Ten days ago our hearts expanded with the arrival of our third baby girl, Phoebe Grace. Her birth was a planned c-section delivery. I was the first booking of the day which meant Jacob and I had to be up at 4am to get to the hospital for 5:30am for a 7:30am delivery.
It sounds too planned when I explain it that way, and I know a lot of women prefer birth to progress naturally, but for me, knowing the day of delivery (and time) has always been part of my mental birthing plan. I’ve never felt guilty about delivering by c-section although I have noticed that when I’m asked about my labour I explain why I had to have a c-section. It’s a fear of being judged I think.
When Jacob and I arrived at the maternity ward, two of the midwives recognized me and were intrigued that I’d be back so soon. I had only given birth to Magdalene 17 months ago. Jacob and I were the lucky 1% that conceived using contraception. Our Phoebe was meant to be and her smooth sailing delivery proved her existence was part of God’s plan.
I was calm while Jacob and I waited in the delivery room. Jacob took a before photo of me using the Olympus OM-D E-M10 camera that I have been loaned as part of the Kidspot Voices of 2014 Olympus #myfamilylens Challenge. It was the perfect camera to use during the delivery because of its ease of use and compactible size. I know very little about cameras and photography as I’m a point and shoot kind of girl, but I’ve been really impressed with the quality of images this camera takes. Even the midwife who offered to take pictures during delivery commented on what a great camera we had. If only we owned it.
When I went into theatre, I couldn’t stop shaking. I was nervous about the epidural and worried about my reaction to the morphine. My anesthetist was great and he remembered my allergic reaction when I delivered Magdalene. He was reassuring that with a few changes to what he would give me, that there would be little reaction.
There were no issues with the epidural and once I was lying on the bed, I was excited to meet my little girl. I had no reactions other than a little bit of itchiness on the first night. The anesthetist did well.
As Jacob and I waited patiently for Phoebe to arrive, I heard the snipping. I’m so glad the sheet was up so I couldn’t see what was going on down south. Once Phoebe was pulled out, her cry was soft, not loud like her older sister’s was. That first cry is the best sound in the world don’t you think?
Jacob promptly cut Phoebe’s cord and she was gently placed on my chest. For some reason, my gown wasn’t opened for me to have skin on skin contact but I knew there would be plenty of time for that after I was stitched up and back in my room.
Jacob and I admired our beautiful Phoebe, and of course, she looked very similar to her sister’s when they were born. She had traits that she inherited from her mum. A cute button nose, full red lips, a perfectly shaped head with a soft covering of dark hair.
I was anxious about Magdalene’s reaction to her new sister, but my worry subsided the moment she walked into my hospital room and pointed to Phoebe, with a smile on her face saying ‘Bubby’.
Esther was smitten and said, ‘Phoebe is gorgeous mummy’. Yes, yes she is.
The five nights I stayed in hospital were exhausting. I got little sleep at night and the midwives were busy with a nursery full of babies with special needs which meant I persevered with my happy, wide-eyed baby girl who wanted to feed all night and snuggle on my bare chest to sleep. I couldn’t wait to get home because I knew Jacob’s extra set of hands would help with the cuddling so I could get some extra sleep.
Phoebe has settled well at home. Esther and Magdalene love their baby sister. I’m managing on a couple of hours sleep at night. Usually those couple of hours are from 9pm-11pm and from 5:30am to 7amish. I’m looking forward to when Phoebe learns to sleep more at night than during the day!
Despite the lack of sleep, I’m enjoying the snuggles and I’m grateful for Phoebe’s existence. I’m cherishing every moment as I know the time will fly fast. Her birth has been a sweet blessing to my life and I didn’t realize our family was incomplete until she arrived.
This is the first of 3 blogposts as part of the Kidspot Voices of 2014 Olympus Blog Challenge. I have been loaned an Olympus OM-D E-M10 camera as part of the #myfamilylens challenge to take photos and write three blogposts choosing 3 of 10 prompts supplied. I will detail more features about the camera in my next post as part of this challenge.
