He's Here!

So I've been absent from this blog for a while now, and I guess people may have wondered what's happened to me/us. Here's the short version, with a promise to post a proper account over the next week or two...

Our son, C, arrived by emergency C-section on 16 April 2011 at 9.17pm. He was 8lbs 10oz. Labour was quite the experience, since my induction went somewhat awry. The drug I was given to induce labour didn't agree with me, and I had some seriously chaotic contractions about ten hours in, with several coming in quick succession and no time to recover in between. I'd managed to avoid a sliding scale during labour thanks to Dr I's trusting me to manage my own diabetes (yay!) but as I spent more time on gas and air I felt more and more like I was deep underwater. About nine hours in I finally capitulated and had an epidural, which allowed me to think clearly again. Fortunately for me it also meant that when the CTG showed that baby was starting to be distressed and we were rushed to theatre I didn't need a general anaesthetic (they would have knocked me out cold if I hadn't already got the epidural on board). It transpires that I was having an intrapartum haemorrhage, and baby's heartbeat was slowing as a result.

C's arrival was not what we'd planned, but we were thrilled to have him in our arms, and had no idea at the time of just what danger both he and I had been in. Sadly after an hour together he was admitted to neonatal intensive care with hypoglycaemia (blood sugar of 0.9 mmol/l) and there he stayed for five days, during which time he had a tube running into his umbilicus delivering dextrose, a nasogastric feeding tube, a horrible venflon in the back of his hand and all in all a pretty rough time (despite the amazing care he received). On day three his CRP levels (which indicate an infection) were raised, and he ended up having four unsuccessful lumbar punctures to check for meningitis - before starting five days of IV antibiotics. He also clocked up a night under the bililights, thanks to a bout of jaundice. After another five days on transitional care we finally made it home a few days ago. I also managed to pick up an infection (in my c-section wound), so have also been on antibiotics, and am still not back to normal - apparently there's a risk that the wound will reopen thanks to a large haematoma above the scar. Grrrr. However, we have our marvellous, wonderful, gorgeous, beautiful little man with us now, and we couldn't love him more. We're busy facing some breastfeeding challenges now, but are perservering, and I think we're beginning to turn a corner - more of which in a future post, I'm sure. Speaking of which, time for another feed...

Love to all of my friends in the DOC, and here's a picture of the little man: