Properly introducing Zechariah

With all the problems with uploading photos I never did this when he was born.  So here is my very belated birth announcement for Zechariah.

Zechariah Joseph was born on 13th June 2014 at 1:53 am, 3 weeks early.  My waters broke at 35+3 and I developed an infection at 36+5.  I was induced, but for various reasons it failed and Zechariah was born by cat 1 emergency section 5 hours later.

He was very poorly at birth, mainly because of his prematurity.

 

 

And this is him now, aged nearly 15 months.

 



There is no "m" in Zechariah

Introducing Zechariah Joseph, born on 13th June 2014 weighing 7lb 6oz.  Malachi insists he is called "Zechamiah", which has led to Isaac shouting "there is no m in Zechariah" on a regular basis!

Jeremiah's due date

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.

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. 

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



Malachi's orthotic appointment

Jeremiah and Isaac are away on their holidays so it was just me and Malachi at the hospital this morning.  The good news is that they now do piedro boots small enough for Malachi's feet.  The bad news is the tiniest ones look like the shoes you hire when you go bowling.  Hopefully it won't be long before his feet are big enough for the boots like Isaac has which look a lot nicer I think.  I also took the opportunity to take some photos of the old building before it gets knocked down.  I have fond memories of pacing up and down the corridors there while in early labour with Malachi. 

Isaac is 4

From this tiny newborn...

...To this 4 year old.

Still can't work out how to turn pictures round!  So much has happened in the last 4 years.  I have learnt to trust my motherly instinct, to feed a baby via nasogastric tube, to always bring a book to hospital appointments, to always bring a quilt when staying in hospital, that my husband can drive as fast as an ambulance, that a buggy with a 4 year old and a 1 year old in is heavy, that an adult with a baby on her lap can go very fast down the big blue slide at softplay, that I can cope with more than I think, that I can breastfeed a baby with low muscle tone, that portage is amazing, that Isaac can do most things with a bit of help.

While I was trawling through facebook to find my then and now photos I also found this one of Jeremiah aged 2 and Isaac aged 3 months.

They look so different but the expressions on their faces are the same as now.

In other news, Isaac has his school place at St Johns where Jeremiah goes.  We have 2 occupational therapists and no wheelchair assessment.  But we are slowly moving forward.  He is going to be in a class of 23 they think with 4-6 children who have special needs.  Jeremiah's year group has 16 children in so they will probably be split up into mixed age classes again.



Malach's birthday

This time last year I was in delivery room 6 on the labour ward.  I can't remember exactly what I was doing without looking at the notes but I was probably complaining a lot and hoping to meet my baby soon.  Malachi has achieved so much in the last year, going from a tiny helpless newborn to, well not really a toddler yet but a baby who can sit by himself for about a minute now, has a few noises that sound like words and has 4 teeth.  Malachi is behind in his physical development still but he has come a long way since I first held him in my arms a year ago.  Happy birthday Malachi.  Also Happy birthday to Elliott, my sister's nephew who was born on the same day as Malachi, but nearly 24 hours earlier.