Amelia's Birth Story

After a week of feeling unwell with high BP, protein and a migraine I made it to my ceaser date, 38 weeks pregnant. I arrived at 7am, had a catheter and a drip inserted (lovely) . I needed the drip inserted because they like to give you two litres of fluid before a ceaser so that the spinal doesnt make your BP drop too much. Anyway, my protein at this point was over 2 plus so it was definitly time to have bub,  I don't think I could have held out any longer, my body couldnt cope being pregnant anymore. The drip hurt going in and the midwife said 'don't worry, its the most pain you will feel today'. This became a funny joke later.

I was really nervous about getting the spinal because I felt it go in last time and Ben nearly fainted because of the way I screamed. He chose, with my blessing, to stay out of theatre for this bit. I felt no sensation at all this time when it was inserted and was surprised and happy when my legs started to go numb. The theatre staff helped me lie on the table and Ben arrived. We were both feeling really good although I was still slightly terrified.

The Docs all arrived and the surgery started. I started to feel a bit of nausea which I expected because it happened last time too. The doc put some anti nausea medicine in my drip and I waited, expecting to feel better but then it got alot worse. I started to feel really unwell and experienced extreme pain in my neck. It is hard to explain what it felt like but I think I was probably about to go unconcious. I wouldnt lie still and was screaming and vomitting. I kept trying to sit up and was causing the staff alot of grief because they couldnt get a blood pressure reading because I wouldnt keep my arm still. I was yelling that I wanted them to get the baby out and make me better and asking why my neck hurt so much. They kept putting an oxygen mask on me but I kept pulling it off because I needed to spew and it made me feel worse. I was about to ask them to give me a general and Ben said they were about to give me one when the aneithitist managed to fix the problem and I became stable again. I was really shaken up though and a long way from a 'happy about to have a baby' place. The meds might have sedated me a bit too.

Then my gorgeous Amelia was born and I managed a smile and after she was checked I was gla to see her in Bens arms which is where she stayed for about three hours. I had a quick cuddle but really wasnt in a good place to be welcoming my new daughter into the world. In recovery the nurse asked if I wanted to feed her and to my shock I said no. I knew she was safe with Ben and I wanted the first feed to be a special moment and I just wasnt up to it. The theatre staff sat with me and de briefed about what happened. They think my kidneys might not have been functioning properly and the two litres of fluid I was given didnt protect me from a massive blood pressure drop. My BP went from 160/100 to 60/ something in about three minutes. They have no idea why my neck hurt and it still does.

After a couple of hours back in my room the nurse came in and weighed Milly (5 lb 14oz, 46 cm long) and dressed her and thats when the hormones kicked in for me. Suddenly I was yelling at Ben to get the camera and kept saying she was tiny and cute. After she was dressed I gave her the first feed and I am so glad I waited because it was amazing. She latched straight away and I just couldnt take my eyes off her. Since then she has fed and fed and is gaining weight so quickly. She is just divine! Im still glad I got my tubes tied though and if I was to ever get pregnant again I would have a ceaser with a general. That was trully the worst experience of my life.

I figure lots of people have bad birth stories and many people struggle to get past it. I refuse to do that, I got a beautiful daughter out of it, the experience is over, the memory can't be changed and it will never happen again so Im moving on from it and Im just going to enjoy my beautiful daughters. I have had two amazing births and one I would rather forget but the end result was the same, another wonderful child to love and nurture.

Getting Ready For Baby number 3!!

I am 31 weeks pregnant and as usual I have found pregnancy to be quite demanding physically, mentally and emotionally. I know I shouldn't complain because it really hasn't been that bad, it could have been alot worse, and I will have a lovely little bub in 7 weeks time but I swear my body wasn't made to grow babies. I usually get to about 20 weeks and problems start to crop up, like high blood pressure, painful contractions, exhaustion etc but this time none of that has happened until I hit 28 weeks. My previous two pregnancies have ended with pre eclampsia and I have been forced to have my babies right on 37 weeks. This one is headed the same way but Im coping ok and hoping for the best. Im resting alot and trying to keep on top of it emotionally as well as health wise and Im counting down to the ceaser that I am likely to have at 38 weeks.

Up until the past couple of weeks I have felt completely exhausted and drained of all energy and motivation but the past couple of weeks its like I have turned into the energizer bunny which I have decided must be my nesting instincts kicking in. I am completely focused on getting this house organised and ready for not only the baby but also so that the house can keep kicking along while I have and recover from my ceaser.

So far we have moved Chloe downstairs to her own room. In order to do this we had to move my sewing room :( back upstairs into our bedroom. The office also had to come out of the room and has been moved into the main living area. Chloes room is looking really nice, I just have to hang up her pictures and things and it will be done.  The nursery upstairs is a huge bedroom so the baby and Elyssa (20 months) will share. Elyssa has moved from her cot to Chloes old toddler bed and the cot has been moved to make room for some furniture that will be coming in June. I have washed all the baby clothes, wraps, blankets etc and put them in tubs waiting for the furniture. A basinette will go in our room for the first few months and Im also getting a rocker for feeding this time which I am really looking forward too, I have always wanted one.

The pram has arrived, a second hand Phil and Teds which is fantastic and I am buying a second hand car seat. I have also been doing a bit of baby sewing, I have made 16 triangular shaped pre-fold nappies and I have knitted a wool cover to go over the top. If I get time I think Ill do another couple. Im also going to find the time to sew a sun shade for the car seat and two fleece foot muffs for the pram.

So...I am feeling just about ready but it really does feel like the calm before the storm! A newborn as adorable as they are will throw life around here into chaos for at least a few months but the advantage of having my third baby is that I know that is going to happen, I know that it will all fall back into place and that as hard as it is a new life is so wonderful and amazing and I will be trying to cherish every minute because this is definitly my last bub. I can't wait to meet her!

Raggy Quilt

I have been wanting to make one of these for a while because they are a quick and easy project. Yesterday we decided to take the kids to the park but it started raining on the way and ended up in Warrnambool so I dropped into Spotlight. They had a sale on Flanalette so I decided to stock up. I made do with what they had though for this quilt, there wasn't a very big range. Ideally I would have only used two or three prints and then used solid colours but there was heaps of prints and hardly any suitable solid colours left so I just sort of grabbed a range of prints in different sizes and colours.

I made the quilt for my new little bub that is likely to arrive late June and Im glad I did it for her. The squares did take a while to cut out, a couple of hours,  the total sewing time was about two to three hours but it didnt help that the thread in my machine kept snapping. I should have invested in some better quality cotton. The seam snipping would have taken forever except I bought myself a pair of little scissors with a spring that made the job really quick, probably about 30 minutes, so overall a very quick and easy project! I didnt use any batting though, I just kept it more as a throw over quilt that can be used in the cot or on the floor as a rug and as she gets bigger its the perfect size for snuggling up on the couch in front of the TV.

I used a few different tutorials to figure out the best way to make it, if you want to have a try THIS is a good one. She doesn't quilt the squares though like I did.

Im going to make a few more of these as I have lots of friends having babies in the next few months. I might try a quilting shop though for some more flanalette options though.

With the left over fabric from the quilt I made I am going to make a Bunting for the nursery to hang on the wall above the cot. That will be in my next post.

Cords for Chloe that actually fit!

First of all I have to apologise for not blogging for so long, I struggle with pregnancy and although this pregnancy is going really well, keeping up with blogging was just a bit much. I also have been a bit slack with my crafting and gardening this year for the same reason so there hasnt been much to report. Ill do a gardening post in the next couple of weeks and I do have a few catch up knitting and sewing posts to do before this bub comes. Ive just hit the third trimester and now I am really feeling it physically and I still have a ways to go!

Now, what got me back to my sewing machine the past week was a desire to sew some pants for my pre schooler that actually fit her. She is short but skinny and doesn't really have a waist or hips. I found this hipster, slim fitting pants pattern over at http://indietutes.blogspot.com/ . This is the pattern . The description was exactly what I was after. Chloe is very picky about her pants, they cant be too long, sit on her belly or be too restrictive or she just wont wear them. They can't look like boys pants either and if she can wear them with a dress or pinafore thats even better. I wanted to make some pants that could fit easily into her boots as well so that the bottom of her pants don't get wet as we walk rain, hail or shine to get to kinder, daycare and playgroup. Ok, maybe not hail.

Being tired and feeling heavy and big I decided just to whip up a few pairs from the fabric stash but once I got started I decided I needed to fancy them up a bit or the chances are she wont wear them. Plus whats the point of making them if you can't get a bit creative, right?

The first pair I made was from a pair of adult sized cords from the op shop. My machine struggled to sew the thicker material, I broke about 4 needles. Eventually I caught on I might need a different sized needle so I bought one, then my cheap thread kept snapping. I kept going though and I am happy with the results, although the waist band is a bit dodgy. I appliqued some hearts on it out of the same material. I left the edges of the hearts raw so that they will start to fray a little bit after a few washes. Chloe loves them.

The next couple of pairs were alot easier to make because the cord was thinner. I did some applique on one pair and added some owl ribbon to the other pair. This girlied them up a bit for her.



The secret is out!

Well, the worlds worst kept secret that is! Yes, if you haven't already guessed or been told, Im pregnant with baby number three! Am I excited? Yes. Was I initially? Quite honestly, no. It was a shock, a bit of a surprise. Now, however, I am so excited about this growing bump and seeing what we have created. The excitement this time has built slowly over the past couple of months as I came to terms with life taking an unexpected turn. As the logistics have fallen into place and I have realised we will cope in all ways and that we are good parents with two wonderful children already, I have been able to daydream about this little one, the newborn cuddles I get to have and the joy of watching a little bub grow into a little person. Will it be hard work? YES! Will it always be enjoyable? Probably not even half of it, but it is still going to be wonderful in its own way.

I am under no pretence about what lies ahead, I have resigned myself to the fact I am very likely to be housebound for most of this year which is my idea of torture, but after taking my current two little ones out today to the doctors, chemist and bakery for a coffee, I can definitly say that wasn't much fun either! In the middle of it all though there is always funny, adorable or memorable moments that make you smile. Like Chloe practicing her Ballet at the doctors as she always does and then Elyssa joining in, following her around the office trying to kick her leg in the air and do twirls. I also ran into a friend who has three little ones. I watched her cross the road and thought well, she still gets out. Then I stopped her for a chat and told her just that and she laughed and said it is very rare for her to take all three out, she avoids it as much as possible! She did give me a tip though, get a good double pram and keep them strapped in no matter what! Give them food, toys, everything IN the pram. A good tip.

So yes, this year will be tough...but then I think it will start to very slowly get easier...Chloe starts school next year so I will be back to just the two at home and the baby will be 6 months this time next year. Ben has started to show he is excited too, we are already arguing about the babies name. He has also come to terms with the fact that we are both going to have to give up our sewing/computer room as we will need another bedroom.

Then there is the wonder. Will it be a boy or a girl? My guess is a girl, although this pregnancy couldn't be more different that my previous ones. I have had a little bit of morning sickness but nothing like last time. I am tired but not overly, last time I could barely get off the couch. This time my morning sickness starts at mid day through to dinner, unlike the last two times when it was all day. I haven't had any migraines this time and my heart hasn't done anything wierd like last time. In fact it has been quite easy to forget Im even pregnant, other than the gigantic belly that appeared very early on, before I even realised I was pregnant! I have been in maternity clothes for a month and Im only 14 weeks!

So after the initial shock our excitment is gaining momentum, helped along by the ultrasound I had last week which was just amazing! Tiny little hands and tiny little feet. The bub moved around so much I was there for two hours while the sonographer did her best to get the measurements she needed. The little monkey kept standing on its head. The best part? Chloes excitment and love of the baby. She thought the little jelly bean on the screen was 'beautiful!' and she keeps asking me little questions about it like how it eats and if it swims around my body. She calls it a jelly bean and keeps asking to see my belly.

My biggest worry is how Elyssa is going to cope. She is very attached to me and sits with me for alot of the day giving me cuddles. She is only going to be 21 months when the baby comes so still a baby herself really. It is also leading into a difficult age, the beginning of the terrible twos then the ferral threes. Im trying not to think to much about it though, it will all work itself out.

I also worry about what personality this bub is going to have! We love both our girls equally but Elyssa is really easy going most of the time and Chloe well....isn't. She is full of life though and very entertaining but just not the easiest child to parent. She is also a shocking sleeper where as Elyssa is a brilliant sleeper. Sleep is very important to my ability to remain a rational parent! I suspect Elyssa is a one off though so Im not holding my breath that we will get another one like her!

So will it be a boy or girl? Quite honestly Im not overly fussed and neither is Ben. If its a girl we have about triple what we need. If its a boy, its a new adventure!