Andre Rieu concert.

While spending Christmas with my aunt and uncle in The Netherlands two years ago we watched Andre Rieu's Vienna concert and I wished that I could experience it live. So as soon as I saw that he was coming to Australia I booked tickets.

Then Maya came along and I wasn't sure if I would be able to attend. My plan was to express enough milk for a test feed and then if she drank from a bottle I'd express enough for another feed. But I struggled to find time to express and when I did have time I couldn't get much out! Eventually I did manage to express enough for one feed and I was able to leave Maya with my mother and go to the Andre Rieu concert! I thought I'd worry about Maya but the minute I left the house it felt good to be out and to be free of responsibility!

Greg and I had fantastic seats - on the floor, next to the aisle, across from the VIPS and about 32 rows from the front! The stage was amazing and the music was fantastic. As well as the classical music, I enjoyed the medley of Aussie music that was played (which included the Neighbours and Bananas in Pyjamas theme songs). We also joined in the well known song "Aussie Aussie Aussie.. Oi Oi Oi". And the finale included Australian marching bands. It was definitely a night I will cherish. :)

Though getting to sleep after 2am and being woken up by Maya at 4.30am wasn't exactly fun!

Below are some pictures taken with my phone camera (hence the bad quality!).

The Unexpected.

• I didn't realise that it took so long to feed a baby. Each feed takes about an hour (with a feed, change nappy & feed again routine) and babies feed a minimum of 6 up to a maximum of 12 times a day. That's 6 to 12 hours spent feeding. Happily the most feeds I've had to do is 8 in a day.


• I thought I would no longer be able to read books. But I find that I am souring through books with all the sitting down feeding time I have.


• I thought babies slept most of the time. Maya 'woke up' while she was still under one week old and suddenly needed play time. And then it was a question of.. how on earth do you play with a new born?!? Plus it means I have less time for myself than I expected.
  


• I expected to be able to saunter around shops and spend time sitting in cafes, with a happily sleeping baby in pram. But Maya hardly ever sleeps in the pram and will usually start crying if I stay still for too long. Also Maya doesn't sleep much in the car. So going out usually results in an unhappy, tired baby.


• I thought I'd be able to express enough milk for Greg to try feeding Maya. But finding the time to express milk is not at all easy and when I try to express I can barely get anything out! Maya is a very efficient feeder!


• Yesterday I attended a mother's group and on hearing other babies cries, I realised that Maya's cry isn't that bad. Not sure if that's because I am used to her cry?! But I didn't realise how horrible other babies cries sound!
  

Don't wake the baby.

While in hospital the mid-wives kept commenting on the fact that Maya was jaundiced. I couldn't see what they were talking about, but every single nurse would tell me that Maya had jaundice and I had to feed her more often to get rid of it. Then Maya started losing weight, which all babies do, but she lost just over 10% of her body weight, which is more than they are supposed to lose. So again the mid-wives told me I needed to feed her more often and wake her regularly for feeds. The problem with waking her for feeds was that she wanted to stay asleep and wouldn't feed properly.

Our paediatrician on the other hand told us that she was a big, healthy baby to begin with and that she could stand to lose a few more grams than other babies. He also told us that she was barely jaundiced and it wasn't really a problem. But the mid-wives continued to tell me that she was losing too much weight and was too jaundiced and I had to feed her more! So I guess a paediatrician is more qualified but when you have one doctor versus every nurse, it felt like the majority was right. I left hospital feeling like a failure and continued to regularly wake and feed Maya.

Finally after many frustrating feeds of waking Maya up and then struggling to keep her awake I decided to drop the schedule and feed on demand. This felt risky but I had to try it. And what happened? Maya would wake for a feed when she was hungry, so she stayed awake and actually ate more, which has resulted in a very good weight gain. Today she was weighed and she has finally passed her birth weight! :) 4.2 kgs!

Today I learnt..

..not to stick your hand in between two cats that are fighting (the hard way!). My 'instinct' was to help my cat Cleo.. but I think I came out the sorest loser.

And that's just SOME of the cuts on ONE hand.

Maya loves the camera.

Maya Loves The Camera


Maya Settling After Crying

Maya - the first two days.

When I returned to the ward after my c-section Maya was desperately wanting food. A mid-wife helped set me up for a breast feed, with Maya resting on my stomach and almost straight away I started feeling sick. I got worse and worse and soon afterwards I began vomiting and continued vomiting for around seven hours until they finally found some medication to stop it. During that time and afterwards I was so tired, my head was muddled from all the drugs they had given me and I felt so ill , weak and dizzy. I couldn't sit up, I couldn't hold Maya and I couldn't even see her properly.

I watched from my sick bed as Greg regularly changed and dressed Maya and put her down to sleep. (Without Greg I assume Maya would have been taken away from me to a nursery.) Mid-wives had to help me breast feed because I couldn't sit up and later Greg also took over this role.

The next day I still felt so ill, dizzy, tired and muddled. In the afternoon a nurse got me out of bed and I couldn't stand at all. That night Greg put Maya down to sleep and left to get some things from home. As soon as he left Maya woke up. I could reach her crib and tried rocking her but her crying got louder. I felt so helpless. I couldn't get out of bed to hold her! I had to buzz for a mid-wife who took ages to come. While I lie there listening to Maya crying, I felt so utterly helpless. The mid-wife finally arrived and she basically told me that she couldn't stay with me and that I would have to feed Maya on my own. Then she said that I looked EXHAUSTED and told me that I needed to put Maya in the nursery for the night so that I could get some sleep. I was shocked at the suggestion at first, but while I sat there alone in the room feeding Maya, desperately trying to stay awake (so that I didn't drop off to sleep and drop Maya), I realised she was right - I needed to get a good nights sleep. I also realised that the extremely strong pain killers they were giving me were making me feel worse so I made the decision then and there to stop taking them.

After a good nights sleep and without the strong pain killers in me I was able to get out of bed the next day! :) From then on I just got better and better.. :) And I was finally able to take a good, long look at my gorgeous baby girl. :)

The birth of Maya.

Below is the last picture of me pregnant with Maya (wearing my stylish hospital gown waiting for my scheduled c-section):

Before the operation I was so nervous! I had no idea if I would feel any pain? Would Maya be OK? Would I be OK? Having the spinal block administered did hurt more than I expected but it was tolerable and before I knew it I was experiencing pins and needles and numbness in my lower body.

Greg joined me (in his scrubs) and I waited nervously for things to start.

There was a flurry of activity and I could feel some prodding on my belly, which I assumed was part of the preparation. And I waited for them to start.....

Then I felt someone pushing very hard on my stomach and I heard someone say that they were pushing on the baby.. and my brain suddenly clicked that they were performing the c-section and I didn't even realise that they had started yet!! The words "ohhh chunky baby" were uttered.. then crying.. then a baby was shown to me.. then taken off.. and Greg went with her. I lay there in shock. It seemed like she was born within a minute and I hadn't had time to absorb anything yet. I was still nervous about them starting.. and here was a baby. And I just couldn't connect that the baby they had shown me briefly was the baby that used to reside in my stomach!

She was brought back and placed on my chest.. and I looked for something I would recognise in her.. but there was nothing to indicate she was mine.

The paediatrician told me that she was very well and that was a HUGE relief. Then Greg and Maya were taken away.

I had to wait while they finished patching me back up and then I was taken to the recovery room. My recovery was deemed good but I had to wait a very long time to be taken back to the ward because they were under-staffed. By this stage I couldn't wait to see Greg and Maya again and it was so frustrating to have a totally numb lower body and be unable to walk anywhere!

In the meantime, Greg waited nervously in the ward, with crying baby in arms, wondering what was taking me so long to return.

Finally I was taken to the ward and given Maya to hold and I saw how gorgeous she was! Here was my baby that I had carried for nine months and she was well and healthy and in the world.

I found Maya's birth to be a shock to me and not at all what I expected. It was so quick and I didn't even know it was happening when it was happening. Though I realise that they probably intentionally don't tell patients that they have started, I would have liked to know. I also felt like I missed out on experiencing labour. I have no idea what waters breaking feels like or labour contractions. But afterwards we were told that Maya had not only been in the breech position, but she also had one leg up and the other leg down. That meant that I was never going to be able to give birth naturally. Maya would have gotten stuck. So I am also extremely grateful to my obstetrician and all the other staff present who brought me my gorgeous Maya safe and well. And that's what really matters.

First videos of Maya.

For people overseas who can't come see Maya here is some video footage:

Maya Katherine - Born 10th October 2008.

On Friday 10th October at 9.28am Maya Katherine was born via c-section weighing a very healthy 4.01 kgs! (I'm still not sure how I produced a 4 kg baby! But I am so happy that she is so big and healthy.)

I wish Maya a long, healthy and happy life.

Gorgeous Maya	A new family.
Dad	Mum
Peaceful.	Gorgeous Eyes.

Pregnancy - 39 weeks.

A quick update on pregnancy:

• Bubs has actually been at term from 37 weeks, so she's been 'ready' for the world for a couple of weeks now.


• Movements from bub are much stronger and harder now and at times she makes me feel very uncomfortable or even sore. But I am grateful for her movements because they tell me she's ok in there.. out of room.. but ok!


• For a few weeks now I've been swollen in my hands, legs and feet. I can't tell by looking at them. I can tell by the excruciating pains I get in my hands, knees and feet. I can no longer kneel, squat, grasp or reach for things without sharp, shooting pains and some expletives!