Jensen asked me this morning for a popper (juicebox -whatever you call them) as I was packing his lunch for daycare. I told him, "when you get home". He looked confused and replied, "But I am home."

I had to give him the popper then, coz who can refuse that logic?!

Birth Story

Baby is here!!

Here is the birth story!

Thursday (8 days overdue)

I had an appointment at 1030 (but we weren't seen until 1130) with the doctor at the hospital to discuss induction. I had said to Andrew that I wanted to leave there with being induced right then, or  come back in the afternoon or at the very least - the next day. The doctor tells me they don't induce on the weekend, so she goes to check the schedule. Come back at 0600 tomorrow! Finally, I get what I wanted, but now that it's written down and all official, it's frightening. Tomorrow, I'll have my baby. Doctor does an internal exam and I'm already 3cm dilated and the cervix is soft but still has a bit of work to do. 

To be induced, I'll need a cannula inserted in my hand to administer the induction drug.

I head home finally, to pack the last of things - which doesn't get done. I did clean the house a bit, and just basically sat at the computer. I am freaking out. Tomorrow, I'll have a baby.

At 9pm, the first of the contractions start. They're irregular, and very short and not really painful.

10pm - more regular, but still irregular, and still not painful.

11pm - Bit more painful, so I take some panadol and manage to fall asleep... for an hour.

12pm - woke to more painful, still irregular contractions. It's going to be a long night. Manage to fall back asleep.

1am - AWAKE!  Contractions are now regular - 4 1/2 to 5 mins apart, each lasting 40-50 seconds.

2pm - Rang the hospital. They've told me if I'm not coping, to head in. I decide to stay at home. I put on a load of washing in the machine and then in the dryer.

3pm - decide to have a shower. I swear I was in there for a whole half an hour.  One of the contractions I had in there  really hit home that - yep. This is labour. It was painful and immediately reminded me of being in labour with Jensen. All I could think was "what have I done!?" From about 3:30am they were painful and I was breathing through them. Andrew was asleep this whole time. I purposely didn't wake him coz we had to be up at 5 - to call his mum to watch Jensen and be at the hospital at 6. We were going to have breakfast first.

4:15am - for the next half an hour the contractions are still 4 1/2 to 5 mins apart, each lasting 40-50 seconds but are now really really painful. I'm still breathing through them, but I can see and feel that I'm shaking. Andrew has his back towards me and I'm lying on my left side facing him. As I breathe through the contraction, I found I was massaging his back! 

5am - FINALLY! I can have some company! He doesn't get out of bed til 5:30, and his mother arrives at 5:45. Jensen wakes up and all three of us are having a family hug. I have a contraction - and they're coming faster now - and Andrew and Jensen have their hands on my belly when it happens. They're both amazed how tight and firm my belly goes through the contractions. So I'm standing there, in pain and they've got their hands on my tummy. It was a little odd at the time, but a good memory now.

6pm - we're at the hospital, and I only had one contraction in the whole 15 mins it took to get there. We didn't have breakfast coz we were running late. Jennie, my student midwife, met us at the nurses station.  We're directed to a birth suite, with all our things, as there are no rooms available for me to put my things in there. Probably for the best anyway. I haven't had a contraction, or at least a decent one, for a while now.

From here, I sort of lose what time things happen.

Between 6am and 9am, I'm still having contractions, but they are in now way regular anymore. Nor as painful. A midwife tells us that they're not going to induce me right now because there are 3 other ladies that have been induced, and not enough staff (they had to have one dedicated staff member to each induced lady, plus others who are there without having to be induced, or those that come in). I can go home or I can stay and they can do it after lunch. This frustrates me. She leaves and I look to Andrew and Jennie and cry. I came in to be induced - induce me! They haven't asked if I've been having contractions already, or anything. Basically, we'd been on our own since 6am.

About 10am, that midwife comes back (after I told her I came here at 6 to have a baby today, and I'm going to have it today).  She's said that the head midwife has said after lunch they'll break my water, and if I consent the midwife can do another internal, another stretch and sweep and try and see what my body can do on it's own.

11am - She does the internal and gets all excited that I'm now 6cm dilated and my body's been very busy overnight. This cheers me up heaps, but still nothing happens.  I'm told to walk the halls and go up and down stairs to try and get things restarted. 1130, the contractions are back, but irregular. Hop in the shower after being told to bounce around a bit. So I got in the shower and did the time warp :p Thats bouncing ! I get out and get on the fit ball. This brings contractions a little more frequent.

12pm - about 1215, I hop on the bed so they can break my waters. Becuase my body is doing this all on it's own, I don't need a cannula, or to be induced. Just need my water broken. The midwife (the head midwife, actually) comes in to do this. She does an internal,  but has to stay "there" until a contraction starts, wait through it, THEN she can break the waters. Andrew says she was there for about 2 and half minutes before she could break my water. Apparently, the membrane was quite tough for her to break!

Now, between 1pm-2pm, all I remember is having contractions.  I remember listening / watching Andrew and Jennie notice when I had contractions and them commenting on how long they lasted and how far between. I remember Andrew and Jennie and any midwife that came in and out throughout the day comment on how they could see just how tight my belly got during a contraction. Apparently this was a good thing, coz they then could visibly see when and how long a contraction happened. A midwife asked if I wanted gas and I remember saying "No. Well, yes I do, but no, I don't." That poor midwife was confused and Andrew explained I was trying to do this drug-free.

Between 2pm and 3pm things happened really fast! I don't remember but from somewhere there was beanbag on the bed and I was told to lie belly first on it. Oh, that was comfortable. Another midwife came in, with a student. I remember the student asking if that was ok that she was there... All I remember thinking was, I already have a student in here, what difference would another one make? Everyone has to learn, so it was ok. When the contractions started getting more intense, I threw up. Not much though.  I had an awesome midwife (who, coincidently, was the same midwife that gave Jensen his first bath!) who knew that I wanted to do this drug-free.   The pain was getting too much for me (hence the reason I threw up), so I 'caved' and asked for gas. She set the machine up, took her sweet time doing it too.  I think I had 2 or 3 big contractions in the time it took her to set it up. I knew what she was doing though, trying to help me labour the way I wanted. (thank you to that midwife!). She finally gave it to me, and explained how to breathe it in and use it properly and oh, so grateful. I felt the urge to push, and tried during a contraction. I had to pant through the next one, so they could check to see if I was dilated properly and I was! At one point, after the pushing stage started I had to have the hospital gown off! It was too hot! I couldn't stand having anything on me! Then, despite knowing that labouring on my belly was better better for me and baby, it was too painful and I had to be on my back (which isn't as good an idea coz then you're essentially pushing baby uphill really).  A few contractions later and baby's head was out! I didn't believe them! I remember the head midwife standing on my right near my head (calling me Renee, which isn't my name!) saying that baby's head was out, and baby was trying to talk  to us! Baby was looking around and opening and closing it's mouth. Jennie had been telling every midwife all day that I didn't want to be told what baby was, I wanted to find out for myself. One or two more pushes and baby was out!! Baby slipping out was an awesome feeling. To be honest, I couldn't believe that it was over! Baby was placed on my chest. The midwives told me to have a look! 

I hold baby up, towards Andrew and say "I think it's a GIRL!" He tells me that "Yes! It's a GIRL!" I remember asking 4 more times "Are you sure it's a girl?!" (this is a big thing, as even though I didn't know what I was having, I was expecting a boy. Andrew is one of 2 boys, his dad is one of 2 boys, the uncle has 2 boys - you can see where this is going).

But yes. Baby is a GIRL!

Born 3:01pm

8lb 5oz

52cm

We had named her Elizabeth Eden, but were not convinced. By the time we got to our room, her name had changed to Eden Elizabeth. 

I had to be wheel-chaired back to my room as I'd lost more blood than what they liked.

Eden slept terribly Friday night, finally falling asleep and staying asleep from 1:30am (After being attached to the breast for hours and when she wasn't there, she was crying). I reckon I'd been awake for 24 hours!

She made up for it Saturday and is an awesome sleeper. Only cries when she's hungry - but she can feed for up to an hour at a time, and usually takes both 'sides'.

Eden is a week old tomorrow and only now have I had the chance to sit here and write this.  She's been asleep for about 2 and half hours now, and will wake shortly.

Jensen loves his little sister, has trouble saying Elizabeth, but has to help with everything! I'm so proud of him how well he's taken on the big brother role!

I put on 17kg during my pregnancy, and I've lost 8.2kg just by having a baby! Hopefully, I can get the rest off quickly.

In January, I finally got my car back.  After 2 years waiting for the heads and engine to be rebuilt, it was finally completed an all mine again! It's a '95 Range Rover, which is why it took so long - they're expensive!!


Yesterday, on my way to the library, it started to vibrate. The library isn't very far away. 10 mins tops. When I was about to turn into the street the library is in, the car kept stalling and was hard to restart. This had me in a panic, coz I was in a single turn only lane, at  a busy intersection at the shops. So I did a U-Turn (completely legal! There was a sign!), and headed straight up to Andrew's work where he spent 2 hours of his time getting more and more frustrated that he couldn't work out what was wrong! He ended up taking me home in the works Land Rover Discovery, which we can drive around in until my car is fixed.


Andrew's just rang me just now to say he's worked out the problem.  Had to get a specialist guy in, too, to diagnose. 


Part of rebuilding the engine, Andrew's got a new cam (whatever that is) in it. So we needed to get special heavy duty valve springs to go with it. Part of the waiting to get the engine back was waiting on this darn valve springs. I reckon they took at least 6 months to turn up, even though when they were ordered they were in stock and in Australia. Pissed everyone right off that they were taking so long! 


Turns out what happened to my car is one of these HEAVY DUTY valve springs just broke. Simple. just broke, while I was driving it.


I want it to be replaced under warranty. Andrew even suggested the valve spring guy pay for any damages to the heads that it may have damaged when it broke. I do repeat that these are HEAVY DUTY springs. I'm in no way a hoon. They don't just break.


If it hasn't damaged the heads, great! Fantastic. But, if it has, I don't know what we're going to do. I definitely want it to be replaced - for free, under warranty - by the guy. They don't just break. How long the replacement will take to arrive is another thing. 


Why now, so close to having this baby!?!

It's on for young and old now!!


I've just returned from my doctors appointment at the hospital to talk about inducing the baby. Today I am 41+1 - so 8 days overdue.


I have been discussing with Andrew what he wanted from that appointment.  He wanted them to say they'll induce me in a few days. I said that's what I was expecting too, but that I wanted them to say  we'll induce you right now; come back tonight or come back first thing in the morning.


Thats what I wanted to hear, but wasn't expecting it. I am already anxious about baby's movements, am a little over the heat and it being so difficult to roll over in bed, and poor Jensen is the most impatient of us all who just can't wait to meet his little baby brother or sister.


Last night, I did have a few niggles. One of which instantly reminded me of being in labour last time. I honestly thought I'd remember that pain, but pretty much forgot it all after Jensen was born. That little niggle sent me right back and I instantly thought.. This is just a niggle - it's going to be worse! What have I done! What am I about to do?! 


I want to do this as drug free as possible. If I can't then,  so be it. Least I gave it a shot. After that niggle, I'm starting to doubt myself. I have to keep reminding myself that I CAN do it. Jenny (my student midwife) and Andrew know thats how I want to do it, so having them both there hopefully will keep me focused. And I know Andrew's going to be bored - just as he was last time. He's going to hate it :(


Back to today's appointment. The doctor offers a stretch & sweep, where she find the cervix and stretches and sweeps (hence the term) it to see how thin it is etc. She tells me I'm still 1cm effaced (so the cervix still needs to thin out more), but I'm 3cm dilated. Last week I wasn't any cm dilated. (With Jensen at 40wks, I was 3cm.) Least my body has decided to do something in the last week. The doctor has seen that I'm 41+1 weeks (8 days overdue) and because the (the hospital) only likes to let you go 7-10 days over, would like to induce. That's fine,  remember I want her to say today or tomorrow. Because today is Thursday, 10 days over is Saturday. Apparently the hospital doesn't induce on a weekend. Monday would be +12, so not in anyone's favour :)  So, she toddles off to check if there's any appointments. Just my luck.  "Come back in at 0600 (that's 6am for you folks !) to start the induction". Now. Remember. This is what I wanted. The moment she said this and wrote it officially on a piece of paper, I started to freak out.


Essentially. I'm having a baby TOMORROW. There'll no longer be the element of surprise of when labour starts. Tomorrow. 6AM. I'm a little scared. Scared it's going to hurt. Scared something will go wrong. Scared it will go for HOURS and I'll be in agony the whole time. Apparently induced labours are more likely to end in a forceps/suction delivery or c-section. Great, something else to worry about. The doctor said hopefully I can have the waterproof wireless baby heartrate monitor, otherwise, I can't use the shower. I was banking on that for my pain relief. I have to have  a cannula inserted (which I was probably going to be anyway due to my low iron incase of post birth hemorrhaging)  for the drug to bring on labour to be administered. I have to be on the baby heart rate monitor - apparently thats what happens when you're induced - so my movements will be limited. Movement is also what I was counting on.


I don't particularly want to tell too many people that I'm being induced, or that I'll be having baby tomorrow. I am going to ask the daycare lady Jensen goes to - who, thankfully, lives in our street - if we could possibly drop him off at 5:30 am. He doesn't normally go on a Friday, but we had a day owed to us  so he's going tomorrow. He's supposed to start at 9am. If she wont take him that early (because omg, yes.... that's early!) we'll have to call Andrew's mum to come over at 5 (early enough so I can organise her as to what he'll wear/ take to daycare etc). BUT. Then she knows and I really don't want her spreading the news. Once we ask her to come over in the morning, she'll tell  Andrew's dad, who probably - by accident - spread the news. 


I want to be the one that spreads the news.


I am so nervous, about everything. I'm no longer going to be a mother of 1...


I'm going to make some sandwiches for tomorrow so Andrew doesn't get hungry lol

I read a nice little saying today, after posting  "Please Mum and Dad" on facebook...

The mothering day is done and you might be wishing you had not said what you said, not did what you did or given more time or energy to the kids...BUT you are looking in all the wrong places. You should be looking in their hearts where ultimately they feel loved, wanted & safe with you...This is ALL that matters! Time to Hi-5 yourself, you did good today Mama

Ooh, I think finally a few niggles may be happening!! About time too! Tomorrow is 41 weeks!

Jensen was born at 41 weeks, perhaps it'll happen again!

I have some sciatic pain, that only started this afternoon. I had/ have some tightenings that don't hurt and some that make me say ouch. There's some pain 'down there' at the front when I walk or try to roll over. Theres a pain in my butt when I sit, and a general incomfortable-ness while I lie here. I feel like I'm gonna be sick at times, but that feeling comes and goes!

I didn't read Jensen a bedtime story, because it was uncomfortable to sit, but waddled to his room and lay down with him for 10 mins. He told me : "
When the baby is asleep, you'll be able to play with me and my daddy". Maybe he's worried he'll be neglected. He won't be :) I reckon he'll make a great big brother!

In the car this morning, we heard a song we liked, so we turned it up.


Jensen told us to "Turn that noise down, I'm trying to talk to you!"


I dare say we'll be saying that to him in a few years!

Cookies

O. M. G. 


I actually made cookies today, that turned out!! I'll be keeping that recipe!


I'll be back in shortly  (I'll edit this post) with the recipe. Dinner is ready!

Please Mum and Dad

I was reading a birthing book ("Hypnobirthing"), which - to be honest - is not my kinda thing...


But at the end there was this little "poem", that very very nearly had me in tears.


Please Mum and Dad
My hands are small. I don't mean to spill my milk.
My legs are short - please slow down so I can keep up.
Don't slap my hands when I touch something bright and pretty. I don't understand.
Please look at me when I talk to you. It lets me know you are really listening.
My feelings are tender - don't nag me all day. Let me make mistakes without feeling stupid.
Don't expect the bed I make or the picture I draw to be perfect. Just love me for trying.
Remember, I am a child, not a small adult. Sometimes I don't understand what you are saying.
I love you so much. Please love me just for being myself, not just for the things I can do.
- Author unknown.


I apologise. Just as I was typing that - yes, I did have a cry.

Me: "Jensen, how did the baby get into Mummy's tummy?"
Jensen: "It gets a ladder and climbs up, makes a hole and gets in."

40 weeks and 5 days.
Went to the shop to buy capsicum, tomatoes and tin mushroom... Waddled back to my car and fell over. I have a grazed toe and elbow, bruised hip and spent 4 hours on the foetal monitor at the hospital! Everything seems to be fine.

Kinda hoping the fall brings on labour tonight!

Some new pearlers:
"When daddy was whipper snippering, he broke my Rusty. I am not impressed."
(Rusty is Mater from the CARS movie)

"when your baby comes, in 3 hours..."
If only!

"c'mon fatty!"
Nice. Thanks kiddo.

It seems like this bubba wants to do just that! I know I'm only a couple days overdue, but it's getting kind of 'old' now... I deferred uni early coz I was due the 2nd week. The girls on fb from uni are having a fantastic time whinging about lecturers and what-not and I feel im missing out, even if it is just the socializing... I don't DO anything, I'm off work on maternity leave, my paid maternity leave runs out soon (got 6weeks paid maternity and Ijust got the last payment, so we're about to have NO money :() and the further over due i am the more I stress (but mainly about money). It feels like I have at least a month to go yet, because I have no BH and only tiny bits of show. Sometimes I forget I'm actually pregnant but am reminded when I bump into a doorway or try to fit somewhere I would have pre-pregnancy.

Saw my mum, 2 of her sisters and 3 cousins today for my aunty's birthday. (mums was Friday, her sisters Saturday). The 2 aunties have 3 kids each, and one cousin has a 3 yo, so surely they could have been a little more tactful when I walked in. Instead I got "OMG haven't you popped yet?" "have you had any niggles?" and other seemingly obligitory things you say to make a pregnant woman feel even more uncomfortable. It didn't bother me so much in my first pregnancy, but seriously people! Back off! I keep telling people that I'm not uncomfortable, just sometimes when I have to roll over or get out of bed... But when people say things like that, that's when I'm uncomfortable.

Yesterday (Saturday) we also went to a friends BBQ, and dh and his friend are betting on baby's sex. Another reason why I'm a little over it. This baby needs clothes, we just have the basics at the moment, and I can't really stock up on clothes until k m ow what "flavour" baby is :) everyone, including Jensen, is starting to get impatient. anyway, the friends gf had a fit ball, so I bounced on it for about 20 mins and it was doing something! Little contractions, but nothing noteworthy. Just small pains, really, could have just been baby hurting me to say "stop bouncing on the fitball". Nothing since we got home at 8pm.

Felt like I was going to throw up a midnight, ended up getting up at 12:40 to have something to eat. I feel much better now. Watched some tv, not that there's much on, Jensen woke up and was all upset that "daddy said he wasn't sorry". So I woke Andrew up to appologise to him, which seemed to work.

Im gonna try and go back to sleep now, coz this carpal tunnel in both hands is affecting how I type. It sucks. In the mornings, I can't even hold my hairbrush!

Kid Independent Give Away!

I'm trying hard to find the icon in the Cloth Nappy Hunt.


While looking for the icon on  Kid Independent, I found they're having a birthday giveway!  One of the ways to gain an entry is to blog, so here we go!


Head over HERE to check out the awesome prizes! I want to win the Boyish Charm prize!

Do you really want to know!?

SO. 
I've deferred uni til next semester. 


I'm finally 40 weeks pregnant!! It's just a waiting game now!


I had an appointment today - here's what happened: (CAREFUL, this could get graphic!)
I had the appt, and I asked "What do you normally do at this appointment" to which she told me that they offer an internal exam and a stretch and sweep, and did I want one. YEP!  Very happy  Baby's heart rate is 138, my BP 112/55 (bit low if you ask me, but right on par!) Internal and s&S were done and the midwife looked very pleased! I am effacing (and you know, I have no idea what that means - even after the midwife and my student midwife explained it to me). Apparently the cervix is 2cm thick, and I'm down to 1cm. Not dilated (which is what I was reeeaaalllly hoping for!) Midwife could feel the baby's head. Baby is still 3/5th engaged. Baby, though, is apparently "OP" (their technical term). When I asked what that meant, I was told it was posterior. Apparently not favourable (is the word my student used), but still good as head is down. I think it means that baby's head is facing the front, not the back. I think.

If it doesn't rain tonight when Andrew gets home, we're going to have dinner and go for a walk. Fingers crossed that does something, coz I've got a little bit of period pain since the S&S.


I'm booked in to see the doctor next Thursday to talk about induction if I don't go into labour naturally. Hopefully, it happens tonight! That would be awesome!

So... Life is still plodding along here...

Andrew has decided to get fit, and is doing something about it!! :)

Jensen keeps asking if I'm going to have a baby soon.

Uni started back this week, but I have deferred this semester.

Baby is still comfortable in utero. 39 weeks tomorrow. Baby due in 7 days! Jensen was 7 days overdue and when I had him the hospital policy was to induce at 10 days over... So. The finality of it all says sometime in the next 17 days there will be a new addition in this house!

I finally packed our hospital bag today! Hope that prompts baby to arrive sooner rather than later! I'm not uncomfortable this pregnancy, a little at night, but no where near as much as I was with Jensen. Really, I'm just getting impatient now! I just want to meet who's in there! And I'm bored of being at home by myself. I'm also REALLY annoyed at mum, who- regardless of the looks I give and me asking her not to- continues to call the baby a girl. We have no idea what sex the baby is. We call the baby "It"'or just plain "baby". Mum calls it "her", "she" or whatever ugly girls name has popped into her head. (it's probably not an ugly name, just when i hear it it is and also because she's called it a girl AGAIN!) when she rang and spoke to me yesterday, she called it a girl again. When our call finished, I almost rang Andrew in tears. :'( I'm just so over it.

Even Andrew's mum has said something to her about it. I can't remember what Andrew said she said...

This month is busy with events... Baby is due on the 9th, our wedding anniversary is the 10th, mums birthday is 11th, her sister 12th, our god daughter is 5 on the 13th and my sisters wedding anniversary is the 14th!!

I don't know what I'm going to do if baby is born on any of those days (except of course the 9th). I'm concerned what kind of bragging mum will do if baby is a girl, and especially concerned if its girl born on mums birthday...

Come on baby!!