At the beginning of week 3 at home we try to get Alex into a bedtime routine. We did this with DD and now she is a great sleeper so fingers crossed it will work with him too. He is sleeping in his moses basket in the lounge until we go to bed then he comes into our room normally. But on Saturday night when he is two and a half weeks old I take him up at 6.30pm and put him to down to sleep in his basket. When DD goes up to bed at 7pm herself, it is officially a child free zone downstairs. Of course it takes a while for him to get used to it and apart from a couple of nights when he sleeps straight after his milk, we are up and down the stairs either feeding, winding or soothing him. But actually he doesnt seem to cry much, just when he wants cuddles. We will will have to see how it goes. There'll be a few cold dinners eaten by me and DH no doubt over the next couple of weeks or so.
Apart from that though, he is great during the night, waking about every 3 hours for feeding but then amazingly going straight back to sleep in his crib afterward without any fuss. I get my sleep in 2.5 hour chunks through the night - could be a lot worse..........
When I was in hospital BBC radio Northampton came for a look around the ward and did some interviews with people ready for a live show from Robert Watson Ward on the 10th January. They asked me at the time after a brief recorded interview whether I would mind if they called me when they were doing the live show on the 10th Jan so that I could report back in and give an update on how I was getting on with the baby back at home. So on the Monday of this week I tuned in to listen and it was very odd to listen to the presenter doing the live show and he was describing everything about the ward and doing interviews with staff. Breakfast Wendy was interviewed and a couple of the midwives that I knew while I was there. The phone went at 7.45 and I was put on hold whilst waiting to go on and they played back my original interview recorded back in December - I felt quite emotional listening to me talking, I have no idea why, I guess it just felt like a lifetime ago and such an emotional time, life on the inside before Alex came along. Then Joe said, and here we have her live on the phone...... I was only on a few minutes and he ended the interview in typical presenter cheesy fashion - ' so Helen, will you be booking into the Robert Watson Hotel and Spa for another break in the near future?? Ho ho ho' Err no, Joe I don't think I will thank you very much.......
I send in a card for all the staff and order a load of cakes to be delivered to the ward for all the staff to say thank you for looking after me while I was in. I did put a little note in the card for Paula with my hospital blog address just incase she might be interested to have a look. She is a very busy lady though but thought I would share my experience with her and the staff.
I had a bit of luck this week too as I was going through some work insurance stuff to find that I am part of a hospital cash plan thing and although I knew about it, I didn't actually realise that it paid out for hospital stays aswell as general stuff like dentistry, optical stuff etc. Bloody hell, £17.50 per DAY for any hospital stays including maternity related for more than a 10 day stay. Woo Hoo.......what a bonus. I have to get a form signed and stamped by the hospital to prove I was there. I arrange to pop back on the Thursday to the ward to get it sorted out, they have done these before and don't mind. Me and DH are in Northampton that day as we have an appointment to get Alex registered and get his birth certificate.
On Thursday after we drop DD at school we go over to Northampton to pop to the hospital and then go on to the registry office. DH stays in the car with Alex while I pop back in to the ward. I feel a bit goosebumpy as I walk down to the ward doors and press the buzzer. Now I am the visitor !!! I wasn't expecting to be allowed on the ward, I thought they would just come and get the form from me but no I was buzzed in........Oh My God, I cannot tell you how strange it felt walking back down that familiar corridor to the midwives office. And Breakfast Wendy is doing the morning drinks - she sees me and looks back down at what she is doing then looks up at me for a second time and does a double take - Helen ! she says and she throws her arms around me and we have a big hug. She didn't recognise me in outdoor clothes....and I carry on into the offfice and I am so pleased to see that Paula is on duty and Rebecca too. Paula looks at me and says she spent the previous evening reading my blog and was overwhelmed by it - she laughed and cried at it and wants to know if she can share it with all the staff and to get it printed off to keep a copy. I am amazed and flattered that she did spend her own time reading it but she said its a real tribute to the work they do on Robert Watson ward. She thought the best bit was me crying all over the Mayor on Christmas Day morning. I am not sure if the Mayor would agree with her. We chat for 10 minutes or so about how everything is going. She completes the form for me and before she sends me off to get it stamped we have a big hug and I say goodbye - her and Rebecca keep looking at me and say they cannot believe how well and normal I look. Well I am just in my jeans but with a bit of make up on and blowdried hair but I did look like a bit of a bag lady during my hospital stay so they havent seen me looking normal before. As I go back out, I look to the left to room 10 - and the showers/loos etc and I actually feel nostalgic. Wendy is still about and we hug again. I know its unlikely that I'll ever see any of these ladies again and I don't actually want to leave yet. What is wrong with me to actually feel this way I wonder. I am I not normal???? Do I have no life at home with my lovely family and friends? I suppose this place was just such a big deal and part of my life for 5 or so weeks and so many of the staff became my temporary family and friends while I was here. I go past the notice board with all the thank you cards on it and see mine now up amongst them. While I was in here I would stand and read all the cards just for something to do.
Anyway, out I go, get my form stamped and go back out to my husband and son.
We go to the register office and we make it official - baby boy is officially Alexander William. No changing our minds now and he is the proud owner of a birth certificate. We then go on to DH's Aunties house for lunch and spend a lovely afternoon with her and she gets to know Alex.
What a really lovely day........
I end the week with another trip to the docs on Friday and the old Blood Pressure reading experience freaks me out again with a reading in the 90's. I cannot help it, just thinking about it makes it high for me. The Doc isnt too worried, says that they might have to do a 24 hour reading on me at some point but for now use my home monitor and write down the best of 3 readings each day and report back in next week...........still on the tablets in the meantime.
DH goes out for a couple of beers and a curry to wet the babys head on Friday night. I feel slightly un-nerved at the prospect of being in charge of 2 children for the evening but he is out on the condition that he goes after he has got DD to bed and that he doesnt end up on some mental drinking session and come rolling home at 5am. In the event its fine, even when DD gets out of bed after he has gone and choosing the only evening that DH hasnt been in for weeks to need a poo and want help wiping her bum. Not an easy task when you have a baby on your breast I can tell you but we cope. She is quickly learning the art of patience.......
Monday 31 January 2011
Thursday 27 January 2011
2011........a new year starts.
I don't have any New Year resolutions. Apart from perhaps to blow the dust off the Alan Sugar Autobiography and the Brain training on the DS which have both been untouched since the 21st December, the day before Alex was born. Lord only knows what my brain age must be now. I daren't pick it up for fear that my brain age might be as high as my blood pressure. There just arent enough hours in the day but as a seasoned Mum, I knew that it would be like this at first.
The C-section scar is doing well now and much less tender. So I say goodbye to the disposable knickers forever and wear proper pants again starting 1st January. Of course the huge pads are still present but hoping to downgrade to superplus normal (non-maternity) ones in the next day or two. probably TMI but you know I like to share details.
We have some visitors this morning - our friends J & A come with their 2 girls and its lovely to see them. DD is dizzy with excitement as its been a long time since she was at school and getting bored so to see her little friends to play with is great for her. And even better, they take DD back home with them for a few hours to play so that we get a bit of a break. We are very grateful for this. It makes me realise now typing this that I probably had not thought about how much harder it is with 2 children to think about instead of just 1 and wish I had offered a bit more practical support to friends with new babies myself.
Yesterday we had gone out for a walk just around the village with the pram and I was suprised how wobbly I felt by the time we got back - legs like jelly. I underestimated how feeble I was after all that time in hospital I think.
Over the course of the week we have people to visit - its lovely to see my friends escpecially those with a long way to drive just to see us for a couple of hours. And Alexanders wardrobe is growing. He is the coolest baby boy around as he gets so many trendy little outfits as gifts.
On the 4th January the midwife signs us off and although my BP is still high - she is happy for the GP to review me going forward. I am now in the hands of the Health Visitor who will visit on Thursday. Feel a bit sad thats it now - I am done with midwives forever.
DH is off work until the 17th January so still plenty of time left. DD goes back to school on the 5th January and strangely I feel emotional when DH takes her and I stay at home with Alex. Probably because I am fussing about whether she has got everything in her bookbag, packed lunch etc and DH just looks at me & says says H - I know what I am doing you know. He is right, he doesnt need me to remind him anymore.....
On the 6th the HV comes to see me and she is really happy with Alex - the little porker is back to his birthweight - must be all the milk munching he is doing. Think I am quite lucky because he is settling really well at night and even though its a killer getting up 2 or 3 times a night its nowwhere near as bad as I remember it with DD who was a night time screamer for weeks and weeks. I was nearly off my head with sleep deprivation then- only getting chunks of sleep an hour or so at a time. I had a proper sense of humour bypass so I hope that I am lucky and he keeps being a good baby.....
A good end to the week when I visit the nurse at the Doctors and my BP is on the way down slowly........back again next week.
The C-section scar is doing well now and much less tender. So I say goodbye to the disposable knickers forever and wear proper pants again starting 1st January. Of course the huge pads are still present but hoping to downgrade to superplus normal (non-maternity) ones in the next day or two. probably TMI but you know I like to share details.
We have some visitors this morning - our friends J & A come with their 2 girls and its lovely to see them. DD is dizzy with excitement as its been a long time since she was at school and getting bored so to see her little friends to play with is great for her. And even better, they take DD back home with them for a few hours to play so that we get a bit of a break. We are very grateful for this. It makes me realise now typing this that I probably had not thought about how much harder it is with 2 children to think about instead of just 1 and wish I had offered a bit more practical support to friends with new babies myself.
Yesterday we had gone out for a walk just around the village with the pram and I was suprised how wobbly I felt by the time we got back - legs like jelly. I underestimated how feeble I was after all that time in hospital I think.
Over the course of the week we have people to visit - its lovely to see my friends escpecially those with a long way to drive just to see us for a couple of hours. And Alexanders wardrobe is growing. He is the coolest baby boy around as he gets so many trendy little outfits as gifts.
On the 4th January the midwife signs us off and although my BP is still high - she is happy for the GP to review me going forward. I am now in the hands of the Health Visitor who will visit on Thursday. Feel a bit sad thats it now - I am done with midwives forever.
DH is off work until the 17th January so still plenty of time left. DD goes back to school on the 5th January and strangely I feel emotional when DH takes her and I stay at home with Alex. Probably because I am fussing about whether she has got everything in her bookbag, packed lunch etc and DH just looks at me & says says H - I know what I am doing you know. He is right, he doesnt need me to remind him anymore.....
On the 6th the HV comes to see me and she is really happy with Alex - the little porker is back to his birthweight - must be all the milk munching he is doing. Think I am quite lucky because he is settling really well at night and even though its a killer getting up 2 or 3 times a night its nowwhere near as bad as I remember it with DD who was a night time screamer for weeks and weeks. I was nearly off my head with sleep deprivation then- only getting chunks of sleep an hour or so at a time. I had a proper sense of humour bypass so I hope that I am lucky and he keeps being a good baby.....
A good end to the week when I visit the nurse at the Doctors and my BP is on the way down slowly........back again next week.
Tuesday 25 January 2011
The hospital blogger returns.........
Well can you believe it? Here I am again. As I write this on the 21st January I will try to backdate from memory ( and my memory is not great - full of baby stuff and foggy from sleepless nights) I have been fighting the urge to blog but its beaten me. I cannot promise the emotional ride of the Hospital Stay http://www.cheekyboycausestrouble.blogspot.com/ but this will be my ramblings of everyday life from me and my little family. And of course now the milk muncher is here, time is in short supply so I will try to update weekly if I can. Life is just too interesting not to write about. I feel very flattered by friends and family saying how much they loved reading my hospital blog so here goes.....this is for you with love xxxxx
Christmas week.......
It is a pleasure to wake up in my own bed on Boxing day morning. Well I had the pleasure about 4 times as Alex is of course feeding through the night so I was out of bed about 3 times in the night I think. DH was also out of bed with us as still topping him up with formula due to lack of boob milk coming in so it was his job to get the milk ready. Getting out of bed is still painful too as I can't sit up yet so its the sideways shuffle to the edge of the mattress for me. And of course there is no metal rail to grab like there was on my bed in hospital so its a slow process. By mid-morning though, I notice a change in the bra department......eat your heart out Katie Price, the milk lorry has arrived......and by the evening I am able to abandon the formula and switch to breastfeeding alone. And the clever little boy just gets on with it. Its quite bizarre from where I am sitting that my boobs are actually bigger than his head.
Over the course of the first week at home I have a visit everyday from a midwife to check my blood pressure. This was a condition of being discharged from hospital on Christmas Day aswell as being back on the BP tablets. This is quite stressful as I have the classic white coat syndrome and the readings are always high to the point where my midwife actually rings my GP and sends me off to the docs on the 29th. It is of course through the roof when its read again and the Doc isnt my ususal one and is a bit useless, so I actually suggest to her increasing the tablets from 2 a day to 3 instead. An appointment is made to go back a couple of days later. We meet a neighbour in the docs and she didnt realise I had been in hospital for so long. When she asked why I told her about the placenta previa and she goes quiet and looks at Alex and tells me I am very blessed. She reluctantly tells me that her sister in law almost died from a bad bleed with the same condition and lost the baby she was carrying. Its a sobering thought, but by now having heard other sad stories while in hosiptal I know how lucky I was and feel glad that I was made to stay there.
Its just lovely to be at home with DD bouncing around and me being able to choose what I eat and when! We have classic boxing day lunch of cold turkey and salad but its strange to not have actually eaten the turkey as a hot dinner the day before. Alex mainly sleeps and drinks milk all day. He doesnt cry much so can't be bad. DH doesnt let me lift a finger and thats a good thing because I am knackered. Walking up the stairs is a major effort and my legs actually ache from the effort of it. Its easy to underestimate how little I have moved around the last few weeks and I havent actually even seen any stairs let alone climbed them.
On day 5 I am due to have the C-Section stitch removed and Alex is to be weighed so a midwife arrives at home and its a pleasure to see my old midwife from 5 years ago on the doorstep. And she remembers me which is lovely. She is on call that day and has been out in the snow doing her rounds. Alex has only lost a couple more ounces so all that milk munching has paid off. I brace myself for the moment the beaded stitch thing comes out but Sarah is very good at it so apart from one brief teeth gnashing moment as the thread is pulled out it isnt too bad. Its healing well she says and I am having lovely soaks in the bath each morning to keep it clean but due to serious wobbly belly overhang I can't actually see the scar yet.
Over the week I gradually open presents which is lovely, and see DD playing with her things but its a bit odd that I didnt see her open any on Christmas Day so I have no clue who bought her what. I open my secret santa pressie from work amongst others and I have to admit that I am still clueless as to who bought me the 'Philadelphia Cheese cookbook' as it had no label on it. If anyone can help me identify the giver of this gift please let me know......
Dad and WSM come on the 30th and we 'do' Christmas day then with pressies etc. They get to meet Alex at last and have lots of cuddles with him. Apart from Mum and Mike popping in, these are pretty much the only visitors we have - which is what we want, I am not strong enough to have too much going on and my midwife actually advises a bit of bed rest due to the high BP and my ankles are swollen. I am on strict orders to have my feet up at all times so I do as I am told within reason.
DD is lovely with her little brother and she mainly calls him 'the baby brother' rather than by his name. The house is pretty chaotic, with pressies everywhere, piles of bags in the hall and in the office/spare room there are bags and little piles of post all over the place. Its the result of nearly 6 weeks of post/my stuff that I sent home with DH from hospital/unidentifiable boxes of christmas receipts, wrapping paper etc. It'll take some serious sorting out but it'll get sorted eventually. And DH is still finishing the bathroom so we have paintbrushes, tiles, grout, screwdrivers sat on random surfaces everywhere. I finally to get to read all of DD's birthday cards too which are still up from the 14th but I dont get to read the Christmas cards that are just on every surface I can see. Theres just not enough hours in the day. Baby Boy cards start to arrive so I take the birthday cards down and put the babys cards up instead. There must be a few quids worth of cards in this house, I think Clintons must be coining it in.
New Years Eve is a non-event but I do have a very exciting wine glass full of pear cider which is lovely and DH and I share a chinese takeaway. We are in bed by 10pm but I do actually see in the New Year with the milk muncher who woke up at 11.35pm so he is clamped to my boob as midnight strikes and I hear the fireworks going off in the village. DH is snoring away and misses it all and DD was in bed hours earlier.
Anyway I say goodbye to the year that was 2010 and look forward to 2011, whatever it might have in store for us. Happy New Year xxx
Christmas week.......
It is a pleasure to wake up in my own bed on Boxing day morning. Well I had the pleasure about 4 times as Alex is of course feeding through the night so I was out of bed about 3 times in the night I think. DH was also out of bed with us as still topping him up with formula due to lack of boob milk coming in so it was his job to get the milk ready. Getting out of bed is still painful too as I can't sit up yet so its the sideways shuffle to the edge of the mattress for me. And of course there is no metal rail to grab like there was on my bed in hospital so its a slow process. By mid-morning though, I notice a change in the bra department......eat your heart out Katie Price, the milk lorry has arrived......and by the evening I am able to abandon the formula and switch to breastfeeding alone. And the clever little boy just gets on with it. Its quite bizarre from where I am sitting that my boobs are actually bigger than his head.
Over the course of the first week at home I have a visit everyday from a midwife to check my blood pressure. This was a condition of being discharged from hospital on Christmas Day aswell as being back on the BP tablets. This is quite stressful as I have the classic white coat syndrome and the readings are always high to the point where my midwife actually rings my GP and sends me off to the docs on the 29th. It is of course through the roof when its read again and the Doc isnt my ususal one and is a bit useless, so I actually suggest to her increasing the tablets from 2 a day to 3 instead. An appointment is made to go back a couple of days later. We meet a neighbour in the docs and she didnt realise I had been in hospital for so long. When she asked why I told her about the placenta previa and she goes quiet and looks at Alex and tells me I am very blessed. She reluctantly tells me that her sister in law almost died from a bad bleed with the same condition and lost the baby she was carrying. Its a sobering thought, but by now having heard other sad stories while in hosiptal I know how lucky I was and feel glad that I was made to stay there.
Its just lovely to be at home with DD bouncing around and me being able to choose what I eat and when! We have classic boxing day lunch of cold turkey and salad but its strange to not have actually eaten the turkey as a hot dinner the day before. Alex mainly sleeps and drinks milk all day. He doesnt cry much so can't be bad. DH doesnt let me lift a finger and thats a good thing because I am knackered. Walking up the stairs is a major effort and my legs actually ache from the effort of it. Its easy to underestimate how little I have moved around the last few weeks and I havent actually even seen any stairs let alone climbed them.
On day 5 I am due to have the C-Section stitch removed and Alex is to be weighed so a midwife arrives at home and its a pleasure to see my old midwife from 5 years ago on the doorstep. And she remembers me which is lovely. She is on call that day and has been out in the snow doing her rounds. Alex has only lost a couple more ounces so all that milk munching has paid off. I brace myself for the moment the beaded stitch thing comes out but Sarah is very good at it so apart from one brief teeth gnashing moment as the thread is pulled out it isnt too bad. Its healing well she says and I am having lovely soaks in the bath each morning to keep it clean but due to serious wobbly belly overhang I can't actually see the scar yet.
Over the week I gradually open presents which is lovely, and see DD playing with her things but its a bit odd that I didnt see her open any on Christmas Day so I have no clue who bought her what. I open my secret santa pressie from work amongst others and I have to admit that I am still clueless as to who bought me the 'Philadelphia Cheese cookbook' as it had no label on it. If anyone can help me identify the giver of this gift please let me know......
Dad and WSM come on the 30th and we 'do' Christmas day then with pressies etc. They get to meet Alex at last and have lots of cuddles with him. Apart from Mum and Mike popping in, these are pretty much the only visitors we have - which is what we want, I am not strong enough to have too much going on and my midwife actually advises a bit of bed rest due to the high BP and my ankles are swollen. I am on strict orders to have my feet up at all times so I do as I am told within reason.
DD is lovely with her little brother and she mainly calls him 'the baby brother' rather than by his name. The house is pretty chaotic, with pressies everywhere, piles of bags in the hall and in the office/spare room there are bags and little piles of post all over the place. Its the result of nearly 6 weeks of post/my stuff that I sent home with DH from hospital/unidentifiable boxes of christmas receipts, wrapping paper etc. It'll take some serious sorting out but it'll get sorted eventually. And DH is still finishing the bathroom so we have paintbrushes, tiles, grout, screwdrivers sat on random surfaces everywhere. I finally to get to read all of DD's birthday cards too which are still up from the 14th but I dont get to read the Christmas cards that are just on every surface I can see. Theres just not enough hours in the day. Baby Boy cards start to arrive so I take the birthday cards down and put the babys cards up instead. There must be a few quids worth of cards in this house, I think Clintons must be coining it in.
New Years Eve is a non-event but I do have a very exciting wine glass full of pear cider which is lovely and DH and I share a chinese takeaway. We are in bed by 10pm but I do actually see in the New Year with the milk muncher who woke up at 11.35pm so he is clamped to my boob as midnight strikes and I hear the fireworks going off in the village. DH is snoring away and misses it all and DD was in bed hours earlier.
Anyway I say goodbye to the year that was 2010 and look forward to 2011, whatever it might have in store for us. Happy New Year xxx
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