February 2014 Mommies :-)

Hi Mommies!

Just dropped in to say that our little princess, Maria has her first tooth. I could clearly feel it this morning.

How is everyone doing?

Hi All,

Just wanted to give a quick update and to say that I don't want to not hear from you now, we've gone through pregnancy crying and helping each other, we can check in from time to time and just share.

On my side, Maria is now a full 3 and half months old. She is 16 weeks actually and she is doing well. I've returned to work and she has been in creche since Monday. I still phone them at least 4 times a day and my heart is definitely not here at work!! If I could afford it at all I would have gladly put my career on ice... Unfortunately we're a 2 salary home.

Maria is starting to hold on to things and touching on purpose, she also doesn't want to sit but wants to stand the whole time. With stand I mean her dad and I have to hold her up. She sits when we prop her up with pillows or when she's in her Bumbo chair. She rolls onto her side but hasn't rolled over completely. When on her tummy, she kicks herself forward but she looks like a little worm because she hasn't figured out that her arms and hands have to go forward as well, so her bum lifts into the air and she pushes herself on her chest. It is quite funny

I still breastfeed but I must say that pumping here at work is not as easy as I thought. I have less milk than I thought and besides, there's not space for that other than in the bathrooms... and my pump makes a noise so there's always conversation about the weird noises...

Maria still feeds every 3 hours during the day but she goes from 7pm after her bath and feed to 3am!! That is when I get my sleep in.

Oh and another thing, she started drooling and blowing bubbles and she wants to chew on everything, can she be teething already???

NicsFish, I cannot imagine what you've gone through and I am elated to hear that you and Charlotte are both doing fine, wow, I admire your strength!!

I also attach a pic of her.

Please let everyone know how everyone is doing!!!

Thanks so much Clueless, that's very sweet!

We are all doing fantastically well! I had skin graft surgery to close my belly 3 weeks ago, spent 4 days in hospital again, was very grumpy for the two weeks after that but now feeling very well and basically back to my old self. It has been an incredible 'life' experience which I'm very grateful for.

And my little premie cherub Charlotte is doing so well and caching up nicely - so we have nothing to complain about. We truly are so blessed!

Hi Ladies!

Quick intro - I've been on the forum for the last 2 years, my little girl is now 18 months old and I am really blessed. I still read regularly through the pregnancy threads and usually just "lurks" but just felt I wanted to comment on NicsFish's post.

Nics, what an amazing, scary, awesome story! Wow, to have to go through all of that, and come out the other side! Utmost respect for you and your family!

Hope the rest of your healing progresses well, and please don't stop visiting on the baby topics and letting everyone know how you guys are doing!

Hello Ladies!!

Glad to see everyone is well and babies are here safely and going strong! Sad to see everyone is so busy with newborns that it's so quiet here!

I ended up going into labour at 35 weeks on the 7th Feb, waters broke at 10pm.. Contractions started... Got mine and bubs hospital bags packed and to hospital by midnight. Hospital couldn't reach my doctor so they stopped my labour. Only reached my doc at 8.30 the next morning, she saw me around 10 and by then I had to have a c-section as there was hardly any fluid left for baby. Not what I wanted but this is how it worked out.

Charlotte Rachel was born at 11:47am on Saturday, 8th Feb. Weighing 2kg's, 47cm's tall. Everything healthy and in order! Was only on oxygen for 1 day, precautionary, and only in NICU for 5 days before going home with daddy.

Unfortunately I didn't do as well as my little nugget... I didn't leave the hospital until, Monday, 10th March... Very long story shortened, I got very sick, fevers into the 40's... Turned out the area I had the steroid injections on my butt had turned into an absys. So I was taken back into surgery on Wednesday after the birth. The fevers and pain continued until the following Wednesday, the doctors didn't know what was wrong. I was taken back into surgery for a biopsy. While doing the biopsy, the surgeon found a lot of dead tissue due to extensive damage to my tummy wound, so had to cut it all away. This is where things went downhill. I took a turn for the worse and was admitted to ICU. The following morning I was taken back into theatre where they discovered the infection had spread into my abdomen (started from the absys on my bum) so they cleaned it out, but they didn't know what was causing the infection. By the Friday I had deteriorated further, and was on a ventilator to help me breath, still in ICU. The Sunday, 23rd Feb they had to increase the oxygen. I had gone into ,multi organ failure (heart, lungs and liver) and the medication I was on was just not working. The doctors weren't sure I would make it through the night. On Monday the 24th I started to stabilize. Wednesday I was still under sedation, but stable and the doctors had figured out what was wrong with me! I have a very rare auto immune deficiency called Pyoderma Gangrenosum, which was more than likely triggered by labour. By Friday, 28th Feb... 20 days after Charlotte's birth, I was awake, off the ventilator and finally breathing on my own. On Tuesday, 4th March I was moved out of ICU to the General Ward so that I could start seeing my baby. I had to have a lot of physical therapy as I lost muscle memory and couldn't stand on my own, let alone walk! I was discharged from the hospital on the 10th March. Due to my condition, my tummy has still not been closed! I am on some serious medication and monitoring until my body is ready for more surgery (had 7 while in hospital) which will involve a skin graft in order to close.

So that's my birth story.. Lol. Very grateful to be alive and to have the worlds most incredible baby and husband!! Charlotte is healthy and strong, was 6 weeks old on Saturday and at her vaccinations last Wednesday she weighed 3.3kgs and 52cms tall. I thank God for such an incredible baby girl. My husband has been mommy and daddy the whole time, on top of dealing with me almost dying. Let's just say I have a whole new outlook on life and the people in mine.

Ladies - appreciate those that love you and live each day to the fullest. You really never know where life is going to take you... And there is no heads up!

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Hi Ladies!! Its been a while but Im back!

Had my induction on 3 Feb and Eumari was born that evening at 17h47. She weighed 2.86kg and was 51cm. The birth was extremely painful but such an amazing experience!

We are so in love with our little angel. She is 7 weeks old today, BF is going very well and she sleeps 3-4 hours at a time. She now weighs 5kg and she is 57cm. She loves bathing and nappy changes but hates putting on clothes. She is struggling quite a bit with wind and pediatrician thinks that she might be lactose intolerant.

She started smiling last week and it just melts my heart!

Here are some pics from her newborn shoot....