Peaches!!!

In the "solarium", getting a tan before going home for the first time :-D

First bath at home.

She looks like dad, don't you think?!?

Like a little Thumbelina, sleeping in a shell of a walnut.

Twins???

Daddy and Jacob visiting in the hospital.

Seriously - this is how small her feet are! :-) Jessica gave me those socks for my baby-shower and I thought they were a souvenir rather than actual socks. They fit perfectly!

Ice Age 3 Dawn Of The Dinosaurs:Manny the mammoth to his pregnant partner Elly: “We need a code-word (for Elly to let Manny know about the starting labour).”
Elly: “How about – AAAAAA!!! THE BABY’S COMING!!!!”?
Manny: “Hmmm… No. Too long. We need something short… Something punchy… Oh, I know – Peaches!”
Elly: “Peaches?”
Manny: “Yes, I love peaches. They’re sweet and round. Like you.”
Elly: “So you think I’m round?”
Manny: “Aaaaa… round is good, round is foxy!”
http://www.iceagemovie.com/

It all started at 4am on Monday 27 July 2009. I woke up with the pain that felt awfully familiar. I knew that something was up, so I got out of bed and started gathering my things for hospital stay. I got dressed and woke Phil with code-word “Peaches!”

At 5am we woke Jacob as he had to come with us at first. It was still dark outside and he was quite exited about the whole thing.
5:30am – at the hospital. Labour room wasn’t ready yet so the nurse put us in a temporary room where I was hooked up to the machine that measures the contractions. While I was examined and set up to the machine, Phil took Jacob for a little walk at the corridor. When they returned in 10 min, Jacob asked me: “So, where’s the baby? Is it out yet?” I explained that it will take some time and that zia Lisa was coming to get him little-bit later and take him to day-care. He was fine with that.
I was 2cm dilated.
Zia Lisa came around 7am and took Jacob to McDonalds for breakfast first and then to day-care.
Meanwhile we were transferred to the delivery room. By that stage the contractions had become really painful and I decided to have epidural. What can I say… I chickened out. The memory of Jacob’s birth came flashing back too clearly and I didn’t want to go through that again. I was about 7cm dilated by then but the waters hadn’t broke yet and I knew that as soon as they do… holy-moly-sweet-sister-Mary-mother-of-God! Nurses told us that anaesthetist was on the way and should get there by 8:30. I started counting minutes because pain was getting unbearable. And of course – anaesthetist arrived 10 min late! But I forgave him. As soon as the epidural was in, I was in a much better place and happily ready to have a baby. Not even 15 min later, my waters broke so thank God I got epidural in time!
My midwife was Claire Allen. She was wonderful – so attentive, supportive and caring. Claire won “Midwife of the Year” award recently and I can see why.
Dr Tiernan had her hands full that morning – there were 3 of us giving birth at the same time (all her patients and one of them first-timer). I was the second one in the row.
Claire predicted that baby was going to be born at 10-10:30 but it didn’t happen until 11:36. After Dr Tiernan assisted the cervix to open enough for the baby’s head to fit through I was ready to push. After 3 or 4 contractions and big pushes she was out. My beautiful baby girl! My little angel. My treasure. My precious. My Peaches. Her name is Lilu Julia.

She was tiny! Total opposite to Jacob. From one end of the scale to another. She weighed 2,880kg and was 46cm. Jacob was 4,3kg and 51cm – gigantor!

After the birth there was some fuss over how much blood I had lost and why. Apparently I lost too much and it was a concern to doctors. I felt fine though.
Dr Scarf examined the baby and said she looks healthy, no clicking hips or other obvious abnormalities present. All good news.
Let the sleepless nights begin!

We were suppose to get home on Friday but these things don’t always go as planned. Lilu had jaundice and had lost more than 10% of her body weight. Dr Scarf ordered her to have photo therapy for 48 hours. She was kept in the special care nursery, under the lights, and I was sleeping in my room. I fed her every 3-4 hours hoping for the best. By Sunday morning her blood test result showed that jaundice levels had come down and she put on 36g. Not much but for such a little baby that was good enough for us to be discharged from the hospital.

Now we are home and trying to establish eating sleeping routine. A nurse came to visit from Early Childhood Health Centre today. Lilu has put on some more weight!!! Yepeeeee! It will take couple more weeks to get to her original birth weight but we are on the right tracks.