Meeting new friends

Well Kaylee is 9 weeks old this week, and we decided to start participating in some of the groups in our area, with such a lot to choose from it took a little time to decide what we were going to do ...

 

I started the week on Tuesday with Bumblebees parent and toddler group. I really enjoyed myself and I think Kaylee enjoyed some of the toys, but I think that Kaylee is a little too young for it at the moment ,especially as the rest of the group consisted on 3 very boisterous boys, but oh well! live and learn!

 

On Wednesday we were all geared up to do Baby music makers which is a group designed for babies under 2 with simple instruments and singing, Sadly I managed to get us lost and so we didn't get there on time, the good news however is that I know exactly where it is for next week, with the added bonus that some of my new friends are also going which will be great fun ;)

 

To round off the week me and Kaylee went to our first Baby Bloom course session. This is a six week parenting course where you learn about communication, feeding, massage routines sleep etc....

I really enjoyed this session, I got to meet other mums and their babies, most of whom were born around the same time as Kaylee ;)

The next week is shaping up to be quite fun, as my mum and dad are having Kaylee for the night for the first time! Me and Andy have been invited to his works party which will be great fun I'm sure ;)
We also have baby massage to look forward to on Monday which we are totally excited about!

Well that's all for now, enjoy the pictures of our beautiful baby daughter below as well as her first mini video!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151808790797115&set=vb.516657114&type=3&theater

 Looking forward to Bath time!

 A proud mummy and a bored daughter!

 Kaylee revelling in her brand new playmat!

 

 

 

One Hell'ova week!

Well what a week it has been!

 

This time last week I was just a normal (albeit heavily pregnant) woman impatiently waiting for my baby to arrive.

This week I have a 1 week old bundle of joy who despite arriving a little early, is everything we could ever have dreamed of...

 

1 week ago

 

It all started just over 1 week ago, me and Andy were at the midwife's for our 39 week appointment, everything was going well until they did my weekly urinalysis and blood pressure. They say a facial expression says more than a thousand words, and we now realise exactly what they mean.

 

I was reliably informed that not only did I have protein in my urine, but my blood pressure was significantly higher than was considered normal. One short phone call later and we were on route to the James Paget Hospital to be checked over. Little did I know that just over 24 hours from being seen at the maternity assessment unit I would be giving birth...

 

What happened next

 

The consultants had decided that I had Pre-eclampsia and in order to protect the life of me and our baby, I would need to be induced the next morning , just in case.

Sadly being induced would mean that I would be unable to have the water birth I had planned, but I knew that with Andy to support me,I would still be able to have a moderately natural birth with minimal interventions which was great.

The next morning I was induced via a pessary at 9am , and then the real fun started, Upon deciding that we had hours to wait before anything interesting happened, me and Andy decided to go for a wander down to the canteen for a coffee and something decent for breakfast. I lasted about 10 minutes before the pains started, so we made a hasty exit back to the ward so I could lie down.

In the meantime some kind soul had been to deliver a really cool birthing ball, and although I didn't get on with it much Andy absolutely adored it ( although that may have been because it was more comfy than the chairs provided lol)

 

The rest of the day went very quickly, my contractions started coming thick and fast , and I was given a cylinder of gas and air to help with the pain. What felt like a few minutes later I was being whisked down to delivery suite to have my baby as the contractions were only a few minutes apart !

 

Our birthing room was lovely , and even had a bath that I attempted to enjoy , however sadly I couldn't have gas and air in there, so i didn't stay comfy for very long ;(

a few hours later we welcomed our beautiful bundle of joy into the world in what would appear to be record time ! having been induced at 9am that morning Kaylee Anne Musk was safely delivered with her waters intact at 1747 that evening .

Weighing an impressive 7lbs 12.5 ounces she is the most perfect bundle of joy I have ever held.

What was most amazing was that when she was born she had no trace of pain killers in her system as I only had gas and air throughout the whole labour ;D

 

The midwives and student midwives that day were absolutely amazing , and for all the faults of the nhs, these guys were perfect. Me and Andy were made to feel welcome and though they must have been very busy, we were made to feel like we were the only ones on the unit.

 

Moving on

 

 We were moved off the delivery suite around 1am that morning, and I was allowed to go home later that day after waiting for a review from the paediatricians and maternity team. My blood pressure was still high , but the doctors were happy to manage it in the community and so at 6pm ish we left the hospital with little Kaylee and set off (in the rain) for home for cuddles and a brief visit from my mum and dad who were so anxious to meet their new granddaughter.

The first week has been an emotional rollercoaster as we get used to parenthood, but as we all get to know each other, we settle into a happy routine. As of today Kaylee Is 8 days old and getting more beautiful by the day :)

 

Next blog entry will be in  a week or so's time where I will talk about some of the challenges that we have overcome in the first few weeks , and what new parents can expect from midwife visits, plus all the stuff they don't tell you in the parenting books!

 

 

But for now,

Keep well, happy and safe

 

The Musks