- I wish I'd put Elliot to bed in his cot in his room for his day time naps from day one.
- I wish I hadn't got the Tommee Tippee bottles. They are only compatible with Tommee Tippee sterilizers and warmers etc. Most annoying.
- I wish I hadn't wasted money on the Tommee Tippee electric breast pump. The Philips Avent hand pump is FAR superior - expressing more milk quicker and quieter.
- I wish I had introduced Elliot to his sling sooner - it would have been perfect when he was tiny. The sling is better than the carrier in my opinion as it's easier to get the baby in and out of in a hurry. The sling is great for when you have things to do but the baby wants snuggle time.
- I wish I had bought a more colourful and playful bouncy chair rather than the boring one that matches the decor in our living room.
- I wish I'd spent a bit of extra money on a bottle warmer that warms to the exact temperature required. I don't know how many hours I have wasted trying to get regulate the temperature of Elliot's bottles.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Regrets ...
Things I would have done differently in hindsight ...
Fenugreek! This is a herb commonly used in curries. However, I recently discovered it can also help boost breast milk production.
One of the girls from my antenatal class mashed up some Fenugreek seeds the other day and made a drink from it ... and the next day she produced 300mls from each breast. She swears the milk was so abundant that when she was expressing from one boob, it was flowing freely from the other boob too.
I have to admit, I tried her concoction myself without much joy. But I will persevere ... watch this space.
9 weeks old
Elliot doesn't appear too keen to model his new bath robe and slipper set.Wow, where does the time go? Elliot is 9 weeks old already and today he's having his first lot of jabs. I'm not looking forward to this at all ... the thought of someone hurting my baby fills me with dread. And the aftermath isn't supposed to be pretty; grizzly, grumpy, sicky, feverish babies. Needless to say I have some Calpol at the ready.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Postpartum Shockers
I knew my body would undergo significant changes when the baby came, but there are a few that really really took me by surprise:
- Swollen Feet and Ankles - I had swollen feet and ankles towards the end of my pregnancy, but they have been much worse since the baby was born. My midwives have all told me this is normal.
- Smelly Feet - I have never, ever, ever, EVER, EVER had smelly feet in my life. Even Robin thinks they smell cheesy. I think it's something to do with all the fluid in my feet right now.
- Belly - Okay, now I never expected to have a flat tummy after the birth of my son BUT I didn't expect to look six or seven months pregnant by days 3 and 4 either. With the baby gone, I wonder what it is that's taking up all that space????
- Sore nipples - I was really surprised how quickly my nipples became sore. By the end of Day 1 they were cracked and bleeding. Apparently this is down to bad technique. But still ...
I'm sure I will be adding to this list as the weeks go on :-)
The Birth Story
Last Monday I was experiencing sharp stabbing pains in my cervix which didn't feel like period pains - and because we had every reason to believe it could have been an infection Robin and I decided to get it checked out at the hospital. What a MISTAKE.
Monday 2pm
I saw a midwife in triage who made me feel totally stupid. She was one of those nurses that sort of rolled her eyes at everything I said. Worst of all, she did an internal which left me feeling wholly violated. It felt like she'd thrust her fist up - no warning, no kind words of encouragement, nothing. If I was in pain before this, I was in agony by the time she'd finished.
The long and short of it all is that she told me there was no way of telling if I had an infection or not and that I wasn't in labour. At this point I was only 1cm dilated and the baby's head 2/5 engaged. I cried all the way home in the car, confused as to why I was feeling so much pain, and traumatised by the care I'd received at the hospital I would soon be giving birth in.
Monday 3pm
To make matters worse, after the internal examination, the pain intensified. By 3pm I was having regular waves of fairly intense pain every 20 minutes or so lasting around 15 seconds each along with a tightening in my upper abdo. But since I 'wasn't in labour' I decided to do some shopping and get a few last minute presents wrapped.
Monday 11.45pm
At 11.45 that evening I stood up, felt a pop and a torrent of fluid gushed down between my legs. I kid ye not, it was a torrent. Then I noticed the waters were dark green with flecks of what looked like spinach in it. PANIC! This was, I later learned, the most serious kind of meconium stained amniotic fluid.
Tuesday 12.30am (half past midnight)
Robin and I got to the hospital in double quick time where I was examined and admitted. At half past midnight I was 1cm dilated and feeling a lot of pain.
Tuesday 7am
Seven hours later I was still only 1cm dilated.
Tuesday 11am
Four hours after that I was only 2cm dilated and in a significant amount of pain. So the decision was made to induce labour.
Tuesday Midday
By midday I'd been given an epidural and was hooked up to a Syntocinon drip.
Tuesday 4pm
Four hours later (after a nice long snooze) I was 10cm dilated and ready to push.
Tuesday 4.30pm
After only half an hour of pushing, Elliot Broden Huffer arrived. The midwife plonked him straight onto my belly which was truly one of the most amazing moments of my life. And the rest - as they say - is history!
After such a bad start with the midwife from Hell, my labour and Elliot's birth ended up being a wonderful, positive experience. The midwives were friendly and reassuring and gave me all the support I needed and wanted.
It wasn't the 'natural' birth I'd hoped for; I couldn't walk around to alleviate my pain because I was hooked up to a monitor and I couldn't use the birthing pool either. In some respects it feels as though I cheated because I had an epidural and it took away ALL the pain.
After Elliot was born the midwife told me that I'd never actually been in established labour because I'd never gotten beyond 2cm dilated. Whaat? All that pain and I wasn't even in labour???? Boy, do I have a new found respect for women that do it au naturel.
And as for Robin - WOW! There is nothing glamorous about giving birth; it's an undignified, bloody and messy business. Yet Robin (who is squeamish at the best of times) was a tower of strength to me and an absolute gem with his words of gentle encouragement. He didn't cut the cord but he did see the baby's head crown. And the look on his face when he held Elliot for the first time will stay with me until my dying day.
So there we have it. My birth story. The end of one chapter ... and the beginning of a whole new one with my healthy, happy, gorgeous little baby.
Link to photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=169302&id=595396671&l=b8c1bcff1d
Monday 2pm
I saw a midwife in triage who made me feel totally stupid. She was one of those nurses that sort of rolled her eyes at everything I said. Worst of all, she did an internal which left me feeling wholly violated. It felt like she'd thrust her fist up - no warning, no kind words of encouragement, nothing. If I was in pain before this, I was in agony by the time she'd finished.
The long and short of it all is that she told me there was no way of telling if I had an infection or not and that I wasn't in labour. At this point I was only 1cm dilated and the baby's head 2/5 engaged. I cried all the way home in the car, confused as to why I was feeling so much pain, and traumatised by the care I'd received at the hospital I would soon be giving birth in.
Monday 3pm
To make matters worse, after the internal examination, the pain intensified. By 3pm I was having regular waves of fairly intense pain every 20 minutes or so lasting around 15 seconds each along with a tightening in my upper abdo. But since I 'wasn't in labour' I decided to do some shopping and get a few last minute presents wrapped.
Monday 11.45pm
At 11.45 that evening I stood up, felt a pop and a torrent of fluid gushed down between my legs. I kid ye not, it was a torrent. Then I noticed the waters were dark green with flecks of what looked like spinach in it. PANIC! This was, I later learned, the most serious kind of meconium stained amniotic fluid.
Tuesday 12.30am (half past midnight)
Robin and I got to the hospital in double quick time where I was examined and admitted. At half past midnight I was 1cm dilated and feeling a lot of pain.
Tuesday 7am
Seven hours later I was still only 1cm dilated.
Tuesday 11am
Four hours after that I was only 2cm dilated and in a significant amount of pain. So the decision was made to induce labour.
Tuesday Midday
By midday I'd been given an epidural and was hooked up to a Syntocinon drip.
Tuesday 4pm
Four hours later (after a nice long snooze) I was 10cm dilated and ready to push.
Tuesday 4.30pm
After only half an hour of pushing, Elliot Broden Huffer arrived. The midwife plonked him straight onto my belly which was truly one of the most amazing moments of my life. And the rest - as they say - is history!
After such a bad start with the midwife from Hell, my labour and Elliot's birth ended up being a wonderful, positive experience. The midwives were friendly and reassuring and gave me all the support I needed and wanted.
It wasn't the 'natural' birth I'd hoped for; I couldn't walk around to alleviate my pain because I was hooked up to a monitor and I couldn't use the birthing pool either. In some respects it feels as though I cheated because I had an epidural and it took away ALL the pain.
After Elliot was born the midwife told me that I'd never actually been in established labour because I'd never gotten beyond 2cm dilated. Whaat? All that pain and I wasn't even in labour???? Boy, do I have a new found respect for women that do it au naturel.
And as for Robin - WOW! There is nothing glamorous about giving birth; it's an undignified, bloody and messy business. Yet Robin (who is squeamish at the best of times) was a tower of strength to me and an absolute gem with his words of gentle encouragement. He didn't cut the cord but he did see the baby's head crown. And the look on his face when he held Elliot for the first time will stay with me until my dying day.
So there we have it. My birth story. The end of one chapter ... and the beginning of a whole new one with my healthy, happy, gorgeous little baby.
Link to photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=169302&id=595396671&l=b8c1bcff1d
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Elliot Broden Huffer
Just a quick post update ...
Elliot Broden Huffer arrived safely on Tuesday 22nd December at 4.32pm weighing 8lb 6oz.
I couldn't possibly be happier if I tried.
Merry Christmas everybody xxx
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Membrane Sweep
I saw the midwife this morning and had the membrane sweep that I was hoping for.
First she had a feel of my belly and told me that the baby is barely engaged. Nooooo!
Then did an internal and told me that I have a posterior cervix, which means my cervix is facing backwards rather than forwards. Nooooo!
Essentially, she had to reach around the baby's head to do the sweep. At one point she said 'hello baby' and told me she was touching the baby's head. How weird is that??
My understanding of a posterior cervix is that it often moves to an anterior (forward facing) position during labour. If it doesn't, however, it can lengthen and exacerbate the labour and make it slightly trickier for the baby to manoeuvre his way out. This can result in a forceps rotation or ventouse delivery.
My worry (if you can call it a worry) is that I have a posterior cervix anyway. I've had several smears and examinations over the years where the professionals have indicated my cervix is 'quite far back'. Does that mean it has less chance of moving forward during the labour?
Anyway, the long and short of this morning's antenatal appointment is that I'm not going to experience labour any time soon. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!
First she had a feel of my belly and told me that the baby is barely engaged. Nooooo!
Then did an internal and told me that I have a posterior cervix, which means my cervix is facing backwards rather than forwards. Nooooo!
Essentially, she had to reach around the baby's head to do the sweep. At one point she said 'hello baby' and told me she was touching the baby's head. How weird is that??
My understanding of a posterior cervix is that it often moves to an anterior (forward facing) position during labour. If it doesn't, however, it can lengthen and exacerbate the labour and make it slightly trickier for the baby to manoeuvre his way out. This can result in a forceps rotation or ventouse delivery.
My worry (if you can call it a worry) is that I have a posterior cervix anyway. I've had several smears and examinations over the years where the professionals have indicated my cervix is 'quite far back'. Does that mean it has less chance of moving forward during the labour?
Anyway, the long and short of this morning's antenatal appointment is that I'm not going to experience labour any time soon. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!
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