Well I haven't mentioned Clare's pregnancy on the web site before Sophie was born but then again I'm very behind with a lot of news.  Basically we found out not long after we shifted house.  We found it was difficult to stop Oscars knees getting into Clare's pregnant tummy when he was being cuddled so I hope Sophie forgives us for that, it looks like she has made it through relatively unscathed.  Oscar was told that there was a baby in mummy's tummy and he started rubbing his own tummy and saying baby as if he had one too.

With Oscar's birth he did not come down properly and there are a few things that may have caused this.   Firstly the cord was around the neck 3 times (it is long and flexible though.  The second is that he was a big baby with a big head.  The third was that Clare is small.  All indications were that Sophie was a relatively big baby as well so we decided to opt for an elective c-section and got that all organised.

We felt relatively cocky about our knowledge of the birth, "She is going to born on the 23rd of Feb at 2:00pm!" I told everyone.   "That's right we know the sex the birth date and the name.   We're just not telling you the name." I signed my Xmas cards 'Hugh, Clare, Oscar and Esmelda' which shocked a few gullible people, like my mother but then I love doing that.

February 12 6:00pm : We are sitting down at the table eating meatloaf and discussing how much we had to do before the 23rd. We had to completely shift every bit our bedroom furniture around to accommodate the cot near Clare's side of the bed, We had to assemble the cot downstairs, we had to wash all the bed linen and clothes, we had to put a oil column heater in the room...
Clare complains of a pain in between her legs and I said light heartedly "maybe your waters have broken"
"No it's not wet" she said,
not really knowing how these things work I said "maybe it'll come gushing out when you stand up!"
...Next thing I know Clare is in the Toilet calling me....

The Midwife said to call her back at 7:30.   I called my Mum to come over and mind Oscar but her cell phone wasn't working (we had reminded her just that afternoon to charge it in case the baby arrived early but she was under the impression it had to be switched off to do this!).
I quickly got Oscar bathed and into bed and there was a mad rush to pack a bag as we hadn't got to that stage of our preparations yet.   Clare was having contractions every 2-5mins.

I called up an old list I had on the computer from before Oscar was born.
Going through the list I asked Clare "where is your hair band" (that was off a list from the ante natal class we attended)
"What would we want with a hair band?" Clare said
"It's meant to keep the the hair off your sweaty forehead" I said.
"We're NOT taking a hair band" Clare tensely said.
"Well it won't hurt just taking it cause it doesn't take up any room really, so do you know where it is?"
"Hugh, (she always uses my name when she means business) ..We are NOT taking a hair band!"
"OK" - I figured even if she did want it she wouldn't use it now anyway.  Spite.

We rock on up to Christchurch Women's Hospital (I remember reading the sign on the front of the building Women's Hospital and thinking that it should be Womens' Hospital, I'm sure I went to CHCH Boys' High school but then apostrophe use is a real black art!)

Clare had discussed wanting to still have a caesar so we had to wait for the crew to get organised.   Clare's contractions died down somewhat.

Clare during her contraction "Lull"

The Anaesthesist came in and discussed what Clare had had for dinner "Meatloaf is like lead in your digestive system" we were told so they thought it would be best to wait till 10:30 before the op. After a while Clare started having some major contractions again, they got worse than with Oscar so she was puffing on the gas and trying to squeeze every last drop of blood out of my hand.   She was quite embarrassed in between the contractions that she had become one of those "Yellin, hoopin and hollerin" women.  

Clare having one of her milder contractions - note: no gas and I'm not being arm wrestled

About 9:30 the bad news came - someone had slipped into the operating room for an emergency C-section and we were bumped back to 11:30 or later. Annie the midwife was coaching Clare through the contractions saying something like "and again" after each exhale of the gas.   Clare thanked her after the contraction was over.   I tried this when Annie wasn't there and got told off for it.   Couldn't I see she couldn't! Clare was in as in so much pain that she said she "couldn't do it anymore" and some pethodine was organised and after some time it was administered.   This stuff takes the bite out of the contractions and kind of makes you drowsy in between.

Clare was telling the midwife "thank god it's my last" and "We're going to get Hugh's penis all chopped up after this"!!!! She had previously discussed the vasectomy option to me but certainly nothing was agreed on. I just turned to the midwife with a grimace and said "Oh is that how they do it these days", we knew the drugs were taking effect!

There was a veritable united nations of medical staff with the registrar being a Michael O'Leary from Ireland, he came in and discussed what was going to happen and to get some forms signed. After a long wait and midnight ticking over, Clare got lead away for prepping and I got all suited up in my spunky blue operating room garb.   I had almost located the correct size of freezing worker white gum boots when someone came into the room and said they were the sugeon's and all I had to wear was some over shoe covers so I saved myself some embarrassment there.

I felt a lot more relaxed this time waiting in the corridor before being asked into the theatre. I remember I was a bit of a wreck when Oscar was born but this time it was all familiar. I was even getting engrossed in the conversation the Anesthetist and Anesthetist assistant were having about Flat panel/Plasma TVs, but then I told myself to the focus on the enormity of what was happening. With Oscar there was a little cloth wall set up so I couldn't see any of the gore, but with Sophie everything was in plain view. OK admittedly it was cloth covered and there where so many gloves around that I never saw any gore this time either. I did see some wrestling going on and saw Sophie being squeezed out like a tube of toothpaste, with a little pause when she had her head just poking out (like a little slimey muppet)

Sophie Mid Birth - The baby equivalent of an Alien Abduction! (taken from her safe little womb world)

Looks like I found what the problem was - you had a spare one of these in there

Next I was off to the poking and prodding area while Clare just lay there - This was "Mans work". I saw her all cleaned up, toes and fingers counted and then I was asked if I wanted to cut the stumpy remains of the umbilical cord which I did.

On the warrant of fitness table

Next was the weighing in 3.4Kg and that was very helpfully converted for me, 7lbs 8oz, a very healthy size for being born 2 weeks before her due date.   The baby was then introduced to Clare.

Being weighed and measured

We got wheeled into the recovery room and Annie helped Clare get Sophie Latched on for the first feed which was a great success.   I spent an hour or so with the new family member and Clare said I should get some sleep so I took her advice and went home and told Mum all about it then I rang Clare's parents in Perth and emailed them the best photos, I got to bed about 4am so in Perth time that would be 11pm on the 12th. Clare's Dad, Jack, commented at a later date that he got photo's of her the day before she was born!

In the morning I got Oscar up at 7:30am and we went in to the Hospital. The rooms at Christchurch women's were extremely run down with stains on the walls and badly peeling wallpaper etc.   The new Christchurch Women's Hospital is opening in March so by all accounts even some supplies were being run down waiting for the shift.  

Basil Fawlty would be upset by this

The backdrop I had to dodge for my photos

When I first saw Sophie up on ward 5 she was dressed in a Purple and Black stripped Jersey and a Blue hat so I was pleased I bought a change of clothes for her and she was soon in a pink hat and a cream jersey.   I had asked about transferring to St Georges where we were booked in at for the 23rd but they couldn't transfer the funding so it basically couldn't be done even though St Georges was closer to our home and they apparently had 7 beds free!  I know I'm whining a bit but the staff were fantastic (as they were when we had Oscar there).

Some vital stats ...but who are the parents? (well we did have blank looks on our faces after being up late)...and whats with that weight? 3400kgs! I hope the newborn outfits still fit.

What not to wear - the newborns episode.

Thats better, it makes you look 10 years younger, baby.

Milkspots showing

Oscar was quite funny towards Clare. When she asked for a hug he just went to me and snuggled into my legs. I said "Go on Oscar Mummy wants a hug...Like this" and gave her a hug then guided him towards her.   He wouldn't have a bar of it and gove her a shove and went and hugged my legs again.  He kept saying "Mummy" at home and when he got to the hospital he kept wanting the "toys" in the lounge if he was in Clare's room and "Mummy" if he was in the Lounge - the poor wee man was very confused, sort of an approach avoidance thing I guess. During subsequent visits he enjoyed sitting on the bed next to her and then a few hugs.

Another strange thing Oscar did was that when we walked down the corridor to the lounge he pulled me into an empty room and said very definately "Sit Down!". It just happened to be the room we were in when he was born. I thought nothing of it but then the next day he tried to pull me in there twice but this time it was occupied with a couple and their new baby and looked quite different, I of course apologised and left ony to have him do it again. We had been up a couple of times after he was born to see other people with babies in different rooms but he showed no interest in those rooms ....spooky eh!

Monday morning I picked up the Plunket seat and cancelled a couple of appointments Clare had. The trip up to the hospital Monday afternoon was a bit of a shock.   I was assuming I had 5 days to sort out the new layout of the bedroom, wash the bed linen and assemble the cot etc.  (That was the amount of time Clare was allowed in hospital when we had Oscar)....   but Clare said she was probably being shifted to a shared room that day or early on Tuesday and she would prefer coming home.   She had been quite independent, showering herself etc. so the advice was that she would be OK if she took it easy.   Anyway the next couple of days consisted of madly getting everything ready for Sophie and Clare's arrival home (all around the normal dealing with Oscar and making trips to the hospital etc).   To my credit I managed to get hold of some Valentines day roses (even if it was on the 15th).

Clare and Sophie got home finally on Wednesday 16th before lunch.

The rest of it is all fairly standard stuff.   Clare has Sophie latched on when she is up otherwise she is trying to be settled to sleep in her cot.   Basically there haven't been many photo opportunities so thats why there aren't many on here with her eyes open.

Having a two storey house is a bit of a problem for us because Clare can't climb the stairs with her caesarian wound.  I've had to do all the Oscar stuff upstairs in his room (get him up, dressed and put him down for his afternoon and nighttime sleeps).  Sophies room is also upstairs and hasn't been occupied yet but there has been plenty of running up the stairs to get other outfits, muslins etc.   The whole upstairs / downstairs thing was the main reason for having Sophie in our room in the first instance (Basically we decided I wasn't going to go and get Sophie from upstairs each time she woke in the night for a feed).

She has been a wee bit Jaundice.   To summerise a flyer the midwife gave us:

Jaundice affects more than 50% of babies. Newborn babies have more red blood cells than adults and they are broken down in 90 days instead of the adult 120 days. One the byproducts of this normal cellular breakdown is Bilirubin and this is normally processed by the liver A newborn baby's liver takes a few days to kick into action as the mother performed all this waste filtering prior to birth Bilirubin colours the skin eyes and motions yellow It can be treated if too serious using blue lights (phototherapy) One of the handy byproducts of Jaundice is they sleep a lot!

The other minor problem is she got an eye infection - once again quite common in newborns.   The poor we thing couldn't open her eyes sometimes because they were glued shut with gunk.   I was quite amused that one of the best remedies was to squirt breast milk in her eyes, the germ killing goodies in the milk make short work of healing the infection (in parallel with saline to remove the gunk and some sterile eye drops).
I created a bit of a rod for my own back when I created the Oscar pages - even though I've got less time for this sort of thing now I felt I had to create something to equal what I did for Oscar lest I seem biased!!
Well I'll sign off now but here's a bunch of photos to keep everyone happy.

In Clare's Room - Room 2 Ward 5

Group photo completely by accident

Down at the Lounge

At home finally