08 September 2011
<3 <3 <3
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
** Week 1 **
Birth - 08 August 2011
At the hospital ~ 09 August 2011
Going Home ~ 10 August 2011
Back at the hospital for Jaundice ~ 12 August 2011
1 Week old ~ 15 August 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
My Birth Story ~ Finally
Well, it has taken me 2months to get this done! Yes, little Monkeyman Luca is 2 months old already! I hope I can keep blogging more regularly from now on.
The Birth of Luca van Wyk
2 years of infertility heartache, five failed insemination's, one failed IVF and one successful frozen embryo transfer brought us to this day, 08 August 2011… The birth of our little Eskimo, our Son, Luca van Wyk.
Looking back, I now realize that it all started on Saturday 06.08. I had intense period type pains the whole day. It was a constant pain so didn’t think much of it, later it turned into a stitch type pain, the kind you get when you are out of breath from walking or running too fast (for which I didn’t have the energy anyway) Later that evening I took a nice hot bath in the hopes that the stitch would go away but it didn’t help. Got into bed and after what felt like hours of tossing and turning the pain went away.
On Sunday 07.08 I woke up with very strange pains. Again it felt like period pains but this time it wasn’t a constant pain. I wasn’t sure if it was contractions and mentioned to hubby that something was going on. Hubby was on his way out to play golf and was very worried that he might have had to cancel his golf day! I decided to lie in a bit and he went to golf. At about 9am I got up. I had an unbearable urge to clean I cleaned the whole house inside out, cleaned out the fridge and cupboards and did all the washing. Keeping busy also made the pain go away so that was last I thought of that.
Monday 08.08.11 (38w4d) 1am – The strange pains woke me up, definitely different from what I had Sunday morning. I tried to fall asleep again but the pain got worse. At about 2am I got up and went to lie in the living room. The pain came and went, starting in my lower back and then spread to my tummy. I started to time it just in case. The pain came every 5 to 8 minutes and it was too uncomfortable to lie down. I had to make numerous trips to the bathroom, I wondered if I had a stomach bug or food poisoning. I didn’t believe that this could really be the start of labor. I read through my pregnancy books and for some reason tried to convince myself that they definitely weren’t contractions but they were getting more intense so at about 4am I started to repack my hospital bag and got Luca’s things ready. The pain was getting worse so I decided that we would have to make a trip to the maternity ward, even if just to check what was going on. The bathroom runs were getting more frequent too and at one stage the pain was so intense that I almost threw up.
At 5h15am I phoned the maternity ward. I explained to the sister what the pain felt like and she asked me to pop in to check it out. I gathered the last of our things and took a nice hot bath.
At 5h45 I woke Carlo and told him we were going to the hospital, he slept through all the early morning events so wasn’t even aware that I had been up from 2am. At first he didn’t even register what I was saying and turned around to sleep some more. I had to make him a cup of coffee to wake him up and again explained what the pains felt like and that the nurse asked that we went in to check it out… That’s when his excitement finally set in. He was convinced his son will be born today. I on the other hand wasn’t convinced and was sure that we were going to be sent home with nurses laughing at the fact that I don’t even know what contractions feel like!
Dressed and ready we set off to the hospital at about 7am. On our way to the hospital I wanted to tell Carlo to turn around I was sure that we were wasting our time but then I got 3 intense pains after each other, like someone was trying to remind me exactly why we were heading to the hospital.
We arrived at the maternity ward at about 7h20, explained to them why we were there and they showed us to the labor room. To my amazement the whole room had already been set up especially for me. I thought to myself that I am going to feel really stupid if this is nothing.
The nurse assisting us was Thembi,she was very friendly and caring and helped to set me at ease. I undressed and put on the charming hospital gown. Hopped onto the bed and was hooked up to the machine that measures baba’s heart rate and the contractions.
And to my amazement the pains in fact were contractions. 1 every 6 minutes or so but they were not lasting very long.
My Doctor had gone away for the long weekend so the stand in Doctor was called to come check if I was dilated.
At about 8am we were introduced to Dr Venter. He did an internal exam and announced that I was in fact in labor and was 2-3cm dilated. He said he would pop in a bit later to see how it was going. At that stage we were still unsure whether we’ll be sent home or not.
At 10am Doctor Venter returned and did another internal check. I was now at 4cm and effacement was 100%. He broke my membranes and water gushed out, it felt like it would never stop. At that stage the contractions were almost unbearable and I couldn’t wait for the epidural! The doc asked me to wait a bit longer before having the epidural. I walked around and bounced on the ball but it didn’t help to ease the pain. The bathroom trips were still frequent and I again had to fight the urge to throw up.
The Doctor returned at 12h30 for another internal check. I was at 6cm so I requested the epidural; I was terrified that we might get to the point where it would be too late. The Doctor was too busy to administer the epidural himself so they sent for an anesthetist.
Lunch was served but I kindly offered it to Carlo, I was definitely not hungry. Then I caught a whiff of the food and the nausea hit me… I asked Carlo to take the food away and eat it outside but it was too late, instead he had to drop the food and grab a bucket .
Luckily the anesthetist was around the corner and got there at about 13h00. He prepped me for the epidural. It was not long before he was done and I was so relieved, I didn’t feel anything, it was 100% painless. He explained that he doesn’t like starting off with a full dose so he started me on the lightest dose. I could still move my legs which was great. The pain was already much better but I could still feel some pain on my right side. I was worried that he did something wrong but a while later the pain was gone completely. Absolute BLISS!
So the long afternoon started. I lay there watching the machine. My contractions spiked at over 100 but I didn’t feel anything. I am in awe of anyone who can go through this without an epidural.
Dr Venter returned at 15h30 and I was 9cm dilated. He explained that baby was laying the wrong way around, facing up instead of down. At first he mentioned that I might have to have a C-section but then decided that he will use a suction thingy called a Kiwi to help baby turn while I push.
Thembi prepped the labor room for the birth. Doctor Venter returned at 16h30 and announced that it was almost time to start pushing. My legs were placed in stirrups and another nurse joined to assist Thembi and the doctor.
I started to push at 16h45. It was the strangest feeling to be told to push when you can’t feel a thing. I struggled the first few times but then got the hang of it. They put a big mirror below the bed so I could actually see him crowning, not the best sight! But it helped with the motivation to push. Doctor put the kiwi suction thing on baba’s head and I was told to give one last push while the Doctor pulls with the suction thingy to get baba to turn. It worked and baba turns but he was not out yet. Doc tells me that he will have to cut me. One last push, the cut and baba was out at 17h15! He let out a tiny cry and they immediately put him on my chest. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. I couldn’t (and still can’t!) actually believe that this perfect little human being had been growing inside me for the last 9 months.
I cried and just stared at this beautiful being on my chest. Perfect button nose, perfect lips, perfect hands, perfect in every way.
They then left us for a short time, as one happy family, smiling, crying and totally in love.
Thembi returned to take Luca to the nursery while I was cleaned, I remember lying there all alone, placing my hand on my now empty tummy and just crying.
I couldn’t believe that our little miracle was finally here.
The Birth of Luca van Wyk
2 years of infertility heartache, five failed insemination's, one failed IVF and one successful frozen embryo transfer brought us to this day, 08 August 2011… The birth of our little Eskimo, our Son, Luca van Wyk.
Looking back, I now realize that it all started on Saturday 06.08. I had intense period type pains the whole day. It was a constant pain so didn’t think much of it, later it turned into a stitch type pain, the kind you get when you are out of breath from walking or running too fast (for which I didn’t have the energy anyway) Later that evening I took a nice hot bath in the hopes that the stitch would go away but it didn’t help. Got into bed and after what felt like hours of tossing and turning the pain went away.
On Sunday 07.08 I woke up with very strange pains. Again it felt like period pains but this time it wasn’t a constant pain. I wasn’t sure if it was contractions and mentioned to hubby that something was going on. Hubby was on his way out to play golf and was very worried that he might have had to cancel his golf day! I decided to lie in a bit and he went to golf. At about 9am I got up. I had an unbearable urge to clean I cleaned the whole house inside out, cleaned out the fridge and cupboards and did all the washing. Keeping busy also made the pain go away so that was last I thought of that.
Monday 08.08.11 (38w4d) 1am – The strange pains woke me up, definitely different from what I had Sunday morning. I tried to fall asleep again but the pain got worse. At about 2am I got up and went to lie in the living room. The pain came and went, starting in my lower back and then spread to my tummy. I started to time it just in case. The pain came every 5 to 8 minutes and it was too uncomfortable to lie down. I had to make numerous trips to the bathroom, I wondered if I had a stomach bug or food poisoning. I didn’t believe that this could really be the start of labor. I read through my pregnancy books and for some reason tried to convince myself that they definitely weren’t contractions but they were getting more intense so at about 4am I started to repack my hospital bag and got Luca’s things ready. The pain was getting worse so I decided that we would have to make a trip to the maternity ward, even if just to check what was going on. The bathroom runs were getting more frequent too and at one stage the pain was so intense that I almost threw up.
At 5h15am I phoned the maternity ward. I explained to the sister what the pain felt like and she asked me to pop in to check it out. I gathered the last of our things and took a nice hot bath.
At 5h45 I woke Carlo and told him we were going to the hospital, he slept through all the early morning events so wasn’t even aware that I had been up from 2am. At first he didn’t even register what I was saying and turned around to sleep some more. I had to make him a cup of coffee to wake him up and again explained what the pains felt like and that the nurse asked that we went in to check it out… That’s when his excitement finally set in. He was convinced his son will be born today. I on the other hand wasn’t convinced and was sure that we were going to be sent home with nurses laughing at the fact that I don’t even know what contractions feel like!
Dressed and ready we set off to the hospital at about 7am. On our way to the hospital I wanted to tell Carlo to turn around I was sure that we were wasting our time but then I got 3 intense pains after each other, like someone was trying to remind me exactly why we were heading to the hospital.
We arrived at the maternity ward at about 7h20, explained to them why we were there and they showed us to the labor room. To my amazement the whole room had already been set up especially for me. I thought to myself that I am going to feel really stupid if this is nothing.
The nurse assisting us was Thembi,she was very friendly and caring and helped to set me at ease. I undressed and put on the charming hospital gown. Hopped onto the bed and was hooked up to the machine that measures baba’s heart rate and the contractions.
And to my amazement the pains in fact were contractions. 1 every 6 minutes or so but they were not lasting very long.
My Doctor had gone away for the long weekend so the stand in Doctor was called to come check if I was dilated.
At about 8am we were introduced to Dr Venter. He did an internal exam and announced that I was in fact in labor and was 2-3cm dilated. He said he would pop in a bit later to see how it was going. At that stage we were still unsure whether we’ll be sent home or not.
At 10am Doctor Venter returned and did another internal check. I was now at 4cm and effacement was 100%. He broke my membranes and water gushed out, it felt like it would never stop. At that stage the contractions were almost unbearable and I couldn’t wait for the epidural! The doc asked me to wait a bit longer before having the epidural. I walked around and bounced on the ball but it didn’t help to ease the pain. The bathroom trips were still frequent and I again had to fight the urge to throw up.
The Doctor returned at 12h30 for another internal check. I was at 6cm so I requested the epidural; I was terrified that we might get to the point where it would be too late. The Doctor was too busy to administer the epidural himself so they sent for an anesthetist.
Lunch was served but I kindly offered it to Carlo, I was definitely not hungry. Then I caught a whiff of the food and the nausea hit me… I asked Carlo to take the food away and eat it outside but it was too late, instead he had to drop the food and grab a bucket .
Luckily the anesthetist was around the corner and got there at about 13h00. He prepped me for the epidural. It was not long before he was done and I was so relieved, I didn’t feel anything, it was 100% painless. He explained that he doesn’t like starting off with a full dose so he started me on the lightest dose. I could still move my legs which was great. The pain was already much better but I could still feel some pain on my right side. I was worried that he did something wrong but a while later the pain was gone completely. Absolute BLISS!
So the long afternoon started. I lay there watching the machine. My contractions spiked at over 100 but I didn’t feel anything. I am in awe of anyone who can go through this without an epidural.
Dr Venter returned at 15h30 and I was 9cm dilated. He explained that baby was laying the wrong way around, facing up instead of down. At first he mentioned that I might have to have a C-section but then decided that he will use a suction thingy called a Kiwi to help baby turn while I push.
Thembi prepped the labor room for the birth. Doctor Venter returned at 16h30 and announced that it was almost time to start pushing. My legs were placed in stirrups and another nurse joined to assist Thembi and the doctor.
I started to push at 16h45. It was the strangest feeling to be told to push when you can’t feel a thing. I struggled the first few times but then got the hang of it. They put a big mirror below the bed so I could actually see him crowning, not the best sight! But it helped with the motivation to push. Doctor put the kiwi suction thing on baba’s head and I was told to give one last push while the Doctor pulls with the suction thingy to get baba to turn. It worked and baba turns but he was not out yet. Doc tells me that he will have to cut me. One last push, the cut and baba was out at 17h15! He let out a tiny cry and they immediately put him on my chest. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. I couldn’t (and still can’t!) actually believe that this perfect little human being had been growing inside me for the last 9 months.
I cried and just stared at this beautiful being on my chest. Perfect button nose, perfect lips, perfect hands, perfect in every way.
Hubby cut the cord even though he could barely see through all the tears. From here on most of what happened was a blur because all I can remember is staring at Luca. I couldn’t stop smiling and crying! Thembi took him away to do his Apgar test for which he scored 9/10 and then 10/10. She dressed him in a yellow babygrow and put him back on my chest to breastfeed, he latched immediately and I cried some more.
Thembi returned to take Luca to the nursery while I was cleaned, I remember lying there all alone, placing my hand on my now empty tummy and just crying.
I couldn’t believe that our little miracle was finally here.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
He's HERE!
So baba decided that he wasn't going to stay put for his due date tomorrow and was born on 08/08/11 at 17h20 weighing 3.195kg & 49cm.
I had a great birthing experience, did get the natural I wanted, with an epidural :)
It is a huge adjustment, breast feeding going well with some niggles here and there. Still feeling quite unsure about myself so the tears do flow now and then but we'll get there eventually.
Here he is:
I had a great birthing experience, did get the natural I wanted, with an epidural :)
It is a huge adjustment, breast feeding going well with some niggles here and there. Still feeling quite unsure about myself so the tears do flow now and then but we'll get there eventually.
Here he is:
I am so incredibly in love with this little man.
Finally I know what it feels like to be complete...
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