Time in Hospital

After giving birth to Alexander, I got to have my little 'holiday' at the SAN. After feeling quite lonely when I had Eliza, I was quite intentional about making the most of this downtime before the chaos of being at home with 3 kids. Anne described it as a holiday, time out.

After the kids met Alexander and had a few cuddles with him, we then asked Malcolm and Julie to come and meet him. It was so lovely for them to be able to have cuddles with Alexander, only a few hours old. Such a special time. Daniel was still having more cuddles when they arrived but he was happy to pass Alexander to Nana J.

Daniel having more cuddles

Eliza was more excited by the presents for Alexander from the hospital

Daniel finishing his cuddles before Nana J

Proud grandparents

Alexander meeting Nana J

While Malcolm and Julie were having cuddles Eliza and Daniel received their presents from Alexander. They were pretty excited to get their books 'You're a big sister' and 'You're a big brother'.

We then attempted to get a photo of the 5 of us together. They do say never work with children or animals. It wasn't possible to get a photo of all of us looking at the camera but still, we came close. I do love the photo of us all looking at Alexander.

 James and Eliza had some cuddles with Alexander which was very cute to watch.

She then came and read her new book with me. She is going to be a great big sister.

Malcolm and Julie had some more cuddles. It was really lovely having them here for these newborn cuddles but also for all the help and assistance of James and the kids. They helped look after the kids, made dinners for James and the kids, did washing up, took Daniel to preschool and picked him up, gave hugs, words of encouragement, support, etc. They were just such a blessing to have around. 

We also got a photo of the Noble men/boys. Love it.

Malcolm and Julie took the kids home to give them dinner and get them to bed. Being a preschool day Daniel hadn't had a nap and it was getting late so it was nice that they were able to do that. James hung around and then the Howies came to visit and meet little Alexander. I am so glad that they were able to make it, especially with Jenny working. I'm glad that the timing worked out. Howie was sick so didn't have a cuddle but both Jenny and Oscar did and both were so in love with him. I loved watching Oscar's confidence with Alexander. It has developed with each cousin he has cuddled. They are going to be good buddies as he grows up I think.

Alexander with his present from the Howies

My first night in hospital wasn't too bad. Alexander slept for a large amount of it, like Eliza did too. 

I had to wake him up after he had slept for 7hours for a feed, however, he wasn't very keen to wake up. Even after a nappy change he just fell asleep again. Not so helpful. The midwife helped to wake him up, stripping off his clothes. He had a feed and then slept until the morning. That was a pretty nice treat. The challenge was turning off my brain. Like after Eliza I still had adrenaline going through me so my brain was thinking constantly and I just couldn't turn it off to settle and sleep. I did eventually fall asleep after 3am for a few hours, fed again in the morning and then had another hour or so of sleep before getting up to have my shower. 

My afterbirth pains were pretty painful again, like with Eliza, however because I was aware of them coming, I think I handled them better. Each time the midwives offered me medication to help relieve pain I accepted it, where with Eliza and Daniel I often said no. I also used my breathing from during labour when the pain started up. It mostly happened this time when I was breastfeeding which is normal. The afterbirth pains though were still pretty uncomfortable though.

Wednesday morning I got up, had my shower and had breakfast while it was still warm because Alexander was still sleeping. Dr Booker came in to check on me and said that I was a pro because I was sitting there eating breakfast on my own. He was happy with the progress which was good. Dr Chaitow came in to check on Alexander and he was happy with everything. He was looking good - not too jaundice, hips were looking fine, startle reflex was good, etc. I definitely enjoyed having little sleepy cuddles after feeds with Alexander and it was nice to see him start to open his eyes and check out the world at times. He is pretty cute I think.

Cuddles after having a feed in the lovely yellow breastfeeding chair

Sleepy cuddles all wrapped up

Once the kids and James had had breakfast and hung out the washing they headed in to see us. It was lovely to see them again and to have them be excited about seeing Alexander again. Eliza was given her present of her new quietbook and was keen to look at each of the pages, as was Daniel. I'm not too sure who enjoyed it more - Eliza or Daniel. But I'm glad it was used and will be used in the future.

Eliza looking at her new quietbook

Daniel enjoying it too

Eliza singing 'Old MacDonald has a farm' to Alexander

It was so cute to watch Eliza sing 'Old MacDonald has a farm' to Alexander with the different finger puppets. The funnier part is having her sing about a sheep - even without that finger puppet. 

The Howies also brought presents for Daniel and Eliza to celebrate being a big brother again and a big sister. They were pretty excited to open them this morning and get some Cars cars. Thanks Howies!

So excited!

Daniel and Eliza were keen to have some cuddles with Alexander again. It is just so beautiful watching them with him. The way they speak to him with gentle voices, they pat him, they kiss him. There is just so much love there. I hope it continues as they grow up.

"Finished now"

Eliza was happy having her cuddles and driving Lightning McQueen on him but she is a girl who knows what she wants. When she had finished having cuddles she said 'finished now' and just lifted her hands up off him. We will need to work on how to 'finish' having cuddles with Alexander just for his safety.

We tried to get a photo of our lovely family of 5. The deal with the kids was to do a nice photo followed by a crazy one. I love our family.

James took the kids home for lunch and nap time and Alexander and I hung out by ourselves for a while. I did some colouring, ate my lunch, watched some daytime tv, listened to some more of SmoothFM, fed Alexander. After the kids' nap time James brought the kids back again for another visit. Daniel again went straight to Alexander which was very cute.

Alexander was due for another feed so I fed him and Eliza wanted some cuddles. She was interested in how he fed too, having his 'milk'.

 The boys had a moment together after the feed.

Grayma and Auntie Sue came to visit too. They enjoyed having cuddles and also seeing Daniel and Eliza too. Grayma was especially pleased to see all the kids there.

Our 3 gorgeous kiddies

Jenny and Oscar came back before dinner to have some more cuddles with Alexander. They also brought a present from Uncle Howie - the traditional My Daddy is a Noob bib. I need to try and get a photo of all 3 wearing their bibs at some point.

Wednesday night was a long night. Alexander just wanted to feed constantly and I just wanted to sleep. After feeding both sides for the 3rd time I didn't want to make his stomach upset like Eliza's stomach became when I was in hospital. I buzzed the midwife to ask for some advice. She said that he was just hungry and to try giving him the sides again. She did offer to have him go to the nursery however I was hesitant to send him because i have no nursery at home. I wanted to prove to myself that I could have him stay in my room for the whole time. Sometimes I am too stubborn for my own good and this was one of those times. Each time I fed him he would fall asleep. Each time I put him down in the bed he would wake up and start crying. It was exhausting and I was over thinking it all which was exhausting. As it was midnight I told Alexander that I would give him until 1am to settle or he would be off to the nursery. Of course the cheeky little man decided to fall asleep at 12:55am. I then crashed out for the night until he woke again for a feed.

Thursday morning I hung out with Alexander for a while. I took the time to admire his little features - his hands, feet, ears.

A treat from Dr Booker is to have a foot massage. This has happened after giving birth to each of the kids. The masseur came to me but I was about to head to have Alexander's hearing checked. She decided that she would come back later. She returned after 15mins and he still hadn't gone for his hearing test. She decided to start and would just finish up when he needed to go. The massage was lovely. My feet hadn't been too swollen this time around but it is nice to get pampered for a little bit. We had a good chat too. My feet felt a bit slimy after it though. I do like that they offer this to Dr Booker's new mums. It's a nice treat after a pretty massive experience of giving birth.

Alexander then went for his hearing test. James took Daniel and Eliza for their tests so I was curious about how it worked. Alexander was pretty cute with the sensors on his head. He was a good boy and slept through the whole thing. He passed with flying colours which was great to see!

James then brought Daniel and Eliza in. The kids looked mighty cute in their caps and they again went straight to say hi to Alexander.

They had fun playing with different toys, including their quietbooks. Eliza had fun with the shopping page and the dressing up page while I fed Alexander.

James took Daniel out to the grass and they played with their AFL ball while Eliza and I hung out together with Alexander. It was nice to just spend some time with Eliza. We were reading books and at different times she'd stop listening, climb over me and look at Alexander, pat him or kiss him. It was beautiful to watch and nice for her to have a time with Alexander alone. She is going to be a great big sister!

Eliza then wanted to have some cuddles with Alexander on the bed. She is so sweet with him and and I just love the photos that I got.

Daniel and James returned and Daniel wanted to have some cuddles too.

Julie and Malcolm came to have some cuddles too and then they took the kids back home for us so that James and I could spend some time together and so Alexander could have his first bath.

4 Noble Men

Eliza wanted to join in the photo

Daniel helping me feed Alexander

At 12 James and I headed to the bathing class. It was run by Narelle, a midwife who has run the class for Daniel and Eliza as well. It was really just a refresher for us as we haven't given a baby a bath for almost 2 years so it was good to do. Alexander continued to feed during the class. With the new nursery there is only 1 bath so it was a watch and then take them back to your room and give them a bath. So that's what we did. Alexander wasn't very happy at times, but he did settle at some points. I do love watching James bath our kids. It's a really beautiful time and they are just so precious.

Not so keen on the head washing

James settling Alexander

Calming down in the bath

Hi Daddy

 After the bath, James dressed Alexander and we gave him a little bit of tummy time. I do love how we are told to do this from the start. He seems to like tummy time a bit which is good. 

Like Daddy, like son

James then settled Alexander and had him go to sleep. 

We then took him to the nursery. I had started to feel a bit nauseous which made me anxious too. I really don't like being or feeling sick so this wasn't fun, especially having it come out of the blue. I got a bit teary with this feeling. James had a lovely idea of taking me down to the SAN cafe and getting milk shakes and having a nice afternoon tea snack. Feeling sick though I felt bad because I didn't feel like having either of those things because I didn't want to the be sick. So this made me even more teary. We popped Alexander with Narelle and she said to take as much time as we needed. I like how she is so supportive of mums going outside for fresh air and real sunlight. She did the same thing when I had Eliza. James and I headed downstairs and still went to the cafe. We sat outside in the sun and it was nice to just sit together and chat. James got a milkshake and we shared some mango and coconut banana bread. It was very nice and my tummy seemed to be ok with it.

When we returned to the nursery, Alexander and Narelle were nowhere to be seen. We checked my room and no baby. We headed back past the midwives desk and one of the nurses asked if we saw her note. We hadn't. We said that we'd lost our baby. She laughed and said that he was up in the Special Care nursery because Narelle finished her shift and it was too hard to look after him because my midwife needed to keep going and seeing other mums. We headed upstairs to the Specail Care nursery and there he was. They midwives there also laughed at us for 'losing our baby'. We did say that he was our 3rd bub so it will probably not be the last time that we lose him. We took him back downstairs and let him sleep a bit longer. James and I lay on the bed and we had a short nap too. It was so nice to just be held by him. 

James then headed home and I hung out again with Alexander. We facetimed Daniel and Eliza as they ate their dinner. Not bad for his first facetime.

At night, Sam and Kate came to visit. I love that they have met our little people in hospital. They both enjoyed having cuddles with Alexander and Alexander was so settled with them. We had some good chats too and I was excited to hear that they were accepting the plan to head over to Japan for a year. I felt very special to be one of the first few people to hear about this.

 In the morning I again spent some time hanging out with little Alexander. I just love how peaceful they look while sleeping. And when he woke he was pulling some funny faces.

Grumpy old man. Hehe

 Kelly and the kids came to visit in the morning which was lovely. Kelly has been an amazing support this time while in hospital. She has been messaging me each day to see how I'm going, she has been following me up. This morning was no different. She spoilt each of us with a gift and we had some good chats. Unfortunately she was a bit sick so didn't hold Alexander but there is plenty of time for cuddles to happen later. Tom and Annabelle were very cute with meeting Alexander.

James, Daniel and Eliza came while Kelly was still there so the kids had a bit of fun hanging out and playing with James. They are very cute!

Kelly headed off and then it was time for cuddles again with Alexander.

We also did some reading. Alexander wasn't so keen on the books and Eliza wasn't so keen on getting attacked by Alexander. Hehe.

We then had a picnic lunch with the kids in the hospital room. It was nice to spend some more time with the family. James then took the kids back home for nap times and Malcolm and Julie came to visit Alexander without the other little ones running around. We had some lovely chats and they got to have some lovely cuddles.

Around dinner time Malcolm and Julie headed back to our place to make some dinner for James and the kids. Anne then came around to visit and meet little Alexander. It is crazy that in 4 weeks she'd be back at the hospital with her own little boy. It was lovely sitting and chatting with her and catching up on everything. She also gave me a Women's Day magazine which was nice to sit and read in the occasional moments of peace.

For the last night we slept pretty well. I kept Alexander in my room for the night which meant that I felt confident with going home and having no nursery or midwives at home. When Alexander woke for a feed at 2am I took him to the nursery to get weighed. He did well. He had dropped down to 3.6kg which was all good, above 10% so we were on track to head home. In the morning Alexander and I hung out together until James arrived with the kids around 9:30am.

While waiting for James and the kids Alexander was just lying on my tummy and I was thinking how crazy it is that he was like that just a few days ago inside me, but upside down. It just blows my mind the whole development of a baby and their whole growth. Dr Keogh came in as Andrew had that weekend off and also commented how you can see how they fit inside you so well and in that shape.

Once given the all clear for Alexander we dressed him in his going home outfit. He is just so little and so very cute!

Daniel and Eliza had some more cuddles together

and then we popped him into the capsule. He wasn't too keen on being there, although I did think he was due for a feed.

After Alexander crying the whole way outside we decided to stop on the grass out the front of the SAN so I could feed him. Daniel and Eliza had fun running around on the grass, climbing the stairs and also helped James take the bags to the car. Alexander fell asleep while feeding so we then popped him back into the capsule (which he woke up and became upset again) and headed to the car.

Milk drunk and catching some rays

Our family

We popped the kids into the car ready to head home. It's a bit tight in the back with all 3 but they were very happy to be next to each other. Alexander fell asleep for the car trip home which was nice.

James had some helpers to carry Alexander into his new home. It was very cute to watch.

When we entered I saw a beautiful bunch of flowers on the table for me. Thanks James and the kids.

After another feed we wrapped Alexander up and put him into his bassinet. He looks so little! He slept well which was great.

So here we are. Our new family of 5 are at home and now we start reality. Can't wait to see how it all goes.