It seems like this blog has become all about my exercising haha.
I cant help it I just have to share,that this time last week I was only able to do the whole run one power post,walk the next and so on and could only do it for 3 blocks.Today I RAN 4 blocks!!!So I ran one block,walked the next,ran the next then walked for a while (my lungs are itty bitty remember lol..and no no its not just an excuse,I was born 10 weeks prem and my lungs never developed fully,so that and asthma mean I have been struggling a bit to get enough oxygen in when running,but they are slowly expanding a little which is great).Then I ran 1 1/2 blocks,walked some more then ran another 1/2 block to get home!!Hoping to try tomorrow running 3 in a row...we'll see lol.But its improvement!
I have also been thinking about maybe just doing the 1/4 marathon next year instead of the 1/2 (its only km instead of km).... I'm trying to not see it as not believing in myself but rather I want to succeed at this and am wondering if committing to a 10km run would be better,but be able to aim to actually run the whole thing....I dont know.....
On another note BOTH the girls are back at kindy.Steve has a full day at uni today so I am feeling very much like belting out "All By Myself " lol but the neighbours might think I'm mad haha.
(I tried to find a photo of someone all by themselves and it just came up with some funny as animal pictures...so sorry no pic this blog post!
Thursday, 9 August 2012
Friday, 3 August 2012
Chicken Pox
Aaaaagh Sienna has chicken pox!!!I feel so bad,we spent the school holidays avoiding my sister and her girls because they had chicken pox and Sienna gets it anyway!Such is life lol.Isabella has an extremely mild case (like 3 spots that have already crusted over). Sienna's are really bad,like head to toe,not sleeping bad.I just want to hug her and make it go away.
I haven't been able to get out walking/jogging every day this week,which I am finding hard.I so badly wanted to get into a routine (thank you chicken pox and my oh so lovely monthly visitor).BUT we got out today,just around the block,but I ran 15 power post lengths!I decided to measure it that way,as my sister did it,and it made sense.I can run/jog.wobble one,walk one,run one,walk one and so on.It has meant that at the end of one length when I'm starting to think "dear God my legs are going to fall off" I can walk the next one and by the next one I'm ready to run again.It means I cant measure in km's how far am going,but for now it works. (also means its not as daunting for me while I am starting off)
Getting there slowly but surely! :) (may I add this is the first time ever that during ummm my womens time lol,that I have kept getting out and exercising...first time in 14 years!!!!)
I haven't been able to get out walking/jogging every day this week,which I am finding hard.I so badly wanted to get into a routine (thank you chicken pox and my oh so lovely monthly visitor).BUT we got out today,just around the block,but I ran 15 power post lengths!I decided to measure it that way,as my sister did it,and it made sense.I can run/jog.wobble one,walk one,run one,walk one and so on.It has meant that at the end of one length when I'm starting to think "dear God my legs are going to fall off" I can walk the next one and by the next one I'm ready to run again.It means I cant measure in km's how far am going,but for now it works. (also means its not as daunting for me while I am starting off)
Getting there slowly but surely! :) (may I add this is the first time ever that during ummm my womens time lol,that I have kept getting out and exercising...first time in 14 years!!!!)
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Saturday, 28 July 2012
Go me
I managed to run TEN light post lengths today!!!!!!!!!!! Doesn't sound like a lot,but I did it!The other day I only managed 3 so this is pretty friggin fantastic :) It was so cute too,could hear Isabella even over my music yelling "run Mummy run!!!Weeeeeeeeee" haha it sure helped egg me on,especially when they kept asking me too run even more.
I am not a runner yet by any means,but it felt pretty good (along with the 4.7 km walk we did).
That is all...just had to have a moment of self congratulations hahaha
I am not a runner yet by any means,but it felt pretty good (along with the 4.7 km walk we did).
That is all...just had to have a moment of self congratulations hahaha
Friday, 27 July 2012
My legs are going to fall off!
Phew...so...yesterday I took a break from the exercise.My back is killing me (courtesy of a voluptuous bosom lol),and I had walked 8 days in a row.
Got back into it today,walked around the lake and even with stretching,my goodness my legs burned!!!!I had to stop every 10 minutes and stretch them out.Felt like such a dork.Had a b*&#@h about it pretty much the whole way around,about how useless I felt,and how unfair it is that these people with lovely long legs were walking so fast and how sore I was.Haha well thank God (really) for a husband like Steve who takes it all in his stride.He was so wonderful and encouraged me the whole way,and reassured me that NOT going for a walk would have been the failure.Not actually getting out and doing it,that is success!
I'm not sure why I honestly thought that I would see huge improvement in a week...its going to take a little while.And at least at the end of the day,I am getting out and doing it, I'm making an effort and trying.
-In 10 days (9 with walking) I have walked 33.78 km's!!!!I think that is pretty fantastic for only doing it for a week and a half!!!
In other news,Isabella has another throat infection!We have had a month now of yucky bugs.Poor poppet.Hopefully the meds will kick in soon.She was extremely clever the other night and recited "Waddle Giggle Gargle Google" to me,and at one point when she wasn't sure what came next I pointed to the word 'waddle' and she knew it!I had reading difficulties as a child (you'd never know it now,Mrs I can read 3 books in a day!) and didnt read until I was 7 (then zoomed to a 12 year old level haha).I have always been a bit worried that our girls would have difficulties but they aren't! Yay!!!
Sienna is wanting a ton of hugs at the moment.This afternoon she didn't want her door shut for nap time (yes I'm mean and make our 4 and 3 year olds still have day time sleeps when possible),which was fine but ended up coming and lying on me in the lounge for half an hour sobbing her little heart out :( I am such a softie when it comes to her.She is transitioning into the big classroom at kindy,she tells me she doesn't like it but her teachers say she loves it!She's being a bit silly at kindy at the moment,crying lots when we are there but I often sneak a look back when she thinks we are gone and she is fine,happy and playing!!Go figure :)
Steve is loving his job at the university!He has his last big day shift at the hospital tomorrow,then next week we are back to afternoon shifts! (only 4 hours,and it starts at 4pm so we can all go over as a family).
Im not up to alot,just housework,sewing,being a mum,ya know the usual stuff hahaha.
Hope everyone in blogging world has a great weekend
x
Got back into it today,walked around the lake and even with stretching,my goodness my legs burned!!!!I had to stop every 10 minutes and stretch them out.Felt like such a dork.Had a b*&#@h about it pretty much the whole way around,about how useless I felt,and how unfair it is that these people with lovely long legs were walking so fast and how sore I was.Haha well thank God (really) for a husband like Steve who takes it all in his stride.He was so wonderful and encouraged me the whole way,and reassured me that NOT going for a walk would have been the failure.Not actually getting out and doing it,that is success!
I'm not sure why I honestly thought that I would see huge improvement in a week...its going to take a little while.And at least at the end of the day,I am getting out and doing it, I'm making an effort and trying.
-In 10 days (9 with walking) I have walked 33.78 km's!!!!I think that is pretty fantastic for only doing it for a week and a half!!!
In other news,Isabella has another throat infection!We have had a month now of yucky bugs.Poor poppet.Hopefully the meds will kick in soon.She was extremely clever the other night and recited "Waddle Giggle Gargle Google" to me,and at one point when she wasn't sure what came next I pointed to the word 'waddle' and she knew it!I had reading difficulties as a child (you'd never know it now,Mrs I can read 3 books in a day!) and didnt read until I was 7 (then zoomed to a 12 year old level haha).I have always been a bit worried that our girls would have difficulties but they aren't! Yay!!!
Sienna is wanting a ton of hugs at the moment.This afternoon she didn't want her door shut for nap time (yes I'm mean and make our 4 and 3 year olds still have day time sleeps when possible),which was fine but ended up coming and lying on me in the lounge for half an hour sobbing her little heart out :( I am such a softie when it comes to her.She is transitioning into the big classroom at kindy,she tells me she doesn't like it but her teachers say she loves it!She's being a bit silly at kindy at the moment,crying lots when we are there but I often sneak a look back when she thinks we are gone and she is fine,happy and playing!!Go figure :)
Steve is loving his job at the university!He has his last big day shift at the hospital tomorrow,then next week we are back to afternoon shifts! (only 4 hours,and it starts at 4pm so we can all go over as a family).
Im not up to alot,just housework,sewing,being a mum,ya know the usual stuff hahaha.
Hope everyone in blogging world has a great weekend
x
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Siennas birth story
And when Isabella was 4 months old I decided to take a pregnancy test,and what do you know??!!!!! (it had taken us 1 1/2 years to conceive Isabella,so we were NOT expecting this surprise!).Turns out exclusively breastfeeding does not work as a contraceptive!hahaha.I was so ecstatic though.I knew I would have to to have another c-section (uterus was too torn) and that scared me,.and having what we thought would be a 13 month age gap scared me too I thought it was the best news ever.I mean children are the best blessing in life!
This post will probably be a bit more pregnancy related then birth.
When I was 8 weeks pregnant the results came back from my 6 week blood tests.My midwife rung me to tell me they hadn't come back as normal.Because of the blood transfusions I had had with Isabella,my body had created anti-bodies because my body saw the transfused blood as foreign and decided to attack.Hence the anti-bodies.My midwife assured me that at worst Sienna would be born a little jaundiced,and I would have to have a routine scan at 24 weeks just to check that bubs was ok.
My pregnancy went ok.I was still breastfeeding Isabella which I believe helped reduce the morning sickness (though it was definitely still present.But I was able to eat more which helped a lot).My scar from the c-section with Isabella was causing me quite a bit of pain but I put that down to not having long enough between Isabellas birth and this pregnancy for it to heal fully. (bit more on that in a bit).
So 29 weeks rolls around and I finally got an appointment at Waikato Hospital for a scan.We went in,never thinking anything would be wrong (after all,the only thing that would be wrong was jaundice!).The technician was very quiet and very tight lipped.We were told to wait in the waiting room for the doctor.At this point I started worrying.Steve tried to reassure me it was normal routine.Went in to the doctor,she fiddled and fidgeted a bit,then said something along the lines (I have blocked it out I swear!) of "ÿour baby is very sick and we are referring you up to National Women's Hospital in Auckland because this is beyond our expertise".She went on to tell us the anti-bodies in my blood had crossed over the placenta and were attacking the red blood cells in Sienna's blood.It meant her body wasn't getting enough oxygen.Which isn't a good thing.If it got too low she could have gone into cardiac arrest.
Three days later we went to our first of many appointments at National Women's.The first 3 weeks she was ok,but on the 4th week the doctor kept re-scanning and re-scanning.The oxygen level was way too low,so they arranged for an in-uterine blood transfusion for two days later.I really don't remember very much,and still don't understand it all.Even in typing this I have had to ask Steve.
The day after we got the news we ended up at Waikato being monitored as I was warned to keep an eye on her movements as that could indicate her heart stopping.Her movements slowed down,so up we went.She was fine thank God!
The hospital had an issue with finding donors that had an exact match to my blood.Turns out there are 7 people in New Zealand with blood that matches mine.One amazing man came home from his holiday to donate!Bless him.
The transfusion went well,her oxygen levels came up pretty quickly.Normally transfusions have to be repeated,but thankfully she only needed the one.
Because of the issue with her oxygen levels and my issues with my scar (there was a chance it could tear during labour,and by this point it was incredibly painful as it was),I was scheduled to have an elective c-section (I hate that word!I didn't want another c-section,I had too!Big BIG difference).
So at 37 weeks on the 12th of February we trooped up to Waikato Hospital (literally all 3 of us.I was still breastfeeding Isabella 5 times a day so she came too!).We ended up nervously waiting for 6 hours,but eventually went into theatre and
This post will probably be a bit more pregnancy related then birth.
When I was 8 weeks pregnant the results came back from my 6 week blood tests.My midwife rung me to tell me they hadn't come back as normal.Because of the blood transfusions I had had with Isabella,my body had created anti-bodies because my body saw the transfused blood as foreign and decided to attack.Hence the anti-bodies.My midwife assured me that at worst Sienna would be born a little jaundiced,and I would have to have a routine scan at 24 weeks just to check that bubs was ok.
My pregnancy went ok.I was still breastfeeding Isabella which I believe helped reduce the morning sickness (though it was definitely still present.But I was able to eat more which helped a lot).My scar from the c-section with Isabella was causing me quite a bit of pain but I put that down to not having long enough between Isabellas birth and this pregnancy for it to heal fully. (bit more on that in a bit).
So 29 weeks rolls around and I finally got an appointment at Waikato Hospital for a scan.We went in,never thinking anything would be wrong (after all,the only thing that would be wrong was jaundice!).The technician was very quiet and very tight lipped.We were told to wait in the waiting room for the doctor.At this point I started worrying.Steve tried to reassure me it was normal routine.Went in to the doctor,she fiddled and fidgeted a bit,then said something along the lines (I have blocked it out I swear!) of "ÿour baby is very sick and we are referring you up to National Women's Hospital in Auckland because this is beyond our expertise".She went on to tell us the anti-bodies in my blood had crossed over the placenta and were attacking the red blood cells in Sienna's blood.It meant her body wasn't getting enough oxygen.Which isn't a good thing.If it got too low she could have gone into cardiac arrest.
Three days later we went to our first of many appointments at National Women's.The first 3 weeks she was ok,but on the 4th week the doctor kept re-scanning and re-scanning.The oxygen level was way too low,so they arranged for an in-uterine blood transfusion for two days later.I really don't remember very much,and still don't understand it all.Even in typing this I have had to ask Steve.
The day after we got the news we ended up at Waikato being monitored as I was warned to keep an eye on her movements as that could indicate her heart stopping.Her movements slowed down,so up we went.She was fine thank God!
The hospital had an issue with finding donors that had an exact match to my blood.Turns out there are 7 people in New Zealand with blood that matches mine.One amazing man came home from his holiday to donate!Bless him.
The transfusion went well,her oxygen levels came up pretty quickly.Normally transfusions have to be repeated,but thankfully she only needed the one.
Because of the issue with her oxygen levels and my issues with my scar (there was a chance it could tear during labour,and by this point it was incredibly painful as it was),I was scheduled to have an elective c-section (I hate that word!I didn't want another c-section,I had too!Big BIG difference).
So at 37 weeks on the 12th of February we trooped up to Waikato Hospital (literally all 3 of us.I was still breastfeeding Isabella 5 times a day so she came too!).We ended up nervously waiting for 6 hours,but eventually went into theatre and
at 1.19pm Sienna Evelyn Abigail Wong was born!!!
The elective was so different to the emergency c-section!Night and day really.I was concious through it all,I got to hold Sienna within seconds!!!When I went into recovery I was able to feed her straight away,she guzzled some milk and fell fast asleep! (thank God that I kept breastfeeding and didn't have to wait for my milk to come in).
She had to have quite a few blood tests (blood was supposed to be taken from her cord but the screwed up,so literally 10 heel pricks later they managed to get it good enough to test it!).Apart from jaundice,she was a perfectly healthy and happy little girl!Isabella wasn't too sure about her at first (they are best friends now and we have never had a problem with them together).
The surgeon said while they were stitching me up that my scar had been tearing while she was inside,and recommended not having any more children (I don't think she knew I was so coherent and listening).In recovery we were told I would need to seriously consider subsequent pregnancies as I would have to be monitored really closely with my scar,so that on top of being monitored for bubs oxygen levels and future c-sections,we decided the risk was way too great for me and any other children,so hubby went and had the snip.Sienna has never had any major health issues,and is such an amazing,unexpected blessing in our lives!
The surgeon said while they were stitching me up that my scar had been tearing while she was inside,and recommended not having any more children (I don't think she knew I was so coherent and listening).In recovery we were told I would need to seriously consider subsequent pregnancies as I would have to be monitored really closely with my scar,so that on top of being monitored for bubs oxygen levels and future c-sections,we decided the risk was way too great for me and any other children,so hubby went and had the snip.Sienna has never had any major health issues,and is such an amazing,unexpected blessing in our lives!
First hugs with Mum :) She was trying to suck my neck!
First hugs with Daddy.
Sleeping Beauty after her first feed.
Isabella meeting Sienna.Sienna didnt care and is asleep,Isabella wasnt sure where Sienna had come from!Was so cute
Isabellas birth story
I decided I wanted to write about our girls births.I love reading other peoples birth stories,and this blog is supposed to be about all the Wongs haha.So here is Isabella's :)
.My pregnancy with Isabella was pretty hard.Morning sickness kicked in at 6 weeks and by 10 weeks had progressed to Hypermesis Gravidarum.At 10 weeks I ended up in hospital on an I.V as I was so dehydrated and kept going the whole way through,so by the time the 1st of February rolled around and contractions started I was more than ready for her to be out!!!More than ready! The contractions started at 12.15pm and started off being 10 minutes apart,so Steve stayed at work to finish his shift (to the non-amusement of me!).By the time he got home at 3.30pm they were 3 minutes apart.I thought for sure I would have Isabella out by midnight that night! (my sisters labours were always extremely short,her 4th being an hour,start to finish).
At 7pm Steve rung my midwife Julie,who did an internal and I was a measly 2cm dilated!!!Was NOT happy camper.Something I was grateful a friend had mentioned was vomiting during labour.For some reason I had thought the sickness would go away as soon as labour started...yeah not.By midnight there was no baby,my contractions were between 1-2 minutes apart and I was vomiting everything up and wasn't able to sleep.This wasn't going at all how I thought.
At 3am on the 2nd February I went into River Ridge (one of the birthing centres in Hamilton) and my midwife gave me a shot of Pethadine to see if it would help with pain so I could get some sleep.I had been planning a drug free,natural birth.It totally threw me that the contractions were so incredibly intense,I was so tired by this point and desperately wanted some rest....It didn't work.Not one iota.My contractions were down to 40 seconds apart,and numerous times throughout the day my midwife did internals and I had only progressed to 3cm dilated!I couldn't believe it.I remember dropping off to sleep for 30 seconds only to be woken up,and trying to waddle around the room,ending up bending over the sink vomiting amidst a contraction.My midwife suggested hopping in the bath as that could have helped,but I don't like hot water on the best of days,the heat in the middle of summer I hated even more (that and being sick in the bathtub while trying to haul my whale like self out didn't sound ideal).
Anyway at 7pm that night we went back to River Ridge for another shot of Pethadine and for Julie to break my waters.I never knew that not only would my waters gush but it would drip for the rest of my labour!There was meconium ,so we were sent up to Waikato Hospital (again a disappointment,I was so looking forward to birthing at River Ridge).
Ok so we are at River Ridge,contractions if anything were getting worse,and at 3am on Sunday morning (the 3rd of February) I finally caved and asked for an epidural.At some point that morning I had a block (I think that's what it is called),where I could still feel the contractions on a section of my stomach.They topped it up,and decided I wasn't dilating fast enough so put me on a I.V drip of Oxytocin.I have to say,I got kind of annoyed that not only did Steve sleep (I get it,he had been up for hours,but during labour I was NOT understanding) but the nurse who was looking after me fell asleep too!At 10am doctors came in,had a look see inside and said I was only 8cm dilated!I couldn't believe it.They said that if by 12pm I wasn't fully dilated they would have to perform an emergency c-section.
12pm rolled around,doctors came back and got me to sign the consent forms and rolled me into theatre.I was told I wouldn't feel anything,but I have to tell you,I couldn't feel it to the full extent obviously but hell it hurt!At one point I wanted to scream at them.Because Isabella was so engaged,they had done the normal j cut but she was stuck in my cervix,so a nurse was pushing up my fanny (fun right?!) while the surgeon was trying to pull Isabella out by her feet.Steve still talks about how freaked out he was with how much the table was shaking and the fact that even the surgeon was swearing!They ended up cutting me more,so the j cut turned into a upside down smiley face,which then tore down both sides.Isabella had a bit of breathing difficulty so they whisked her off to NICU.My last memory of that time was the anaesthetist telling Steve to say goodbye to me Steve kissing me and telling me we had a little girl,and me honestly thinking I was going to die.
Isabella Esther Penelope Wong was born at 1.26pm on the 3rd of February.
I don't remember any of the rest of this,but I was torn up so badly they had to knock me out.Weird thing was that for a few minutes after they knocked me out,I could still hear them.Then I was off on a cloud thinking Satan had stolen my baby (morphine sucks!).Turns out I had to have a blood transfusion of two bags of blood (will mean a bit more later).I woke up in recovery,still not lucid and kept asking where Steve was and where my baby was.The nurse ended up ringing NICU and getting them to let Steve come down with Isabella.Sadly I don't remember the first time I held Isabella.I was vaguely aware she was there,but I guess because of the morphine,I can only remember little snatches.I was pretty out of it for the first 3 days.I was on some pretty crazy pain killers.I didn't get the birth I wanted,and I found breastfeeding super hard,heck everything was hard!But our little long awaited treasure was here!
We went home after 5 days at the hospital (well I discharged myself.The day we came home a nurse had come in and told me I had to go in a room with other women. Wasn't going to happen!I still couldn't breastfeed,was barely able to get out of bed without help and desperately needed Steve there to help me!).So a painful car ride later we got home.
I struggled (I think that's an understatement) to breastfeed for a few weeks,but thankfully Steve was home and helped me so much,and between the 3 of us we got it sorted.Isabella however ate and ate and ate and ate some more.I am not exaggerating when I tell people Isabella fed 20 hours a day.It was the only way I could get her to sleep,and she was extremely hungry. (looking back I now think the pain killers I was on affected my milk,and the fact that all I wanted was to get some sleep,it was easier to let her feed non-stop.I had no help other than Steve and he had to go to work,so during the day I did what I had too).Thankfully after 3 months a lovely friend (whose boy is 6 weeks older than Isabella) just popped in.Before this I had previously asked for help,saying I wasn't coping,only to be told it was just hormones (when you want to leave your baby and never come back,its NOT hormones!).So I didn't ask for help again.Our friend walked in,asked how I was,and I felt like bursting into tears.Thankfully my friend had seen her mum go through Post-natal Depression (PND) so knew the signs.Even though her boy was so young,she stayed for the rest of the day,showed me some tips for feeding and showed us the controlled crying technique...IT WORKED!!!Once we put Isabella on some Farex mixed with breastmilk,hallelujah the girl slept for 2 hour strecthes!!!!!
And then................ (birth story 2)
.My pregnancy with Isabella was pretty hard.Morning sickness kicked in at 6 weeks and by 10 weeks had progressed to Hypermesis Gravidarum.At 10 weeks I ended up in hospital on an I.V as I was so dehydrated and kept going the whole way through,so by the time the 1st of February rolled around and contractions started I was more than ready for her to be out!!!More than ready! The contractions started at 12.15pm and started off being 10 minutes apart,so Steve stayed at work to finish his shift (to the non-amusement of me!).By the time he got home at 3.30pm they were 3 minutes apart.I thought for sure I would have Isabella out by midnight that night! (my sisters labours were always extremely short,her 4th being an hour,start to finish).
At 7pm Steve rung my midwife Julie,who did an internal and I was a measly 2cm dilated!!!Was NOT happy camper.Something I was grateful a friend had mentioned was vomiting during labour.For some reason I had thought the sickness would go away as soon as labour started...yeah not.By midnight there was no baby,my contractions were between 1-2 minutes apart and I was vomiting everything up and wasn't able to sleep.This wasn't going at all how I thought.
At 3am on the 2nd February I went into River Ridge (one of the birthing centres in Hamilton) and my midwife gave me a shot of Pethadine to see if it would help with pain so I could get some sleep.I had been planning a drug free,natural birth.It totally threw me that the contractions were so incredibly intense,I was so tired by this point and desperately wanted some rest....It didn't work.Not one iota.My contractions were down to 40 seconds apart,and numerous times throughout the day my midwife did internals and I had only progressed to 3cm dilated!I couldn't believe it.I remember dropping off to sleep for 30 seconds only to be woken up,and trying to waddle around the room,ending up bending over the sink vomiting amidst a contraction.My midwife suggested hopping in the bath as that could have helped,but I don't like hot water on the best of days,the heat in the middle of summer I hated even more (that and being sick in the bathtub while trying to haul my whale like self out didn't sound ideal).
Anyway at 7pm that night we went back to River Ridge for another shot of Pethadine and for Julie to break my waters.I never knew that not only would my waters gush but it would drip for the rest of my labour!There was meconium ,so we were sent up to Waikato Hospital (again a disappointment,I was so looking forward to birthing at River Ridge).
Ok so we are at River Ridge,contractions if anything were getting worse,and at 3am on Sunday morning (the 3rd of February) I finally caved and asked for an epidural.At some point that morning I had a block (I think that's what it is called),where I could still feel the contractions on a section of my stomach.They topped it up,and decided I wasn't dilating fast enough so put me on a I.V drip of Oxytocin.I have to say,I got kind of annoyed that not only did Steve sleep (I get it,he had been up for hours,but during labour I was NOT understanding) but the nurse who was looking after me fell asleep too!At 10am doctors came in,had a look see inside and said I was only 8cm dilated!I couldn't believe it.They said that if by 12pm I wasn't fully dilated they would have to perform an emergency c-section.
12pm rolled around,doctors came back and got me to sign the consent forms and rolled me into theatre.I was told I wouldn't feel anything,but I have to tell you,I couldn't feel it to the full extent obviously but hell it hurt!At one point I wanted to scream at them.Because Isabella was so engaged,they had done the normal j cut but she was stuck in my cervix,so a nurse was pushing up my fanny (fun right?!) while the surgeon was trying to pull Isabella out by her feet.Steve still talks about how freaked out he was with how much the table was shaking and the fact that even the surgeon was swearing!They ended up cutting me more,so the j cut turned into a upside down smiley face,which then tore down both sides.Isabella had a bit of breathing difficulty so they whisked her off to NICU.My last memory of that time was the anaesthetist telling Steve to say goodbye to me Steve kissing me and telling me we had a little girl,and me honestly thinking I was going to die.
Isabella Esther Penelope Wong was born at 1.26pm on the 3rd of February.
I don't remember any of the rest of this,but I was torn up so badly they had to knock me out.Weird thing was that for a few minutes after they knocked me out,I could still hear them.Then I was off on a cloud thinking Satan had stolen my baby (morphine sucks!).Turns out I had to have a blood transfusion of two bags of blood (will mean a bit more later).I woke up in recovery,still not lucid and kept asking where Steve was and where my baby was.The nurse ended up ringing NICU and getting them to let Steve come down with Isabella.Sadly I don't remember the first time I held Isabella.I was vaguely aware she was there,but I guess because of the morphine,I can only remember little snatches.I was pretty out of it for the first 3 days.I was on some pretty crazy pain killers.I didn't get the birth I wanted,and I found breastfeeding super hard,heck everything was hard!But our little long awaited treasure was here!
We went home after 5 days at the hospital (well I discharged myself.The day we came home a nurse had come in and told me I had to go in a room with other women. Wasn't going to happen!I still couldn't breastfeed,was barely able to get out of bed without help and desperately needed Steve there to help me!).So a painful car ride later we got home.
I struggled (I think that's an understatement) to breastfeed for a few weeks,but thankfully Steve was home and helped me so much,and between the 3 of us we got it sorted.Isabella however ate and ate and ate and ate some more.I am not exaggerating when I tell people Isabella fed 20 hours a day.It was the only way I could get her to sleep,and she was extremely hungry. (looking back I now think the pain killers I was on affected my milk,and the fact that all I wanted was to get some sleep,it was easier to let her feed non-stop.I had no help other than Steve and he had to go to work,so during the day I did what I had too).Thankfully after 3 months a lovely friend (whose boy is 6 weeks older than Isabella) just popped in.Before this I had previously asked for help,saying I wasn't coping,only to be told it was just hormones (when you want to leave your baby and never come back,its NOT hormones!).So I didn't ask for help again.Our friend walked in,asked how I was,and I felt like bursting into tears.Thankfully my friend had seen her mum go through Post-natal Depression (PND) so knew the signs.Even though her boy was so young,she stayed for the rest of the day,showed me some tips for feeding and showed us the controlled crying technique...IT WORKED!!!Once we put Isabella on some Farex mixed with breastmilk,hallelujah the girl slept for 2 hour strecthes!!!!!
And then................ (birth story 2)
My first hold with Isabella
The amount of fluid they has to give me was horrible.
Isnt she gorgeous??!!
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