Sometimes I acknowledge this day and sometimes I don't. Well actually it was yesterday but Simon was on the computer yesterday evening when I remembered what day it was. 7 years ago I was 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant with Jeremiah. I'd been in latent labour for a while by then, nearly 2 weeks I think.
With Eleanor and Elisha, their due dates seem so important because they are their "should have been" birthdays. With Ezekiel, his due date will be used on growth charts and for his operation dates for the first year of his life. He will have 2 ages, his actual age, based on his date of birth and his corrected age, based on his due date.
For Jeremiah, Isaac and Malachi, their due dates don't seem to matter at all. I never expected them to come on their due dates and none of them did. Although Malachi came fairly close, arriving at 40+2.
Recently I was talking about due dates with Jeremiah. I was trying to explain to him that Ezekiel was unlikely to come on his due date (didn't think he'd be that far off though!) and telling him when he, Isaac and Malachi were born. He was shocked that he was born at 11 days past his due date and very impressed that Malachi was only 2 days past his.
Saturday 22 June 2013
Saturday 15 June 2013
Plodding along
Ezekiel is much the same. Still sleeping a lot and still struggling to breastfeed. I've got a cold so I'm not allowed into the neonatal unit. On the plus side he is now officially "term" and I can now say that he was born premature rather than he is premature. He has his discharge meeting on Wednesday and hopefully we'll be able to take him home soon after that.
Malachi is doing really well with his walking and his speech. Simon has been taking him on the school run without the buggy so he has been getting a lot of walking practice.
Isaac is much the same too. He has his squint repair on 27th June which is scarily close now. Sports day is also looming and I need to talk to the school senco about how Isaac is going to take part. His blue badge expires soon as well, must get that renewed.
Jeremiah is enjoying his swimming lessons at school. He got his first swimming certificate yesterday, along with the rest of the children in his class. http://www.stjohnscofeprimary.co.uk/keyinfo_detail.asp?Section=3&Ref=186
I am still pumping and struggling with the sitting still aspect of recovery from surgery. No doubt in a few weeks I'll be desperate for a rest and won't be able to! Simon is going back to work on Monday so his mum is coming to help do all the things I still can't do yet.
Malachi is doing really well with his walking and his speech. Simon has been taking him on the school run without the buggy so he has been getting a lot of walking practice.
Isaac is much the same too. He has his squint repair on 27th June which is scarily close now. Sports day is also looming and I need to talk to the school senco about how Isaac is going to take part. His blue badge expires soon as well, must get that renewed.
Jeremiah is enjoying his swimming lessons at school. He got his first swimming certificate yesterday, along with the rest of the children in his class. http://www.stjohnscofeprimary.co.uk/keyinfo_detail.asp?Section=3&Ref=186
I am still pumping and struggling with the sitting still aspect of recovery from surgery. No doubt in a few weeks I'll be desperate for a rest and won't be able to! Simon is going back to work on Monday so his mum is coming to help do all the things I still can't do yet.
Monday 10 June 2013
Life in special care
Now I've talked about Ezekiel's birth I should talk about what happened afterwards. I was discharged from hospital on Thursday. Ezekiel was moved from intensive care to special care on Thursday as well. He is struggling with feeding and maintaining his temperature. Nicola was concerned about the size of his head so he had an ultrasound and MRI scan. This showed that he had enlarged ventricles in his brain and also extra fluid. The images have been sent to Bristol for further investigation.
Due to his cleft lip and palate and his prematurity Ezekiel is struggling with feeding. He has a feeding tube and he is also bottlefed with a squeezy bottle. We have tried breastfeeding with a little bit of success but that is going to be a big challenge. Meanwhile, I'm expressing.
My new camera arrived this morning so hopefully there will be more photos soon.
Due to his cleft lip and palate and his prematurity Ezekiel is struggling with feeding. He has a feeding tube and he is also bottlefed with a squeezy bottle. We have tried breastfeeding with a little bit of success but that is going to be a big challenge. Meanwhile, I'm expressing.
My new camera arrived this morning so hopefully there will be more photos soon.
Saturday 8 June 2013
Ezekiel Matthew
At 9:47am on 3rd June 2005 I was waiting for a scan that would tell me whether my first child was going to live or die.
At 9:47am on 3rd June 2013 my sixth child, Ezekiel Matthew was born by C-section at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, over a month early.
Most people who know me know that I don't usually do C-sections, or early babies. I'm more of a natural, overdue, just under 9lb baby kind of person. But sometimes things don't go according to plan.
I had a lot of waters and last Saturday morning they broke in a rather spectacular fashion. Despite this being my 4th pregnancy to get this far the midwives wanted to check they had gone so off we went to hospital. They weren't sure what position Ezekiel was in as they could feel what they thought was a head but they could feel feet as well so they thought he might be breech. So I was scanned and he was head down, although slightly to the side and one of his feet was by his face. I still had a lot of water and he had a lot of space to move around. I couldn't deliver him naturally like that and we had to weigh up the risks of waiting verses doing something. In the end it was agreed that I would need a c-section but not yet. So I had steroids to develop Ezekiel's lungs and we did a lot of waiting around and being nil by mouth while emergencies came up, people were bleeped and plans were changed again and again.
Finally on Monday morning I was taken to labour ward. Simon donned a very fetching set of scrubs and we went to theatre. Between them, Simon and the anaesthetist took loads and loads of photos. The surgeon was the same one who did my operation to remove Elisha and had been Ezekiel's consultant since we found out about his cleft lip. Ezekiel was born shouting but while I was being sewn back together he started to have breathing problems so after letting me have a very brief cuddle he was taken to neonatal intensive care. I was taken back to labour ward and sent Simon down to the neonatal unit to see what was happening. I couldn't go and see him until the spinal wore off which was extremely frustrating. Jeremiah, Isaac and Malachi came after school and I finally got to go down and see him. The next day I could walk down whenever I wanted which was nice but being on the postnatal ward was awful. I was discharged on Thursday but Ezekiel is going to be in hospital for at least another week. He has Isaac and Malachi's paediatrician looking after him so he is in good hands.
At 9:47am on 3rd June 2013 my sixth child, Ezekiel Matthew was born by C-section at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, over a month early.
Most people who know me know that I don't usually do C-sections, or early babies. I'm more of a natural, overdue, just under 9lb baby kind of person. But sometimes things don't go according to plan.
I had a lot of waters and last Saturday morning they broke in a rather spectacular fashion. Despite this being my 4th pregnancy to get this far the midwives wanted to check they had gone so off we went to hospital. They weren't sure what position Ezekiel was in as they could feel what they thought was a head but they could feel feet as well so they thought he might be breech. So I was scanned and he was head down, although slightly to the side and one of his feet was by his face. I still had a lot of water and he had a lot of space to move around. I couldn't deliver him naturally like that and we had to weigh up the risks of waiting verses doing something. In the end it was agreed that I would need a c-section but not yet. So I had steroids to develop Ezekiel's lungs and we did a lot of waiting around and being nil by mouth while emergencies came up, people were bleeped and plans were changed again and again.
Finally on Monday morning I was taken to labour ward. Simon donned a very fetching set of scrubs and we went to theatre. Between them, Simon and the anaesthetist took loads and loads of photos. The surgeon was the same one who did my operation to remove Elisha and had been Ezekiel's consultant since we found out about his cleft lip. Ezekiel was born shouting but while I was being sewn back together he started to have breathing problems so after letting me have a very brief cuddle he was taken to neonatal intensive care. I was taken back to labour ward and sent Simon down to the neonatal unit to see what was happening. I couldn't go and see him until the spinal wore off which was extremely frustrating. Jeremiah, Isaac and Malachi came after school and I finally got to go down and see him. The next day I could walk down whenever I wanted which was nice but being on the postnatal ward was awful. I was discharged on Thursday but Ezekiel is going to be in hospital for at least another week. He has Isaac and Malachi's paediatrician looking after him so he is in good hands.
Simon holding Ezekiel in theatre
Ezekiel
Quick cuddle before he went to intensive care
Ezekiel in intensive care a few hours old
Ezekiel on day 5 in special care
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