Mr 3 Months

Growing Fast...

The weeks are flying by and our little guy is growing way too fast!

Elliot's Birth Story

I have been holding off posting Elliot's birth story as it is such a personal experience, however he is now seven weeks old and I am worried I will forget all the details! Elliot is our third baby and I have had two natural births before this one. I have always kept an open mind about the childbirthing experience and prefer to have a very loose birth plan, partly as I don't want to be disappointed if it doesn't turn out as I expected! Elliot's birth was no different and I anticipated that it would unfold in a similar way to Rosie and Harry's births. This was not to be! About ten days before I was due I awoke to what I thought was my waters breaking in the early hours of the morning. My midwife was on holiday, so I wasn't keen to go into labour right then, but decided to call the back up midwife in the morning to check. The waters had stopped leaking and after a discussion, it was decided that my waters probably hadn't broken after all. I was told to assume they hadn't and just go about my week as normal, which I did. At my next midwife appointment I was given a referral for another scan, just to check the amniotic fluid levels and general health of the baby.

The monitoring begins...

The clinic was fully booked but they squeezed me in at the end of the day, which I will always be grateful for. I went along and the Radiologist spent over half an hour scanning me, at which point I was starting to get worried. She said that my fluid levels were within the normal range, but only just. She was also concerned as the baby's movements were reduced, so she made a decision to call my midwife, who was still on holiday. My midwife called the hospital and sent me over for immediate monitoring. I was with Harry and as soon as I left the clinic, I burst into tears! I called my husband and made my way up with poor Harry wondering what was going on. A kind colleague zoomed him over to the hospital in the car and soon I was hooked up to the monitors for an hour or so. All appeared normal, so they said I could go home. I was happy that all was well, but still quite worried about the baby and was getting the feeling that I just wanted the get him or her out.

Sucking on the gas for dear life! Not a pretty picture. :)

 We decided to send the kids down to my parents, so that I could focus on resting and monitoring the baby's movements. I called my midwife the next morning (Saturday), as she had just returned from holiday and talked through the previous few days. She was confident my waters hadn't gone, and that perhaps I had had a hind water leak. She said that they would look at inducing me on the following Tuesday, due to the 6/8 BPP score I had at the scan. I was relieved, but still worried that everything might not be ok. In the end I had to trust that I was in the capable hands of my wonderful midwife and that she knew best. She has been at all my births and I have absolute confidence in her. Early the next morning she called and said that after speaking with the consultant (incidentally, whose son was in my class a couple of years ago!), they decided I would be induced that day and to meet her at the hospital in 30 minutes! I was so happy that things were happening, but a little nervous about being induced.

After the epidural is in! Total bliss.

We arrived at the hospital and met the midwife and consultant, who immediately put us at ease. We set ourselves up in the delivery suite and they talked us through the induction process. After some monitoring it showed that the heart rate of both myself and the baby were higher than normal and it appeared we might both have an infection. I was then given the first dose of prostaglandin gel and antiobiotics. I was hoping that my cervix would be "favourable", thereby making the process a bit easier, however I was only 1 cm dilated! For the next 2-3 hours we walked around the hospital grounds and surrounding streets, trying to get things moving. I was hoping that I would have a few "niggles", but I still felt pretty normal! We returned to our room every now and again for monitoring and by 3pm, my waters were able to be broken. This is never a pleasant experience, having done it twice before, however I knew that things were moving along and that in a few hours we would be meeting our new little one.

He is here!

My mum and sister arrived shortly after the syntocinon drip was put in and the contractions started. These were very mild to begin with and I was able to breathe through them using the breathing techniques I learnt from my previous two births. After a while I decided to start using the gas as the contractions had intensified and were close together. I love the gas and even though it gets to a point where it to longer "cuts the mustard" in relieving the pain, I found it great to take my mind off the contractions and give me something to focus on. Having never had an epidural (actually, I did try to have one with Rosie but it turned out I was 10cm dilated at the time and she was born before it kicked in), I decided I would quite like to have one this time around. The contractions were coming fast and I was starting to get a bit distressed at the peak of them. Picture me sucking the gas for dear life and squirming around the bed!

Snuggling with mum.

After what seemed like an eternity, the anaesthetist arrived like a mirage in the distance. She talked me through the risks, but to be honest I just wanted to fast track past that part and get the needle in! My lovely midwife held my hand throughout the process and after a few more contractions, the pain started to subside. It was bliss! The mood in the room was instantly transformed and we spent the next 2-3 hours chatting, joking and laughing. Then I started to feel an unpleasant feeling, one which I instantly recognised as the baby coming down and that overwhelming need to push. This really surprised me as I thought that with an epidural I would feel nothing at all and have to be told when to push. It was at this point that I wanted to pack up and go home. I was done with this giving birth business!

Gorgeous newborn feet.

As a self confessed control freak, this feeling of my body taking over is one I really dislike and I really need to get into the right head space to deal with it. I closed my eyes and told myself that this feeling wouldn't go away until I pushed through it...literally. The pushing stage feels like an eternity, but in reality it was only about 10 minutes this time. Everyone was giving me words of encouragement and I could feel the baby moving down with each push. Funnily enough, my sister's voice stood out to me the most, so I concentrated on her words and before we knew it, he was out!

Feeling nauseas but relieved it is over.

That moment when your baby is out is the most amazing feeling in the world and we were so happy that he had arrived safely. He was given to me immediately and we were instantly in love. I had had a wonderful birth and felt on top of the world. When I think about what makes a successful birth, I think about how much this varies from woman to woman. For some woman a successful birth is done without pain relief, at home or in the water. For others it is a more medicalised birth and having pain relief options available. At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter how they arrive and you need to choose what is best for you. For my previous births, I arrived at the hospital in full labour and Rosie and Harry were born a short time later. My birth experience with Elliot was by far my best and for me, the epidural transformed my experience into one which was calm, peaceful and enjoyable. In fact, I was ready to do it all again straight afterwards!

First cuddles with Dad.

A few minutes after this I started feeling really nauseas...and I was starving! I hadn't eaten for 15 hours and when my cold toast with jam arrived it tasted like the most amazing meal on earth! lol. It turned out that Elliot and I did have an infection and my midwife later told me how grateful she was that they decided to induce me earlier than planned. I wanted to go home immediately, but as expected they kept Elliot and I in for monitoring. I had very low blood pressure and for a few hours it was very chaotic in my hospital room as nurses and doctors came and went, monitoring me constantly.

Midwife taking Elliot's temperature, he wasn't keen!

I explained that I usually have low blood pressure but they told me that mine was so low that in any other part of the hospital, I would be close to going to the morgue! lol. They couldn't believe (or understand!) why I was feeling so chipper when I should be unconscious! I had amazing nurses take care of me on the ward and we are so blessed to have had medical professionals who we trust implicitly. I am particularly grateful for my midwife. She is so amazing and was the perfect person to guide me through such a special time in our lives. Fast forward a few weeks and it is so lovely having a new baby in the house after 5 years and we are cherishing every moment with our new little man. :)

Elliot's Newborn Photo Shoot

When I was pregnant with Elliot I saw some newborn photos of a friend's baby and decided to book in a session for our little guy.

 I have lost so many digital photos of Rosie and Harry over the years through computer crashes and there is very little left of them in their early years. It was heart breaking.

The talented Anna at Ruby and Marie Photography is so amazing and did a great job of working with our newborn.

She had all sorts of tricks up her sleeve to settle him and make us feel comfortable throughout the session.

We are thrilled with the results and are so glad we did this as they are memories we will treasure forever.

They are only tiny for such a short time!

Sleep...

Our little man has been doing a lot of this in these early weeks and he is at that lovely stage where he will sleep almost anywhere. I have always looked with envy at mothers with babies who will sleep anywhere. Mine were never like this. They loved their own beds right from the start and although this worked well when we were at home, it was a nightmare when we were out.

 They would not sleep in the buggy, carseat or even being rocked in someone's arms. In an attempt to see if I can change this, I am trying to sleep Elliot in all sorts of places around the house and using the buggy, bassinet and moses basket. It remains to be seen whether this will work or not! lol.

Early Days...

Our little man has been with us for a few days now and already it is hard to imagine life without him. To say that I am in love with him is an understatement. :)

A rare awake moment on Day 4!

These early days are so precious and I am relishing every moment of this fleeting newborn period. Most of little Elliot's days have consisted of sleeping and feeding...with a little bit of crying in between.

I love the way newborns look like little old men when they scrunch up their faces

I am slowly getting used to surviving on less sleep and adjusting to the night feeds. Given the amount of time I was up in the night while pregnant, it doesn't seem too bad at the  moment! 

My little burrito, all wrapped up and snuggly

With a five year gap since we last had a newborn in the house, I have forgotten how fast the days fly by. It seems like there are less hours in the day than I thought! We are just taking it easy at the moment and spending lots of time at home getting settled.

Cuddles with big sister

Big sister Rosie just loves her new brother and is such a little mother to him. She loves helping me take care of him and cuddling him. Big brother Harry on the other hand, well I am sure he loves his new brother too, but we have had a few "accidental" poking incidents. It must be hard to be bumped from your position as 'baby' of the family. :)

My sleepy striped baby

There is a lot more washing (Elliot brings up his feeds quite frequently) and the house isn't as tidy as I would like it, however I am trying to learn to just let it go and go with the flow. Having a third baby, I know how fast the days, weeks, months and years go by and I want to enjoy every moment and appreciate it in ways that I perhaps didn't with my first two. So that is where we are at in these early days! :) 

Most hours of the day are spent in here...zzz

Introducing Baby Elliot!

We are pleased to announce the early arrival of our little one...and it's a boy!

I am officially due tomorrow but Baby Elliot arrived on Sunday 15 April 2012 at 9.37pm.

He was 6lb 2oz and 50.5cm long. We are home from hospital now and it is so wonderful to have a new baby in the house again. We are in love with him already! I will write up my birth story in the next few days and in the meantime, I am basking in the deliciousness of our newest addition. :)

38 Week Bump Update

I have just finished what could quite possibly be the busiest ten weeks of my life and I am so grateful that I was able to continue working up to 38 weeks. This was a little longer than I had originally planned, but it just made sense to finish the school term and begin my maternity leave in the school holidays. Besides, my replacement is overseas and not back on NZ soil until next week!

I set myself lots of mini milestones along the way and as each one passed, I was able to relax a little bit more. The workload has been particularly strenuous this term and this has often meant long days...followed by long nights of more work. With the support of a super bunch of colleagues I was able to finish the term and it is hard to believe I am officially on maternity leave now!

Luckily, I love my work and have been in good health apart from being severely anaemic. I credit my iron tablets for getting me back on track and giving me the energy to keep going every day. With so many things to get through each day in my role as a wife, mum and teacher, I am sad to say that preparing all the things needed for this new little one has had to take a back seat to other priorities.

I am pleased to report that this has changed in the last two days and we now have a place for our little one to sleep! lol. I have been trying to get all the clothes and blankets washed and ready to go and it has been lovely digging out old favourites from when Rosie and Harry were babies. I had forgotten how tiny newborn clothes are.

We also picked up the cot today and the next job is to install the carseat. It is hard to believe that this little one is due in less than two weeks and if he or she wants to take their time, I am more than happy to wait. I am in no rush for this pregnancy to end! :)

Shared Bedroom Tips

Rosie and Harry have been sharing a bedroom for quite some time now and I am always on the lookout for fresh ideas for their room. If you have two children of the same gender sharing, there is an abundance of ideas out there. Unfortunately it is a little harder when you have a boy and a girl sharing! 

Harry's favourite colour is orange and Rosie's is (currently!) blue. I have yet to find co-ordinating bedding in those colours but I have been able to find a few things that work. You have a few options available to you if you are faced with this sharing situation.

1. Choose the same base colour for their bedding and switch it up a bit with accessories to make it more girly or boyish. When the kids first started sharing it was winter so I chose a red theme, which was great for brightening up the room on cold days. For Rosie I chose a cute red and white polka dot fabric to make her a pillowcase and the star cushion worked well on her bed too. For Harry I found a red and white striped pillowcase at the second hand shop which looked more masculine, to pair up with his Thread Design motorbike cushion. I still love the red and will probably use it again this winter.

2. Another option is to buy bedding that is gender neutral and pick out the feminine and masculine colours in it to emphasise. I did this with the Ikea Fabler duvet sets we have been using this summer.

The trick is to keep your eye out for bargains and if you see something that would work well, snap it up then and there. I have been looking long enough to know that you don't find options that are suitable too often, so make the most of them when you do. My most recent finds have been a second hand pair of Ikea Barnslig duvet sets in boy and girl colour options. Perfect!

I love the bright colours of these sets! Harry recently painted a picture at school of him and his dad playing soccer and the colours tie in really well with these duvets. We will be looking for some kind of way to display his painting soon as kids art is such a great, inexpensive way to personalise their rooms.

The nicest thing about sharing a bedroom is not the decorating though. It is the whispered conversations we wake up to in the mornings. It is finding Harry tucked up with Rosie in her top bunk after a bad dream. I spoke to a lady today who told me that her children (a boy and a girl) shared a bedroom for years when they were small and had a tiny house. They are now teenagers and have their own rooms...but she said they can still be found in each others' rooms chatting away and are the best of friends. I hope I can say that some day about my children! :)

Summer Fun

I know that summer is officially over now (where did that go?) and autumn is on it's way, but we have really enjoyed the last couple of months. We have worked on some of the landscaping around our pool area and it is so much better than it used to be.

Rosie and Harry have spent countless hours in the pool and it has been great entertainment over the warmer months. Harry in particular has really flourished and we have hit a milestone...he can now swim across the deep end of the pool without a lifejacket! He has also experienced swimming at night and swimming in the rain, two other "firsts" for him!

Rosie is our cautious girl and still isn't quite confident to swim without the safety of her lifejacket or a boogie board. She is more than capable, but the fear of the unknown is still pretty great. She needs a lot of encouragement and patience, but I am sure she will get there in her own time. :)

Summer has never been my favourite season (I am more of a autumn/winter girl), but I have actually loved this summer. Taff had several weeks off in January and it was so lovely to just spend time together at home on little projects around the house and enjoying the sun together. Now the nights are cooler and the sun is going down earlier...I am already looking forward to next summer. :)

A New School Year Begins

Another school year begins. Rosie is in Year 3 now and it was Harry's first week of school this week! It is hard to believe that he is now 5 and all grown up. :)

Both were super excited about starting school and had been looking forward to it for quite some time. Harry has enjoyed trying on his unform periodically during the holidays, "just to make sure it still fits" and was up bright and early on the first day.

Rosie and Harry are both really lucky to have great teachers and the first few days have gone very smoothly. They love getting up each morning and going to school and that is such a blessing to me. Being a full time working mum, we are up fairly early and they are now at an age where they are largely indpendent in getting changed, getting their own breakfast and packing their school bags.

With baby number three arriving in a few short months, it will be quite a shock to the system to go back to nappies, sleepless nights and having a little one who relies solely on us to take care of all his/her needs. I am quite scared about it! lol. Things have definitely got easier as the kids have grown older but I figure we have been through it twice before and survived, and hopefully we can do it again!

Oh and I had to share a photo of Harry's new chair bag that I made. A couple of years ago I made Rosie a school chair bag and this one isn't nearly as fancy, but I found this blue skull fabric for $5 a metre and whipped one up for him. It isn't the flashest, but at least he likes it. :)

We are all looking forward to another great year at school! :)