14th April 2012

Cont....
Within a couple of minutes, our teeny little poppet was born, whisked off to be checked out & for Mark to 'cut the cord'.  She looked ok, from what I could see, but she wasn't making much noise. I remember hearing the paediatrician say something about oxygen & I watched what looked like a monstrous mask go over her little tiny face.
Her.... wow...still can't quite believe I can say that.  We have a daughter.  What a weird feeling that is. She weighed 2600grams.  Her head looked like a tennis ball.
I got to have a little cuddle while Mark held an oxygen tube at her nose, but the cuddle was only long enough for a few photo's to be taken & then she was handed to daddy briefly before they  took her off to special care.
I lay there in theatre, not doing anything but waiting.  I assumed I was waiting to go out to recovery once all the stitching was done, to be handed our precious little girl & really get a good look at her. But...she had been admitted to the SCN for a few issues, including low oxygen saturation levels & low blood sugar.
Once we were back in my room I felt lost. Really really lost.  I'd had 3 big strong boys before, who all came to my room with me, who all snuggled in & slept while I watched them breathe in & out....& in & out.  But there we were....without her.  I was gutted.
Mark ended up going over to SCN & took a video & some photo's of her with his iPhone for me to watch. By the time he got back, the morphine was taking over & I was falling into the land of nod.
The rest of the day is a bit of a haze.  I remember my parents bringing the boys up to meet her & having to go over to SCN to get a peek.  I remember midwives coming in & out checking my obs every 5 minutes (or so it felt), I remember my phone ringing, Mark calling people & getting to shove the long awaited chocolate in my mouth (if I didn't, my dad would have polished off the box).
Before I knew it, dinner had arrived & shortly afterwards, so did Mabel. They bought her over, still connected to her breathing machine with a feeding tube up her nose, but I didn't care....holding her felt like heaven.
We have various hurdles in our 8 day stay at the Wesley Hospital, all of which revolved around getting Mabel to feed so we could take her home.  There was mention of us going home without her, which I just couldn't imagine doing, so we worked hard to get the feeding sorted in time.
Taking her home with us on the morning of day nine was the best feeling.  I was exhausted, she needed feeding every 2 hours, but I wouldn't have changed it for the world.


What an amazing 11 months we've had. I cannot believe we are looking down the barrel of our baby girl turning one.   I am still so exhausted. It has been a hard slog, she is a lot of work.  She has had so many tummy issues, sleep issues, wind issues, reflux issues, been on medication, been back to the hospital, allergic reactions (we think), delayed development, teething issues, food refusal, bowel spasms & so much more.  But my God she's gorgeous.  She has a smile that can light up my world & eyes that mesmerise those who look at her.  She is cheeky, feisty & determined.
So far she has 2 teeth & just yesterday (after a week of hellish nights) she has another one.
Welcome to the world sweet Mabel Jane, I think I am finally getting used to having you in it.