Synchronization of Us

Today marks my first day home alone with all three kids and so far i have actually been managing just fine.

I have been worrying about today , less about my ability to cope with all three children and more about how i would cope when i could not take a morning nap - or make DH do some housework. Im sure not all mornings will be this simple but today its been a breeze . Guess it helps that Ruairidh slept the morning away leaving me and the girls to go about there normal routines .

Now Rebecca is at nursery and Eilidh and Ruairidh are napping , i am a little worried about dinner and bath time (not sure when DH will be home, he is in Edinburgh on a networking day today) but im sure i will cope.

Its only 10 days in but we are already falling into a routine of sorts, Ruairidh is a hungry baby but aslong as his belly is kept full he is very contented . He loves to either lie on a mat on the floor or in his swing and just take in the world .For the most part he does not enjoy nappy changes but adores his baths . We are all besotted by him . I have spent so many months worrying about how i would cope with his arrival and i forgot the most important thing - how wonderful newborns are . He is sleeping in 3/4 hour chunks are night which i find wonderful .

Day 10 is also the last day our midwife visits, its slightly sad saying goodbye as they have been so wonderful . It will also more than likely be the last time i see any of them. She gave Ruairidh the all clear and says he is healthy and doing wonderfully. He was weighed (naked) and was 9lbs 4.5oz - so has gained 3.5oz since birth. That is also a gain of almost 4oz since last Wednesday.
As most babies are still trying to regain there birth weight at this point the midwife could not be more pleased, and for me its the best news - its hard with breastfeeding as you are never sure just how much the baby is getting so seeing them gain weight is a perfect sign that there is nothing to worry about.

I really have alot i could say about him but in the end it all comes down to the same thing, im in love - i am falling for this little boy . I can barely hold him without wanting to cry just so over whelmed with it all - how could i have forgot how good this all feels?

This week has so far been one of the longest in memory , its not a bad thing really - it just feels Ruairidh has been with us forever. I keep forgetting he is still brand new (as my mil would put it) .
The last few nights have been much better in terms of sleep , he seems to have his days and nights confused a little but im getting some sleep in and honestly thats enough for now.

He is a contented but hungry wee soul , he likes his food and likes to take his time over it (at least 30 minutes each side ) . Both girls were quick feeders so this has been an adjustment for me , im hoping it will not always be that way - it does make the night wakings that little bit harder to deal with.

I was worried about my milk supply, it just seemed like i was not making enough . Yesterday the midwife visited and at first she seemed to agree with me , all signs pointed to him not getting enough milk - he was wetting fine but had not had a dirty nappy since Sunday. Then he was weighed and was still at 9lbs 1oz (his birth weight). As if he was just wanting us to know without a doubt he was getting enough milk he choose this same moment to empty his bowels - and boy did he just keep going and going and going.
With no weight loss and now doing a dirty nappy the midwife thinks everything is perfectly fine and i have to stop worrying. Personally i agree with her and think i should stop trying to make problems for myself .

Im really running out of time here, its been a non stop day. Went on a play date today and got home just in time for Rebecca’s nursery to start , now i need to get the kids up and ready to pick her up . Ruairidh did get to meet his little girl friend today , baby S is 7 weeks old and just as cute as can be. They spent the morning snuggled together on sofa.

Is that just the cutest thing ever?

Now just for fun another couple of cute shots of the boy and a couple of my girls .

Im not even sure where to start, after the false labour i was pretty sure things were never going to get going . I felt fine for the most part and was really thinking i would still be pregnant come October.

Both Thursday and Friday were pretty crampy days for me , i felt exactly as i do when i am about to come on. BH were increasing to and getting annoying but not painful.

Friday night dinner at my mums and for the first time i felt something was going to happen, twice through out the evening i had what felt like proper contractions . What i still wanted to call BHs were coming frequently and starting to be uncomfortable and slightly painful (nothing i could not deal with - maybe a 2 on the pain scale) . I spent the evening relaxing and playing Mario on the Wii and went to bed around 10.

Im not sure how many times i woke up to go to the bathroom, im thinking maybe 3 before the final time at 2am. It was obvious then i was contracting , i was so excited the last time when i realised i was losing my mucus plug - this happened the same way the last two times and i knew then without a doubt if was the real thing.
I went through the living room expecting DH to be passed out on the sofa but instead he was still up playing on his laptop, i tried to send him to bed but he said he would not have been able to sleep and instead worked on a report for his PhD while i wondered around the living room . I watched some TV while spending time just keeping mobile and using the birthing ball. I was using Contraction Master to keep an eye on contractions and they were coming roughly every 3 minutes and lasting for about 40 seconds. They were still easy to deal with .

Rebecca woke up around 2.30 and she was crying for me, i did try and get her back to sleep which took around 15 minutes. I had 5 painful contractions during that time , it was evident that keeping still would not work for me. I finally got to leave her but she woke again and would not settle at all for Craig. She eventually got up and just came through the living room .

Together Craig and Rebecca started to get the room ready for the birth (not including the pool) while i yet again concentrated on moving and breathing through contractions which were increasing in intensity . I put on the tens machine and tried to relax as much as i could between them (i was feeling so very tired at this point and hungry although eating was making me feel sick) . I also took a shower.

Around 4am i called my mum saying we were going to drop Rebecca off, things were getting intense and as much as i loved the idea of Rebecca staying i knew i would not be able to truly relax with her in the room . Craig went to drop her off (Eilidh was still sound asleep so we just let her be for the moment) . It was while Craig was away that i first got the urge to push during a contraction , it was not an over whelming urge but took me by surprise . It did give me hope that the birth was not going to be much longer BUT with Eilidh i started feeling the need to push long before she was born (i was feeling the need before i went to the hospital and i was only 3cm when i arrive there).

Craig returned and started getting the pool set up while i called the hospital and spoke with a midwife, was happy to discover the midwife on call was one we knew. She has been my midwife when pregnant with Eilidh . Contractions were coming for longer by then, lasting for a good minute each and i really had to work to get through them. A combination of breathing and using visualizations (waves seemed to work well , imagining the wave getting bigger and bigger and crashing to the shore as the contraction ended) was getting me through. At some point i took of the tens (i think as the contractions were all in the belly it was not helping much) and went to the toilet . My waters started to go at this point, it was such a strange sensation - with Rebecca they exploded everywhere (remember i had way to much fluid with her) and with Eilidh the midwife burst them during an examination. They were just leaking out of me, felt exactly as i had always seemed it described - like doing the toilet but being unable to stop or control it.

Our midwife L arrive at around 5am - not completely sure. She checked me over and listened to babies heartbeat. Everything with both of us was fine, head was about 2/5ths engaged . I was not wanting checked for dilation so we had no idea how far/close i was on that front. She was wonderful and let me know i was in charge - everything was my choice and she was there to support me .

I was wanting to hold off getting in the pool as long as possible but really felt now was the time to do it, the strain on my bump during a contraction was incredible and i just knew the water would help with that. Straight away it made a difference, it really took the weight off it and gave me just that extra bit of strength.

I tried to get through the contractions as best i could but i was starting to loose control a little by now, the pain was so intense and i was barely getting a minute between contractions . L was telling me not to push yet - she had nothing set up and the second midwife had not arrived but i just could not listen to her. I let myself listen to my body which was saying push.
I knew i was letting it get to me, with each contraction i would scream and beg for some help (mind you not drugs as i knew it was to late for any of that) , Eilidh slept through it all . Contractions were getting so huge and so sore and with each one i pushed with all i had - this was not a choice but something my body demanded. I could feel his head moving down my body and all of a sudden i felt this massive POP. Im not sure what it was - the rest of my waters maybe or just the babies head fully engaging but i knew from that moment that Ruairidh would be born any minute now. I think it took two contractions for him to be born. I know i lay back in the pool to push him out - not the most helpful position re gravity but it felt most comfortable for me at that moment. Im not sure if it was a third time mum thing or the water (im going with the water) but the birthing part was by far the easiest of it all . No burning or pain, just pure joy - i could feel plenty of pressure and i could feel the head/body move but that part was completely painless .

At around 6.10am my little boy entered the world, he was born straight into the water and i lifted him into my arms. L was on one side of the pool and Craig held my hand on the other, i was the first person to touch and hold him. He was a little unresponsive, breathing but a little grey looking and floppy . We think he was a little shocked at how quickly it had all ended to.

L cut the cord wanting to get him warmed up quickly and i got out the pool and into a nice dry house coat. The next hour was spent cuddling and bonding with Ruairidh , plenty of skin to skin while he pinked up and a couple of attempts at breastfeeding . DH enjoyed a nice snuggle as i delivered the placenta (which came within around 30 minutes of the birth) and Ruairidh finally took his first feed at around an hour old.

The midwife’s left shortly afterwards and i just sat on my own couch cuddling my newborn and eating a bagel, Craig finished off the clean up operation while Eilidh told stories from her cot. I was so excited about getting her up and letting her meet her brother but in the end she was only bothered by Rebecca not being there . Craig took her to my mums just before 9 and i got to take a lovely shower and get fresh pjs on.

Ruairidh and i spent the morning snuggled up together on our own couch catching up on sleep.

I have so much more to say on the subject , it was an amazing experience and just wonderful being at home . For now i just wanted to get this down before i forgot any part of it.

A couple of pictures of my newest little monster. Im not around much for obvious reasons , Ruairidh has already been keeping us on our toes and i have barely slept in days. Im hoping now my milk has came in he will sleep a little better tonight. Thank you everyone for your congratulations - they have meant the world to us.

Born on the 20th like i thought all along at 6.10am. He was 9lbs 1oz and i think 55cm long , lovely brown hair and big brown eyes.

Born at home in the water after a labour of less than 4 hours, only the last maybe 45 were painful - 100% drug free just like i wanted.

He is doing great and like his sisters took straight to breastfeeding, right now im grabbing a quick bowl of cereal then going to feed again and curl up with him and nap.

Hopefully post again later .;

And im really sure this time, just going to call the midwife and im hoping he will be here in the next few hours. Wish me luck and i will update when i can xxx

Still nothing on the baby front, maybe baby took me seriously when i said i wanted a Wednesday and is waiting till tomorrow ? Maybe even the Wednesday after, im not to sure i would be entirely shocked .

I’m feeling more and more the big day is still a while a way, maybe by as much as a couple of weeks. I have no idea how long i will hold out before agreeing to induction, i think as long as the baby is ok i will wait till October - my birthday is the 2nd so anytime after that. Just so want him here before im 14 days overdue and will technically once again no longer be allowed a homebirth.

I think i have made piece with the idea of waiting a while and im no longer as anxious as i once was, im enjoying being pregnant and the time with the girls before R arrives. Im loving my evenings and getting to sleep all night (well minus a couple bathroom trips of course) . Loving a few free hours in the afternoon as Eils naps and Rebecca is at nursery. Just really enjoying my last few days of freedom before the 24/7 responsibility of an infant is mine again. Im reasonably comfortable and not in much pain, i do look forward to being able to get of the floor and out of bed in less than 5 minutes but for a heavily pregnant lady i think im doing great.

I have an anti-natal tomorrow and will hopefully be told baby is lying a better position (i think he is, reflux is gone again which happened when he moved) . Im declining any checks or sweeps for the moment , would really rather not know. It will more than likely be a boring appointment with not much being done.

Guess i should go and change Eilidhs smelly nappy and get Rebecca ready for nursery. I LOVE this time of day

Hello baby , why are you torturing us all so and not wanting to meet your family?

Are we really that bad?

Thats a no to labor and a yes to still being pregnant.

Im actually dealing with it ok now i have got my head around it and accepted we are in this for just a little bit longer.  On the plus side we bought a fancy new computer as a consolation prize

Its 6.54am and im sitting here with Blues Clues on tv and Rebecca playing school. Im still pregnant and not even in pain - darn it !!!

I have no idea what that was about yesterday and overall im pretty embarrassed over the whole thing, i made such a big deal over NOTHING. Seriously my mum had to leave work early to take the girls, Craig came home from  UNI , We cancelled dinner at his mums and two midwifes came to our home - not to mention silly stuff like completely rearranging the living room for the birthing pool .

I have only ever experienced pain like that twice before and both times i was in labor , plus i was bleeding - not much and only when i went to the toilet but it was there . I still feel like i made the whole thing up in desperation for it to be over. I did start then stop labor with Eilidh, but it was never intense just mild contractions and bleeding . It stopped then started up again about 12 or so hours later .

I am wonderging if labor has stalled due to the position of the baby, my last appointment (last week) he was in perfect position but at somepoint moved (which i knew about, eased of my bladder alot but made me have awful gastric reflux) . He is now back to back and most of the pain during contractions was on the one side, made even worse i think as for the whole pregnancy he was on the other side - my left side is pretty much not use to having anything there.  The head is “right there” but not actually started going into the pelvis - again i wonder if this is due to positioning , during contractions i could feel his head pressing down on my left pelvic bone (gosh was that intense) .

I have been doing everything i can do get him into a better position, the only time i sat down before going to bed last night i used the birthing ball and spent alot of time moving my hips in circles. Today i am going to spent my time doing the same thing. DH is going to stay home and im going to leave him in charge of the kids for most of it and i will take it nice and easy - a long hot bath with some Clary Sage oil and Lavander do the trick.  Thinking of taken the kids out for a nice long walk to (if the weather lets up) in the hope of really getting things going.

Wish me luck and i hope i have something to report soon, i can just see yesterday being nothing and still sitting here a week from now pregnant and even more misrable

Its maybe something or its maybe nothing, that’s the only answer i can really give right now.

I thought for sure that this was it,contractions were coming every minute or to and for a long 30 minutes or so right on top of each other. The side and back pain was also constant and i was getting no relief from anything. The midwifes were called and came out.

Things of course died down then , babies head is still high and is doing well. My bp and such is good to.
He thankfully seems to have moved a little and the pain in my side is gone (think he was lying on a nerve) . He is lying back to back which explains the backache.

Now we are all clueless, just pottering about the living room watching tv and trying to keep on the go, Using birthing ball and walking to bring baby down, contractions are mild and coming every 5/10 minutes which is something. Im still paranoid that im causing a fuss over nothing, but i have never had that type of pain before when not in full blown labor.

Just hoping this is it , going to be all embaressed if its not