He's here!! Charles Lindsay Carter arrived as planned, friday week ago.The 11th of the 11th 2011.
He weighed 3050grams or 6 pounds and 11 ounces. By the time we left the hospital on wednesday his weight was down to 2840 grams. This was because some things did not go as planned.
Our day began with the sillies.
As you do when you say farewell to your bump.And he was such a good little bump! Really not horribly uncomfortable or too big to function.My unstable pelvis was not his fault in any way-just bad luck from before.
And I can honestly say that, as much as I did not want a ceasarian ( I very nearly cancelled it even when I was in the anisthetic bay), my recovery has been fantastic.On my feet the next day and walking tall. This had a lot to do with managing my pain and having done my research ( real Doctor/Dr Google/everyone I know whos had one/various pregnancy forums-mishmash research but had me prepared for the worst ) so that there wasnt much that would surprise me. The fact that I forgot to do my research on how a spinal block feels and the after effects was a huge mistake on my part. I can honestly say that that was awful and very scary. As were the five hours of violent shaking it brought on and the reaction to a painkiller the aneasthetist added to it which involved an awful lot of itching. Still, nothing compared to Charlies challenge.
As I said ,our day began with the sillies. The boys were taken to school.Of course the phone went and it was the hospital calling to say there had been some deliveries so I needed to come earlier than planned.
One thing I really struggled with through the lead up to Charlies birth was the fact that I had handed over all control to my doctor. I know some people find the uncertainty of a natural delivery a very scary thing, but for me it goes the other way. My little bump deciding when he's ready and my body helping that happen is me, strangely enough, feeling as though we are in control.
Getting a call to come early threw me a little.
It is astounding how fast it all moves.You flow through admissions, then into a quick wardrobe change, your support person/partner gets to put on a fabulous zip up collared paper jumpsuit, hat and booties-boring old surgery gown for us on the table!, anithastic bay for prepping and then voila. Theatre.
I will say now that my Doctor is absolutely fabulous at his job and the aneasthetist at hers.They knew when to joke wuth me,and when to stop more importantly.I felt at all times that I was safe and Charlie and I were the most important people in their world.This helped enormously with my stress levels!
Hello!! He did a lovely big cry to announce his arrival
but then went very quiet. I had talked with my Doctor about the possibility of a little fluid on the lung so wasnt too suprised when they told me he had to go to the NICU for a couple of hours so it could be cleared.
Unfortunately my precious new baby didnt just have wet lung but a resiratory condition called TTN.There seemed to be some indecision as to whether he was suffering this or a related condition called HMD ( also covered in the above link) but whichever one it was it caused serious distress.
So after I left recovery, I was wheeled up to visit my baby.Open a porthole and stroke as best you can.And that was that until Monday afternoon. It was horrible.Having seen a baby of ours like this before it felt a little unfair.But then what is fair? You get what you get and Charlie wasnt actually as sick as Oliver so at least we had that.
Because he wasnt tubed for breathing, just feeding, they couldnt bring him out for us to hold so when he was taken off oxygen on Monday afternoon and they said we could start trying to breast feed, that was my first cuddle since his birth on Friday morning. Four rotten days.
At 2 am on Sunday morning ,when I went in to express, they told me that it had been decided that there would be a 24 hour 'hands off' policy applied to Charlie. I think I mumbled something along the lines of "youre kidding".That was all I had. My colostrum had all but gone from the stress and my milk was starting to come in and the only way I was still getting even a couple of mils for them to top his formula up with, was by being able to touch him at least. We weren't allowed to open the port holes so I couldnt talk to him either. I know there are much much sicker babies out there and parents dealing with terrible hardship but I must say it was just all so familiar and yet such a shock. Every scan and every checkup and every test had been of textbook healthy baby. Now we were in here. Again. They also said he was not physically like a 38 weeker which was baffling as I know when we made him and we didnt try again as my body told me within days that we were having a baby. The paediatricain and the nurses all said his skin was still covered in lanugo and the texture of his skin was that of a 35 or 36 week old. I still dont understand how that is possible but I must say he is physically very much like Oliver was when we got him home after two weeks and Olie was born at 34 weeks.
We had been told all along that he wouldn't be coming home with me on the Wednesday but this always ended with " but once they turn the corner and start to improve they get better very quickly". This of course meant we had no idea when to expect him home and my husband found himself getting the car capsule fitted on the day of our discharge!
We were only given the all clear to take him home on the Tuesday late afternoon. Talk about a rush. There I was in my room walking back and fourth umpteen times a day and night to express since Saturday ( which I dare say helped my recovery enormously ) and suddenly on Tuesday morning he was out of the humidicrib and in his normal crib. He successfuly breastfed a couple of times so by the afternoon I had him in my room.
So.....
Look what I got! That there is baby down. And he smells delicious. Its always when the dust has settled and your memory has mangled the details a little that you understand why women keep having babies. There is nothing like it.
Ashleigh hadnt been able to bring the boys in on Monday so he and the boys didnt get their first cuddles until early evening on Tuesday. I had known the boys were frustrated about this and when I told them on Sunday they couldnt touch him they were very upset. Seeing them burst into my room heading straight for their little brother was a beautiful thing to see. It makes me cry recalling that. And they were allowed to give him a bath! You should have seen them pushing Charlie along the corridor so proud they might burst.
And then home time! Charlie was a little put out after his final checks from the paediatrician.
It took a lot of poking and prodding to get him to this stage. He is really not a screamer in any way.
Wednesday he also got to meet his new cousin hot off the plane from the UK. My gorgeous niece!
Thursday we tried out the sling I had made
And on Friday he had his first walk to school. The boys took turns all the way there and enjoyed the fans that descended on them when they wheeled into the playground. You'd have thought we had George Clooney in the pram! We should have had cake to celebrate his first week.Whoops.
Then today at one week and one day I walked in to find Houdini has begun. He went back to sleep but when he woke a little while later he had tucked the hand back inside his wrap. Clever boy!
So there you go.All wonderful here although I do have to remind myself that I had abdominal surgery a week ago and to try and slow down. A bout of light headedness and a couple of sharp pains tends to make its point though I assure you.
We are all completely and utterley madly in love and if you told me all I had to do was sit here and nuzzle this little bug of mine I would do exactly as you said.Easily.
Oh and he is teeny. xxxx
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