Multi - Tasking

The other night after my bath I came into our bedroom to see Dad really multi-tasking!

While I was having my bath, Zara had been fussing a little as she was due for her "top-up feed" before bedtime and Chris had been wanting to get some work done. As you can see from the pictures, he managed to comfort, cuddle and re-prop her dummy all while get his research material read as well!

So FOUR weeks into our new family roles and we all settling in to each others space really well.

I'm a Baby Bokke

Not only was Saturday the World Cup Rugby Final 2007, but it was Zara's given due date by Prof Jeffery and Prof Nicoloau. So, knowing how much her Dad wanted o watch the World Cup Rugby Finals, our daughter planned her entry into the world, allowing us three weeks to settle into parenting and make it possible for us to enjoy our first night out to watch the South Africa win the trophy.

Having spent the past three weeks at home, it was time to face the outside world, so we started the day off with a hearty breakfast at Fournos down the road. We then went on to do some grocery shopping and look for an appropriate outfit to show our support for SA in the rugby finals. Chris already had a rugby jersey so it was Zara we needed to kit out. Not one shop seemed to think that parents may want their newborns in a rugby jersey so by chance we went into "Buddy Bear"... Low and behold there was the perfect size rugby jersey for Zara. "Buddy Bear" is the same concept as "Build a Bear". Kids go to the shop and make their own teddy bears and then they can dress them too ~ hence the clothing. The shop assistant thought I was crazy buying teddy bears clothing for my newborn baby. When I got home, I had to make a minor adjustment to the neck line so that it would fit over Zara's head.

Zara, cause quite a stir at the restaurant in her ama bokke bokke outfit and was named the lucky charm of the evening by our table. It was a lovely evening out and Zara was as good as gold!

Guess Who??

Chris and I have seen a similarity between Zara and her cousin Leo.....

So see if you can guess who is who ?

Tight Squeeze

One week before Zara was born, I had a belly-mask done. Two weeks after she was born, I took this photo of her next to the belly-mask..... Remember that at this stage she was still supposed to be in my tummy for another week! But as you can see, it was certainly a tight squeeze and she looks as pleased as punch and highly amused that she surprised us all by joining us in the real world so early where her space is not so cramped anymore.

Sun Goddess

As promised, I have managed to keep the sunshine d treatment going. Every morning, after Dad has left for work, I get my breakfast, undress Zara and let her lie in the sun in our bedroom while I eat my food. I then give her a nice massage and after a bit of "tanning time" I get her dressed and ready to face the world. Zara loves her time in the sun. She spreads herself out to get the full benefit of the sun on her tiny body. Looks like she will be just like her parents and those family beach holidays will consist of the three of us spread out soaking up the rays.

Baby Bunny

As many of you know, Chris' nickname when he was growing up was "Bunny".

I think Graham once told me that the nickname came from the fact that his plates and mugs and "stuff" had bunnies on them..... as the years past, he then became "Bun" and many of his school friends and family still affectionately call him Bun to date.

We now have our "Baby Bun" and she is sporting an appropriate label to prove it. She is obviously quite the thinker - just like her Dad!

Snow-Girl

Its October and we have yet to experience some summer!

Since Zara was born, 11 days ago, the weather has been cold and wet! Chris and I needed to get some groceries so we decided to get Zara kitted out in her snow-suit she inherited from cousin Leo. I think this is the same snow-suit he wore home from the hospital. Although a little big for her, she was as snug as a bug for the little outing to the Woolies up the road from us.

Dummy or dumby

Being 11 days old, I decided it was time to introduce a dummy. I also made up my mind that I was not going to get caught up in offering a zillion types. Either she was going to take what was on offer or not. Anyway, besides being rather massive in comparison to her tiny face, she took to her dummy like a duck to water and soon enough was having a cat nap while I got the supper started.

Bathing with Dad

On the few nights that we have battled to settle Zara, the common denominator has been that she hasn't bathed. We are now trying to make it part of our routine to bath with Dad every night. They have a bath together while I potter around..... I then dress her and feed her. Once that's done she lies with Dad while he reads and I get to have a "quick" bath. She likes to stockpile her meals round this time so I don't get to soak for ages before she's ready for the next round of grub.

So far so good and as you can see, she really enjoys her bath time.

All the way from America !

Chris' folks got to meet Zara on day 8! They were on their way home from visiting Sue and family in America and taking a trip on the Queen Mary. Graham had been convinced that they would return home to meet their newest grandchild, and so she obliged and granted him his wish. It is amazing how modern technology is so wonderful ~ Graham and Heather boarded the Queen Mary only 2 days before Zara was born. I was in a panic about how we were going to get in touch with them to let them know they now had another granddaughter. I knew they both had email address on the ship, but was concerned as to how often they would be checking them....Mike A kindly sent off an email to them announcing Zara's birth and as luck would have it, they received pretty soon after it had been sent. On Monday, they called us via satellite phone with great excitement! Even though they were exhausted from the travel when they arrived in Jozi, Zara had a good bonding session and is looking forward to many more visits!!

Visit to Osteopath

During our home visits Sharon picked up that Zara had a very droopy shoulder. She suggested we take her to be checked by the Osteopath. Chris and I have been seeing Dr Emma Roberts and as luck would have it we both had appointments the week after Zara was born. We made the necessary arrangement and Emma was due to see Zara on day 5 but called to let us know she was not well and would rather not see Zara. The other unfortunate thing was that she was leaving that weekend for a 3 week holiday..... Sharon then suggested we take Zara to see Dr Pleass. Conveniently he is just 5 mins away from home. So, all of 8 days old, off she went.....

Dr Pleass did the initial assessment and picked up that her shoulder was indeed droopy, her neck on the same side stiff and her diaphragm "split". They would also need to realign her spine. With each step, he took the time to show both Chris and me how he makes his diagnosis. We had also been concerned by the length and strength of her hiccups. I know we sound paranoid but he assured us that these were as a result of how her body had been twisted during her birth and that within 3 weeks he expected them gone. Dr Pleass advised us that we would need to bring her in twice a week for the next 3 weeks and then they would re-assess her progress. After his assessment, Derek came in to do the treatment. It was amazing to watch this "big, burly, biker type dude" work so gently on our tiny baby. During the subsequent treatments we have seen a marked improvement in her in general and the hiccups have definitely lessened. After only the third treatment, Derek told us that he feels she has responded so well that we only only need to take her at the end of the month again.

WHAT A CLEVER GIRL!

First Bath

Zara is 7 days old! Where has the time gone?

Today was the last home visit with Sharon and time for her first bath. Again, Sharon's way is different to what we are used to. She ran a deep warm bath. By warm I mean the kind of temperature that we adults like to bath in and by deep I mean the same. This was going to be like an olympic swimming pool for our little girl.

With the bath run, the fun began. First things first and that's to take all her clothes off and leave her nappy on. While lying on the changing mat, wrapped in a towel to keep her warm, Sharon gently washed Zara's face. Next she held her over the bath (still wrapped in the towel) and wet and soaped her hair. Then it was time for the real fun..... towel and nappy off and all soaped up, Zara had her first bath! She loved being in the water! She floated around as if in pure heaven. The only minor squawk was when she was transferred from Sharon to Chris, but within a second or two all was calm and quiet again. As you can see, even her ears are in the water. Often, we are told not to get babies ears in the water.... however the theory behind this way of bathing is that it reminds them of when they were in utero and they find it very soothing and calming.

We have seen how much Zara enjoyed her first bath and will now continue to bath her this way!

2 peas in a pod

I think the photo pretty much says it all!!!

Before Graham and Heather left for America, Graham emailed me a photo of Chris as a baby.
Clearly I was just the incubator........

Home Visits

One of the best things about having Sharon in our lives is the 7 day postnatal home visits. This is all part of the package when you book her as your midwife. Everyday she arrives to check on how Zara and I are settling into our new lives. Our temperature is monitored which is usually within a points difference, helps with establishing breastfeeding, particularly as the milk comes in. Checks how many wet nappies we having in a 24 hour cycle, signs of jaundice, responses etc. With me she monitors how my uterus is contracting, whether I am having problems with the feeding. How well I am eating and resting. Sharon is very strict about resting properly in the first week. She caught me down stairs twice and I got wrapped over the knuckles for not letting Chris help me.

Sharon also weighed Zara again on day 7. Her birth weight was 3.280kg and on day 7 she weighed 3.2kg. What a star! Majority of babies loose 10% of their birth weight by the time they are discharged from hospital. I decided not to weigh her in the hospital and we are happy to see that Zara has lost very little weight and is clearly enjoying her mommy's milk!

One of the things Sharon likes, is to analyse postnatal dreams during her home visits. I have been totally useless at remembering my dreams though. So we have put it down to the fact that I have had all my issues and life is now dandy with Zara here safe and sound.

Grandpa Christmas & Grannyannie

Zara was lucky enough to meet my folks on Day 4! All along my Mum wanted to get organised and book flights so they could come meet their new grandchild ASAP. Not knowing for sure when she would arrive, I assured my folks that we would be able to get them on a flight to Jozi pretty smartly, and we did just that. They arrived on Thursday morning but sadly had to go back on Sunday afternoon as my Dad had to be back at work. While Grandpa helped with the cooking, some general house admin and even a nappy change, Grannyannie was set to work on my laptop. I dictated while she typed out the hundreds of text messages we received welcoming Zara to the world. These are to be put in her memory box for her to read one day!

We had a lovely weekend together and look forward to sharing plenty more happy times together!

4 Generations & an Uncle

Zara was six days old when she got to meet her great-granny Nana. She is great-grandchild number 7! It would be really fantastic if we could find a way to have all the great grandchildren together at the same time with Nana!

What a privilege for us to have my gran so close by to us and have her spend a lovely day with all of us. Chris (my uncle) and Dion very kindly agreed to fetch Nana from Pretoria. We had a delicious Saturday roast chicken and the rugby fans even got to watch the game before it was time to take Nana home again. This was the game that England beat Australia in the 2007 Rugby World Cup quarter finals against all odds.

Sunshine D

Another of Dad's "duties" has been to ensure that Zara gets her daily dose of vitamin D. This is supposed to be done twice a day but with the mizzy weather we have been having its been hard to find enough light/sun in a warm enough environment to undress her. The sunshine or light rays help fight the bilirubin which causes jaundice. Sharon has told us that it needn't be direct sun but needs to be where the light rays come through a window and her treatment is over when her skin tone has changed from normal to red to pink again. By day 4 the bilirubin should be out her system and therefore the risk of jaundice over. This is not say that her sunshine time should stop. Seeing how Zara loves her time in the sun and especially the massage she gets with baby calendula massage oil while in the sun I am sure I will carry on when Chris goes back to work.

Sleeping with my Dad

"I AM THE BOSS" ~ First night home and ain't that the truth!

Having battled to get her settled into her new environment and with Zara showing no interest in being in her crib, we finally gave in and let her sleep with us. With Dad and daughter finally zonked out, I took the opportunity to watch them bonding in club duvet. I sat and watched them for quite a while ......

Coming Home

Tuesday and just shy of 48 hours old and Mom and Zara are good to go home!

First to be cleared was Mom when Dr Mseleku came by and checked that everything was in order. She was a little concerned about my haemoglobin levels and ordered a blood test. This was mainly due to the fact that I had apparently been a "bleeder" and she had battled to stop the bleeding after surgery. With that all being fine, I was good to go! Next up, Neli, the paediatrician came to check Zara. Once again her reflexes were checked, another look to see if there were any signs of jaundice setting in and plenty of questions about her bowel movements and feeding and then she too was good to go. It was then just a matter of changing the dressing on my cut, Chris checking us out and getting the car seat installed and then off we were home to where we were supposed to be all along. I think the hospital staff were pleased to see the back of me as they had kept coming in to see if we were alright. Very concerned by the fact we had never called them, one nurse even asked me what I was doing in hospital.....

Once we got home, we had look at the cake I baked while in labour. Chris was too sceptical to eat it. I think he thought I may have added salt instead of sugar or something silly. I mean, how can you bake an edible cake while dealing with contractions?

Anyway, the birth cake didn't go to waste.... it was eventually eaten when my folks came to visit and Chris had to admit it wasn't half bad!!!

Day 2 ~ a love like no other!

These photos were taken on Monday, the day after Zara was born.

Chris had to drag himself away from us during the day to run a few errands, get things back together at home (as I was chomping at the bit to get home asap) and possibly check in at work if time allowed. With Zara arriving 3 weeks earlier than expected and Edwin having been on leave the previous week, you can imagine the chaos that lay ahead.

While Chris was away, I couldn't take my eyes off Zara, I just wanted her close to me and to absorb every second with her. Look at how big her nappy was for her!

When Chris eventually managed to get back, he took her and sat with her for the entire evening. We had a few visitors and they commented on how besotted Dad was with his little girl! Adrian even said " I think Chris looked at us once the entire time we were there, he couldn't take his eyes off Zara!"

We always knew that a parents love for their child is indescribable, and now we really do understand that its a love like no other!!!

The Firsts of Zara's Life

As soon as I was all stitched up and in recovery it was time to get Zara drinking. Sharon had taught us in antenatal classes that it is important to get your baby to the breast within the first hour. A little overwhelmed by all the events of the day, and I think a little shocked too, Sharon patiently re-explained what to do and then helped me latch her. Zara took to the breast like a champion and had a good 20 min drink.

It was while we were still in recovery that we also took the time to phone all the family with our exciting news. Thinking back on it now, we were on such a high yet so exhausted after the long labour that its actually quite a blur.

Later that night it was time for another first..... this time it was Dad's turn to change the first nappy. What a champion, again Zara co-operate nicely and soon enough she was clean as whistle and ready for yet another drink. Although it looks like the middle of the day, I can assure you it was the middle of the night and we had to get Dad out of bed for the momentous occasion.

Hello World

Who would have thought….. Three weeks earlier than expected, a mere four days after seeing the doctor and Sharon, I would be writing to tell you about the birth of our baby.

It all started out as an ordinary Saturday. Chris and I had planned to get some “house admin” out the way. As usual, Chris was up earlier than me; he set Senzo (gardener) to work and left to fetch the trailer he had hired for the day. I eventually dragged myself out of bed; still feeling exhausted and got going on my filing. We had asked Senzo to work an extra day to help us clear out the junk in the garage, so imagine my surprise when Chris got home with gym equipment he had collected from Mike and Laura……

As the day progressed, my back got more and more sore but I was adamant to finish my filing.

At about 3pm it was time for Senzo to go and we had offered him a lot of stuff from the garage. Chris said he would take him to a garage near Alexander and then Senzo would have to find a way to get the goods home. I decided to go with for the drive and along the way mentioned to Chris that the baby had been rather quiet and even joked that this may be the calm before the storm.

When we got back home, I insisted on getting the pram assembled. I wanted the car seat ready just in case! Once this was done, I lay down on the sofa and had a good sleep. By 8pm, I was really feeling uncomfortable and so went up to bath. After about an hour and half the “cramps “ were not subsiding so I called Chris. He assured me that this was merely Braxton-hicks and my body practicing and preparing for labour. I started timing them and soon realized they were 5mins apart. Chris went to sleep while I called Andrea (doula) she advised me to call Sharon as I was still only 37 weeks pregnant. After a q&a Sharon said she was coming to check us out. When she arrived we realized that this was in fact labour and we were going to have our baby. Knowing that our decision to have a home birth would be met with some opposition, we had decided not to tell people. We had started preparing for our home birth, but had also thought that we still had three weeks….. so we were far from ready!

Chris and Andrea were rallying around setting the stage while Sharon monitored me. We were only due to collect the birthing pool the following week so when we called Carol the pool lady, she offered to bring the pool to us and arrived at about 1.30am. During the setting up, I was baking a chocolate cake, and washing the vests and leggings that I had gotten on Friday.

At about 4am, the contractions had become irregular so Sharon & Andrea decided they would go home. Chris and I were fine with this as we knew that any time we needed them they would come back. After they left, the contractions resumed and the intensity mounted. We called Sharon back at about 7.30am as the contractions were now 2mins apart. When she arrived and checked us out we had progressed nicely and now knew we were definitely having our baby.

Time passed and eventually at 1pm it became clear that we needed Dr Mseleku to check us out. The baby was lying posterior – hence the incredible back ache – with the chin lifted and more than likely a hand in the way. Therefore, so to say stuck and unable to progress further down the birth canal. Even though it was not ideal to be going to hospital we knew that now was the time to go so as to avert any unnecessary risks. We got to hospital at about 2pm and after being checked were told that there was no way our baby could be born naturally as he/she was stuck with the head tilted to the side, posterior, chin raised. It was now obvious that an emergency c-section was how we were going to meet our little one safely. While waiting for the theatre, my waters broke naturally and even this did not help “flush” him/her straight. I am glad they broke as this was the only other option that could have made a natural birth still possible. Earlier this had been discussed as an option to consider. Sharon had said she could break my waters artificially but only in hospital and it would then mean I would have to push like a crazy person and she was not sure I had the stamina to carry on. Now knowing that he/she was really stuck and we needed to do a search and rescue to get our baby. At no point did baby ever go into distress and we had the gentlest ceasar possible. We watched as her head, shoulders, body and legs came out. When she was out, she opened her legs to show us who she was! We were so privileged as Dr Mseleku had come in on her day off. Zara Guinevere was born to Cat Stevens playing in the background. Chris and I always played Cat Stevens when driving “home to Ficksburg” and now our daughter was “brought home” to us with the same music.

Final Scan......

Today, 26 September, we had our final check with our gynae ~ Dr Mseleku. We have not seen her since our 20 week check as Sharon has been doing all our antenatal checks. Dr Mseleku asks her patients that are with Sharon to see her between 36/38 weeks just so that she can confirm that all is well and that she as our back-up doctor is confident that both baby and mom are well. Dr Mseleku then gives you her "consent" for Sharon to birth your baby. During the check, we had a scan and it was indeed confirmed that the baby was engaged and that he/she was lying “in the perfect position” Dr Mseleku referred to the position as FLO. She estimated the baby to weigh around 3kg and to be about 3.5kg to 3.8kg at birth. The placenta is still in good condition and blood flow between baby and me is strong. She also checked to see if the umbilical cord was near the neck and with no sign of that we have been given the all clear. When asking her if there was any "letters" to be sent to Sharon, she assured us she was more than happy and we will only need to see her again for our 6 week – post birth visit. We will continue to see Sharon weekly and we just need to hang in there till our little one is ready to meet us and the rest of the world.

So here's the Dad too

The reality has most certainly sunk in that the birth of our baby is just around the corner. Being just over 36 weeks pregnant, it was time for more photos and also this time, which was more than likely to be the last, Chris agreed to join us. Linda once again kindly agreed to come to us and it was certainly a lot of fun.

I must admit that I have had to start slowing down. I am starting to feel tired and having had a busy weekend and am feeling the need to spend some quiet time at home before we meet our little one.

Over the weekend, we went to Adrian and Shannon’s wedding in Bergville. It a beautiful service and despite the heat (37 with typical berg winds) much fun was had by all. We also went to visit Nana for her birthday. Chris had been invited to Cricket with Lloyd and while taking him we realized that he in fact had two tickets. He called Lloyd to ask if the other ticket was a mistake and Lloyd announced that “it’s for your wife chom” so with great surprise and delight I got to go to the 20/20 World Cup Final. While walking to the stadium, I felt the baby drop down in my tummy. Although it’s nice to know your baby has engaged and is getting ready to be born, it makes moving around a little more difficult/uncomfortable.

Belly Masking ~ Just in time!

One of the new trends amongst my “crazy” generation of pregnant women, is to have a belly mask done of our tummies. I decided that I would like to have one made, what I am going to do with it was still to be decided. My philosophy is that if I have it done and do nothing with it, its better than not having it and then regretting the fact that I missed the opportunity and can never have it back again. Theoni, my yoga teacher, amongst all her many services, offers this too and with her baby due around three weeks before our baby, I knew that being 36 weeks was pretty much my cut off for getting the cast done. I also realized it was quite an effort physically for her at 39 weeks and was very grateful when she agreed to do it for me.

How this all works is, she comes to your home ~ it’s a very messy job ~ you cover yourself with Vaseline and then she starts applying strips of fabric & plaster of paris moistened in water to your body. She has to work fast to cover your body accurately and evenly and hopes that baby doesn’t move while she is applying the strips and they are drying. You have to keep still and the entire process takes about a half hour. Funny enough, our baby did move and there is proof in the cast of this. Chris was really skeptical when I told him that I wanted to have a belly mask done but has had to admit that he in fact does like it and it’s a nice memory to show our baby one day.

(Theoni had her little boy, Zachary, 4 days later ~ hence we got the belly mask done just in the nick of time!)