Tag Archives: Strep B

May 1 2014

Welcome to the World Heidi!

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I’ve been a little quiet for the past month… no prizes for guessing why. I’ve built up month’s worth of pent up frustration and have soooo much to say about the longest pregnancy / labour in history, but I’ll save this for a less emotionally charged (and less tiring) day.

Right now, I’d like to introduce the new love of my life - Heidi (middle name to be decided) Mills.

Okay, I’m a little late. She came into the world via emergency c section on April 24th - nearly a whole week ago. The fact she came out of me with a little help from a spinal epidural and one seriously hot doctor doesn’t mean I didn’t experience labour. In fact, I laboured HARD; 14 hours in “established” labour stuck on all fours, screaming and swearing, and countless hours before that writhing around on my sofa. It’s been the hardest and most physically traumatic thing I’ve ever done.

1925233 10152022663237190 5445050460515686859 n Welcome to the World Heidi!

Heidi is tiny. 6lb 9 at birth she has plenty of baggy skin around her legs and arms to grow into. She’s got her daddy’s long legs, but I can’t really see either of us in her facially yet. In truth, she doesn’t look much like a ‘Heidi’. She doesn’t have the Germanic look that Dexter did when he was a few days old; her hair is darker and her skin isn’t as milky. But this was the only name Craig and I were able to agree upon. I liked Maeve, Orla and Elsa, and Craig was keen on Beatrice, Harriet and Bethany.

10300963 10152027103012190 2551028950419065721 n Welcome to the World Heidi!

Other than a minor case of Positional Talipes (her little feet are currently facing facing inwardly) which we’ve been referred to specialist for, she’s perfect. She was treated for Strep B at birth and cultures were grown using her blood that thankfully tested negative. She’s a sleepy little thing and is capable of 6 hour long stretches of sleep so has slotted into a routine of sorts already.

My milk still hasn’t fully come through yet so we’re currently on a mixed feeding schedule which involves as much skin to skin contact and ‘breast time’ as possible and 2-3 60ml formula feeds per day. It’s a demanding challenge to take on and Heidi can sit on me for hours at a time before unlatching herself. It’s been very difficult for Dexter as his mummy is having to give so much of her time over to his new baby sister.

Don’t get me wrong, Dexter is intrigued by Heidi and forever touching and kissing her, but he is resenting the time I’m rendered immobile. He calls for me constantly and his cries have taken on a heartbreaking quality that has had me in tears several times. I am so proud of him though - he’s very soft-handed with her and is helping with basic chores such as fetching nappies and blankets. I’m sure I’ll end up writing about this more extensively as I have a sinking feeling these tears might be more than a little nod to some impending baby blues.

Dexter and Heidi Welcome to the World Heidi!

Physically, I’m doing well. Sheer bloody mindedness saw me out of bed just 5 hours after surgery and walking around the hospital corridors. I was discharged as soon as Heidi was given the all-clear and my suture has now been removed. Although this is only my second c section, I like to think of myself as a bit of a pro now and have an upcoming post in mind on tips for post-surgery recovery.

So that’s it - normal service will resume asap and I’ll be working through some reviews of products I’ve found invaluable, and posts all about Dexter and Heidi as they forge a bond despite their hysterical mummy and shattered daddy (poor Craig had just half a day’s paternity leave). Right now, I’m off for a cold shower, little cry, then plenty of cuddles with both of my beautiful children.

xxx

Sep 16 2013

Midwife Care for a Second Baby… 10 Week Update

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Thursday last week we had our first midwife appointment for our brand new bump. It was our first time meeting her as we’ve changed doctors surgeries since having Dexter. I suspect she was probably running a little late as we were called in a good half an hour late into the appointment, which meant the session was mostly ‘all business’. Adding to the sense of urgency was the fact that we had Dexie with us. Before we even went into the appointment, he’d been behind the front desk chatting up the receptionists, following strangers into doctor’s rooms for their appointments, routing through stranger’s handbags in the waiting room… he just wants to explore everything at the moment and has one of those cheeky faces that means he gets away with murder.

In the waiting room, he had a right time of it, crawling over the midwife’s scales, pulling urine sample pots out of her drawers, and inventing new uses for her blood pressure cuff. Craig and I struggled to keep an eye on him and natter to the midwife at the same time. Lesson learnt - maybe we’ll grab a sitter next time.

Our midwife was really lovely - chatty but informative. She gave Dexter a cuddle when it was time to leave which was a relief - he clearly hadn’t given too bad an account of himself.

We received our (rather disappointing) Bounty Pack and set of notes, and briefly discussed the plan for the next 30 weeks. Due to high BMI count and Dexter contracting Strep B in his first few weeks she mentioned the likelihood of an “Elective” C-Section but reassured us that nothing was set in stone at this stage. She also managed to fit in all our blood tests so we wouldn’t have to make any additional appointments before our scan date. It was all very easy and we’re pleased we changed doctors surgeries to get access to a community midwife.

Of course there are a few disappointments. Due to time constraints, we weren’t able to test to hear baby’s heartbeat. Given this is our second pregnancy, we won’t see her again until week 16 so have a long wait to hear it! I also didn’t make big enough deal out of my morning sickness in my opinion so we’ll need to book in a session with the GP if I decide I need anti-sickness medication.

In a bid to provide more reassurance things are going well, we’ve gone ahead and booked a private scan for this Thursday to finally answer the question of whether this is twins or not. Hopefully we’ll leave that appointment feeling a little more ‘pregnant’ and excited. As we’re off on holiday in a few weeks time, we’ll have plenty of time to sit around the pool to get our heads around the c-section issue. Our hospital doesn’t routinely offer VBAC’s (particularly given the other risks mentioned above) so we might well have to fight for a natural birth if we want one.

I think we’ve reached a turning point this week. I feel less stressed and anxious, but also less connected to this pregnancy. It doesn’t feel very real and I regularly forget I’m even pregnant at all - I nearly ordered wine at a restaurant this weekend! When pregnant with Dexter, I kept a notebook on my bedside table and Craig and I rarely discussed anything else. This pregnancy started off the same, but seems to have tapered somewhat. Compared to last time, the midwife appointment was anti-climatic. It all went smoothly, but that bubble of excitement was missing. Given we’ve worked so hard to create this new life, and can’t wait until he or she gets here, the pregnancy itself feels less chaotic and (dare-I-say-it) fascinating.

Did anyone else feel like this second time around?

Jan 11 2013

The “Easy” Phase of Parenting - My Little Napping Machine!

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As a mummy blogger, and stay-at-home parent, I’m constantly reading other people’s blogs and experiences of parenting. When I first had Dexter, I had read so much about the challenges ahead of us and how mum’s ‘never have enough time in the day’, and prepared myself for a tough time. I mentally said goodbye to sleep and a tidy house and waited for my little bundle of chaos to arrive into the world.

On May 16th 2012, Dexter was born and I have memories of Craig and I cradling him in hospital, shaking our heads at each other and saying things like “It all starts here” and “Life will never be the same again”. We told ourselves that we’d probably need to multiply all the things we’d read by 10, and wouldn’t ever have a lay in again.

The first 10 weeks or so were a massive shock to the system. It was a big adjustment getting used to having a demanding miniature person sapping all your strength and stealing all your sleep. As Dexter was born in early summer, there were a few really hot days where I didn’t bother changing out of my nightie, brushing my hair or doing my make-up. These days were similar to the days I had read about and it was comforting to know that it’s perfectly normal to be sleep-deprived, in shock, and temporarily out-of-action.

As Dexter was hospitalised twice in his first few weeks with Strep B - it was even tougher for us as we practically lived in the hospital and didn’t have any privacy; we couldn’t have a healthy row with each other, walk around in our pyjamas at 3am, and have any moments of weakness. Although the doctors and nurses didn’t have any expectations of us, we felt we had to be perfect parents and mentally alert for every second we were there.

After this all-too-common bumpy introduction to parenthood, things changed dramatically. I have no idea if our Dexter is just an amazingly easy-going baby, or if I’ve unknowingly (despite all that research) stumbled upon an easy phase of parenting - but it is so unbelievably easy that I’m just as worried as I would be if he was a nightmare. I find myself constantly poised waiting for a tantrum or something worse.

You see, at just shy of 8 months, Dexter loves to sleep. He has a really great routine that we just seem to have slipped into.

I guess it all started when he was around 10 weeks. He started sleeping through the night in the hospital and we literally had to rouse him for a sleepy feed in the early hours. Of course Craig and I both thought this was a result of the Strep B and he would soon be rid of it and back to his screaming, crying and unpredictable self. But no…

As soon as he was discharged, he took to his cot really well. The midwives taught us a little trick with a pillowcase and a rolled up towel which allowed us to create a nest in his cot (supposedly this simulates the womb) which Dexter just loved. Just a few weeks later he was sleeping regularly throughout the night and wouldn’t take kindly at all at being disturbed. We checked with the midwives and rather than advise us to wake him up to feed, they said we were lucky and to be “grateful for small miracles”. So on it continued - we’d put him down around 11pm and he would sleep soundly until 7am.

As time went on, things got even better. At around 5 months, he started taking frequent naps throughout the day. Despite this extra sleep, he started rubbing his eyes that little bit earlier in the evening. We started popping him in bed an hour earlier (9pm / 10pm) and crossed our fingers that he wouldn’t deduct this hour from his morning routine. Night after night, when we popped him in his cot he would play with his teddies for 5 minutes then gently drift off (I can count the number of times he’s cried in his cot on one hand).

Despite our fears, surprisingly he began waking an hour later around 8.00am - this meant we gained 2 extra hours in bed. Dexter was (and still is) an absolute angel in the mornings and we’d hear him quietly babbling to himself for 30 minutes before he was ready to get up and start his morning routine.

When we moved into our new home, Dexter was 6 months old. We decided this was the time we would move his cot into his own room (due to the layout of our home, in actual distance, the cot is still only 3 metres away from my head so perfectly safe).

Although we had convinced ourselves that this was going to be a difficult transition for him, Dexter absolutely loved it! As long as his LED neon fairy lights are on, and we pop on his musical mobile, he’s quite happy. He does have a few funny quirks though. He doesn’t like you watching him fall asleep so you have to pop back 10 minutes after he first goes down to tuck him in!

Soon after he moved to his big boy room, bedtime got a little earlier and he’d start to look tired around 8pm / 9pm. Naps were still few and far between and he would still sleep in until 8am.

Now he’s at 8 months, he is much more active. This has the general effect of making him even more tired. He has still maintained the usual sleep-times, but he’s now beginning to enjoy a proper afternoon nap. His general routine now looks like this:

8.00am - Awaken and play quietly in cot whilst waiting for mummy

8.30am - Say hello to mummy and nappy change

8.45am - Baby porridge and bottle-time (180mls) - usually soils a nappy

9.30am - Play-time with mummy (plenty of tummy-time and singing)

11.30am - Pre-nap bottle (180mls)

12.00pm - Nappy-change before nap

12.15pm - NAP TIME (here’s the best bit) until…

3.00pm - Awaken from nap

3.15pm - Bath-time

3.45pm - Fruit and finger food lunch and bottle-time (180mls)

4.30pm - A walk with mummy

5.30pm - Play-time with daddy

6.30pm - Dinner-time

7.00pm - Bottle-time (180mls)

8.00pm - Bed

How amazingly simple is that?! It’s just so easy to parent him at the moment. In total he’s up for just 9 hours 15 mins per day and for 2.5 hours of that, Craig is here with me!

Inevitably at weekends we’ll have to fiddle with his routine as we fit in day-trips. Despite this, Dexter never minds if he’s waiting a few extra hours for a bottle or piece of fruit. If we’re out and about, he’ll steal his nap time when he can (when we’re in the car, or he’s in his pushchair) and still be just as smiley as ever. We’ll bath him in the evening instead and he doesn’t get confused or stroppy - he just takes it all in his stride.

Every night, I tend to pre-write a blog post so it’s drafted for the next day. When Dexter naps, I’ll fiddle with it, then go ahead and post it. The rest of his nap time is taken up with social networking, reading emails, and commenting on people’s blogs. I can also do a bit of housework but Craig and I tend to do most of this at the weekend (clothes washing, hoovering etc).

How ridiculously easy?

So what do you all think? Do I simply have a great baby? Or is there indeed, an easy phase?

 

pixel The Easy Phase of Parenting My Little Napping Machine!