Bear - Six Weeks

Last week my baby Bear turned six whole weeks old. Six weeks! Where the dickens did that time go?

Now, I'm not a huge fan of baby updates, I'll be honest, I don't often read them unless it's a big milestone like a year. It's not that I don't care, but I've already been there once and typically they're all roughly the same, and if they're not, they will be soon. I, not sure if they're entirely such a good idea to read if you're the type of person that gets competitive over their child.

But I figured that because it was six weeks and I've been pretty quiet about my little man, I'd share just for fun (I won't be cross if you don't read it though, I promise).

So Bear's doing really well, the health visitor I took him to see yesterday was very thrilled with him and his 'lovely skin'...I'm not sure if she genuinely thought he was a lovely baby as he laid about nude, babbling and smiling, or if she was just so relieved to be having a conversation without an interpreter or hindered by a heavy accent (yes, we live in one of those areas). Weight is average. Height above average and interestingly (for me), head slightly below...it's interesting because we are a family of big heads, the first I've our GP saw Moo, he felt the need to comment on her large head.

He is smiling, babbling, attempting to laugh, winding himself and lifting his head well. He's also doing all those medical things like turning towards light, sound and string at me for seemingly hours on end.

He isn't letting me sleep or opening his palms up.

My next step is to get him out of the swaddle and into a sleeping bag as he keeps wriggling free and pulling the blanket over is head which makes me nervous.

So there we have it...6 weeks...please stop growing so fast little baby!

Clare

My Story Monday - Bear

Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm going to tell the birth story of my second child, Bear (or Baby Bear as we call him as he's currently such a squidge). He was long-awaited as everyone was so sure he would arrive early...but was in fact thirteen days overdue (and only came then because he was forcibly evicted), so here's his little slice of drama...

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know how desperate I was to have this baby out of me, but as my midwife kept saying...I was too good of a host and he was clearly very cozy in there. I really didn't want o be induced, in fact, I was terrified of it and the after care I might receive as a result of ending up at the Conquest hospital in Hastings. I tried everything to get the little pudding out but no such luck sadly and so on the morning of Saturday September 7th, the husband and I found ourselves doing a 7am ASDA run for snacks, magazines and treats after dropping Moo off for a very tears goodbye.

We arrived not long after eight and were almost immediately shown to the room on the pre-natal ward that was for women being induced. There were two others there; another woman from Eastbourne who was being induced early because of problems with her loos pressure (poor thing, she was quite poorly) and a young girl from Horam who was really unimpressed at the fact shed been there 24 hours and nothing was happening for her. I got the impression she was quite young from her attitude (she was also a smoker, ick).

I was given the prostin and left to my men devices, we witnessed the other lady (who was on the drip) go into labour and head off for delivery, leaving us to watch bad TV on the ridiculously-charged screen above the bed and entertain ourselves. Food was disgusting, husband had to fend for himself...we took a couple of walks but it was freezing, ended up in the coffee sop spending more money than needed.

At some point in the late afternoon I started to get pains but they were nothing  much to write one about...and by 7pm husband suggested he go home and get some rest in case he had to return in the middle of the night (they were going to kick him off at 9pm and the drive is about 40mins). I said that was probably a good idea, not much was happening, so off he went, leaving me alone, feeling a bit sad and teary but I figured I too could use the sleep.

Half an hour later or so things started getting a bit painful so I wen and asked for some paracetamol. It had no effect so about nine I buzzed for the midwife...I was in quite a bit of pain by this point and running my own back through contractions (which is very difficult). She examined me and said I was only 2-3cm and that it might not be 'real', she'd get me a script for some pethedine. I said that was fine though when she returned, it was without the drugs, saying all the doctors were in surgery, I'd have to wait. So wait I did and it was agonising. I'm convinced she still didn't believe I was in labour. Ninety minutes after she examined me, she finally brought the injection and administered it without re-examining me (this is where I think thins started to go wrong). She reassured me that if it was real t would take the edge off, if it wasn't it'd knock me out and I'd get good sleep ready to try again tomorrow. Did it knock me out? Yes...but each contraction re-awoke me and they were agonising. I buzzed again, begging for help (this is where I totally lost my dignity and I'm so ashamed) and she agreed to monitor me. I'm not really sure what happened next, I know that at one point I was asking someone to get my husband, pleading with them that I needed him and I was in and out. All I know is that the midwife was shaking me awake to tell me a midwife had come from labour with a wheelchair to take me to delivery and that I could call my husband (from my own phone, charming) when I got there and found out what was going on. Like I said, my dignity was completely gone by this stage, I was moaning and begging for help and whining like a child (seriously, I'm so embarrassed)...and as I was being wheeled I felt the desperate need to push so I said 'I really need the toilet...I don't want to poo myself'. They started to wheel me a little faster and when I got in the room I rushed to the bathroom, being called out to by my new midwife to 'please be careful'.

Collapsing on the bed, really unsure of what was happening, the midwife told me to call my husband before she examined me...I think she could tell I was close. So I rang his mobile twice and got no answer so bit the bullet and called the landline without a clue what the time was (it was 12:54am), this waking my daughter, husband, mother-in-law and her partner. I shouted 'you need to come now' at my husband before hanging up on him...I had to follow with a text that read 'delivery' so he went to the right ward. Smooth. I know.

I was then examined and panic ensued. My midwife turned to to her student shadow and told her to get more help and a doctor, the baby's heartbeat wasn't right...and I remember not panicking, just thinking that I was so desperately out of control of it all...as the doctor came in and a floor of other women, my midwife told her that I was fully dilated, waters 'bulging' (I know...ew) and that the heartbeat was at fifty. The doctor instructed her to break the waters and at that point I started to tell about pushing, she very calmly shrugged and said 'well go on then'. The normal me probably would've punched her for being so incredibly blase about the whole thing.

With three pushes and at 1:06am Baby Bear entered the world, seven minutes after I was examined and twelve after I was permitted to call my husband. Remember I said home was forty-minutes away? Yeah...my husband missed the whole event...ran in twenty-five minutes later to a lot of blood, a lot of people and both his wife and baby in shock. He was slightly unimpressed, mainly because he was distressed at the thought of me doing the whole thing 'alone'. At 5am they transferred me to the post-natal ward and my husband was asked to leave to return at 9, so he drove home. Again.

Luckily we were discharged at 2pm that day after some not-unpleasant but certainly not attentive after-care on the ward and he has settled into life at one nicely...though I wish he'd stop spitting up all over me!

Clare

My Story Monday - An Announcement

Happy Monday everyone!!

Just a quick one today, I'm sure you can all guess what I'm about to say...I'd like to introduce to you the latest addition to our family; Baby Bear!

He was born in Hastings on Sunday September 8th at 1:06am weighing a chunky 8lbs11oz! Big boy!

I'll post his birth story next Monday (definitely come back, it's a cracker) so until then, here he is; long awaited and very much loved (especially by Moo).

Clare

Embracing the Bump - 36 Weeks

The time is getting much, much closer. Bear's managed to get his head in the right place (he's ahead of his sister on that front), and is well and truly on his way. I'm on day three now of near constant Braxton Hicks, so I'm hoping that might be a sign that he'll be here sooner rather than later as I'm quite tired of lugging so much of myself around!!

So here he is at 36 weeks!

Clare

Embracing the Bump - 28 weeks

So here he is, 'Bear', still a bump, and what a wiggly, active bump he is!

My 'Embracing the Bump' posts will always be 'nude' (the bump, not myself, fear not)! This is because I've never been proud of my body, but this is the last baby that I plan on having. If I'm going to man up and whip out my bump, now's the time and I personally feel I have nothing to be ashamed of.

Yes, there are stretch-marks and I wasn't the slimmest of people pre-pregnancy (I was a size 12) but they are my stretch marks and jiggly bits and I think more women should bust out their bumps!

I'm genuinely sorry if it offends anyone!

Clare