It still feels all surreal... I'm a Mummy and Dan is a Daddy... we are parents and this is our family. Still getting used to it. And having to mark that I have a dependent on a form now, it's all happening.
Now for my labour/birth story...
For days before my water broke I was sending progression shots basically ever few hours to Dan & my best friend comparing how I looked before with my belly and when the waters broke the pictures happened more often whilst waiting...
On Tuesday 3rd of September at 5:30am my waters broke... I honestly didn't think to much of it as it was trickle not a gush. Dan had gotten up at 7am on his way to the toilet, I stopped him and said /Dan, I really need to go before you/ and he replied 'Why?' I responded 'It feels like I'm pissing myself'. Once I got onto the toilet I wasn't trying to wee at all... was just happening on its own.
I said to Dan 'I think my waters have broken' and Dan was kind of in shock asking what he should do and should he go to work, I told him to go to work as I was unsure after a few hours of Dan & my best friend coaxing me to call the hospital and see what they thought I gave in and the midwife advised me to go in and get checked out... Well after a 30-45mins of being in the PPC unit I was advised... your waters have broken... I messaged Dan and we both were on a high I believed...
As the Sunshine Hospital isn't far from Dan's work I met up with him for lunch after I got advised by midwife that they will give me a 24hr window as pregnant women tend to progress themselves in the next 24hrs, I was told if I didn't bring myself in during labour in the 24hr window that I was to come back in at 7:30 on Wednesday morning and they would get the ball rolling.
As Dan & I were sitting together at lunch on his break we were both discussing how we would be parents the next day and this is our last day just us and we'ld be meeting our little girl soon... It was just weird but all so exciting, but yet nerve racking at the same time.
It came night time and I was contracting every 6-8 mins and it was some what a little painful but bearable. It got to about 2am I think and then I gave in and went to sleep... When I woke up there was no contractions... I was a little concerned as to why I had fallen asleep through contractions and why I didn't have them anymore but Dan & I took our queue and headed for the hospital.. We were going to meet our little girl today.
At 10 past 9 I was put onto the oxytocin and by 12pm I was advised that I was in labour stages now... Contractions weren't that bad at the time but every 4 hours they would come check you to see how far dilated you were.. first time I was at 3cm and they did a membrane sweep... they believed that the waters at the top of my uterus had busted but not my lower waters so they did a membrane sweep.. that was painful... I didn't like that at all and was given gas to use as I was in hysterics having someone play around down there and because I wasn't relaxed it hurt.
The gas was disgusting... I don't think it made any relief for me, just was awful tasting. If anything it only made me concentrate on my breathing to better the situation and calm myself down.
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| Last photo of Dan & I whilst it just being us. (I was in labour in this pic) |
The time came to go into theatre for our daughter to come out. It was about 12:40am before we actually made a move over to the theatre... The midwifes on duty got dressed in their scrubs along with Dan - who I must say I would love to have him in scrubs any day ;P
I was taken into theatre by myself first as they needed to do several tests to ensure I was numb practically from chest area downwards. After about 5 mins of tests to ensure I was completely numb with the extra strength spinal (which has the side effects of shivering and chills) I was in complete shivering mood started off being cold as not only because of the temperature in those theatres which are freezing cold but because of the spinal numbing I believe.. my teeth sounded and felt like they were going to snap out from chattering from shivers and then my whole body was like convulsing and my arms started shaking as if I had a really bad case of parkinsons disease, I honestly was thinking that something bad was going to happen to me and that I wasn't going to make it out of theatre...
Dan was then finally allowed to come in and be by my side whilst our baby girl was getting taken from my stomach.
The midwife then all of a sudden said to us... 'You're about to meet your daughter in a second' then the curtain sheet infront of my face dropped a little and revealed our baby girl who was blue, purple and white... I didn't see her face just the legs and her bits haha. Dan & I were tearing up. It's such a beautiful moment seeing your baby for the first time.
They then called Dan over whilst they then got the placenta out of my belly. Dan was luckily able to cut the cord still which he says was like calamari haha!
The midwifes then brought baby wrapped up in a blanket in front of my face where we spent a few minutes together as a family and I was able to kiss her and shed more tears with Dan.
I was so surprised at how small she was as I was told at my 35 week growth scan that she had this big head and was 3.2kgs already, so I expected this big whopper baby.
We delivered Niahbella at 3.4kgs/7.09Ibs, 53cm in length and 35cm in head circumference at 1:15am on the 5th of September, 2013... she wasn't a big baby at all. She was tiny to us.
As the midwife took me to the ward I asked her if Dan was allowed to stay with me and she said partners aren't allowed too and she had told him he has to leave by 5am as being a newborn baby etc.
I was so annoyed and upset, I wanted to get off that bed and go fine we'll go home then so we can all be together. I think it's horrible that some hospitals take away that first few days from the fathers.
Dan was so upset as well when I got to the ward and told him about it and he said that he already knew as he asked them as well and even said 'can't I just sleep in a chair or something?'.
Was really disappointed in Sunshine Hospital for this being one of their rules. Partners were to be there only between 8am and 10pm... Normal visiting hours for others was 2:30pm till 8pm.
When I arrived at the ward Dan was having skin to skin with bubs which he absolutely loved! He actually wanted to hold bubs first between us and even asked the midwife in our antenatal appointments if he could be the skin to skin person but midwife advised it's the mum who gets that.
After they had settled me into the ward room I was then handed my baby girl to hold in my arms for the first time... It was such a special moment.
Prior to all this when I was having my antenatal appointments with the midwife at the centre - Dan & I had asked what the maternity ward was like as we were orginally meant to go to Bacchus Marsh which I had already seen the suites/ward.
The midwife told us about them and said there was a few single rooms that you had to yourself which they tend to try leave for new first time mothers or mothers who have had a c-section. Well I was both of those and didn't get a single room... which I think you might have been able to have your partner stay if you was in single room, not 100% sure though.
I am not being racist in anyway at all but what the hell!! I only ever saw Indians, Muslims etc etc in the single rooms... how is that fair at all?
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| Three above photos from our departure of hospital, setting sail for home - being together as a family for the first time. |
Dan & I really liked Isabella (apparently I have always liked it since little Mum says as all my dolls were named Isabella!) but when I heard it was number 5 most popular name I didn't want it anymore.. I like unique and different - like mother like daughter I guess with all my siblings and my name.
We then really liked Niah as a girls name so we put Niah and took Bella from Isabella as that's what we both really liked about it - bella meaning beautiful and then Niah meaning purpose and radiance.
Alot of people will ask and probably think Dan & Nik haven't been together for long and you're right.. we are freshies still kinda (we have over a year relationship behind us now) and the answer is No, Niahbella wasn't an accident, she was planned. Dan & I both knew what we wanted and that was to be young parents and we believed that we found our soulmates (each other) in life and it just was right.
Motherhood has been treating me good so far. Night times we get it pretty good compared to the horror stories I hear from others. Niahbella sleeps for between 3-5hrs at night time usually more on the 3-4hr mark but occasionally she will be nice to us and give us a 5hr sleep period haha, so she only really wakes us twice a night.
She is already getting so tall and will soon be outgrowing her little crib next to my bedside :( I will be majorly sad having to put her into her own room and into her big girl cot. I always said when I was towards the start of my pregnancy that she'd be in our room for a few weeks then out she goes but I honestly couldn't do it.. I even think about bringing her big cot into our room coz I don't want her to be so far away (even though it's the room right next to ours).
There has been worries for me though.. what worries me the most is when she has been just feed and she starts vomiting up her feed. Should I be trying to give her more? I don't want her to be hungry after being sick and throwing it all up. I would hate to not be giving her more when she is hungry.
I was asked when I had a good couple friend to Dan & I what was the most surprisingly/challenging thing about parenthood... well at the time I couldn't think of anything but I've figured out 2 things so far...
1. Burping her - I have struggled to get a good technique to burp her. I succeed most of the time but when it doesn't work for me I get so annoyed at myself because she will start to develop hiccups :(
She gets hiccups quite a lot and I feel so sorry for her like I haven't done my job properly with burping her that she develops these hiccups possibly because of me.
2. Going out places - not that I don't like taking babes out and showing her off, I just hate when she gets upset and will bellow her little lungs out and we are still in the middle of a shop or be in the middle of doing something then your concerns and eagerness to want her to calm down comes out. I get quite flustered and just feel horrible not answering to her screams within a few seconds.
Today is our Niahbella's second week into the world. She has blessed us with so much love and joy. She has made our lives forever better. We love you Niahbella. x x
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