucky someone had sent the random email or he would be up at 7.30am in the morning, dressed in shirt and tie and walking on his way to work!!