a third birth story {part seven}

You might want to check out the story so far over on my third birth story page before reading this final part of the tale...

"Are you ready to start pushing Lucy? Let's give it a really good push down into you bottom." And just like that I was pushing. The gas and air was cast aside, and I was pushing with all my might. And just like that the pain changed. It's a really hard thing to describe, but pushing actually stopped the pain. I could still feel really intense pressure, but pushing seemed to stop it from hurting in quite the same way. Pushing felt really helpful and powerful somehow.

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a third birth story {part six}

If you haven't read the first few parts of my birth story, it might be worth popping over to my third birth story page to catch up on what's happened so far...

Things seemed to simultaneously speed up and slow down from that point on. Rich came back with a midwife very quickly and said they'd better get me over to labour ward quickly and ran off to get a wheelchair. Rich helped me try to get off the bed in between two contractions, which wasn't easy considering how quickly they were coming together now. When the midwife returned I was hunched over the bed, moaning through another strong contraction and fighting, what was without a doubt, a strong urge to push. 

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a third birth story {part one}

Anyone who has followed this blog from the beginning, or who as read my previous two birth stories, will know that I like to take my time with it. I just like to pour the whole thing out in words, with as much detail as I can remember (it's amazing how quickly after the details become hazy) and with a little help from the hubby who often remembers different details to me. And this time is no different. I joked soon after our third little treasure came along that anyone expecting a long, multi-part birth story this time around like the previous two, would more than likely be disappointed. This third little one made a pretty swift entry into the world after all. But as it turns out, whether is happens quickly or not, there is still so much that happens and so much to remember. And so today I'm going to begin sharing my third birth story. And it will be in multiple parts (but I promise not as many as the other two). So here goes...

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you are four months old {dear beautiful little lady}

dear beautiful little lady

Well there went another month... it's mad how fast the time is going. This month has been a relatively quiet one in the scheme of things. Just all of us plodding along with life, a life that we simply can't imagine without you in it now.

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{the baby diaries} three months old

I'm back with a new vlog all about our littlest lady and how things are going with our newest addition and as a family of five. I hope it gives you a little insight into how things are going; I've tried to touch on some of the highs and lows of life with three children, as well as talking a little bit about routines and how we make things work. Be sure to let me know if you have any burning questions you'd like me to answer in future vlogs. 

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you are three months old {dear beautiful little lady}

dear beautiful little lady

It feels like yet another month has flown by, but this past month you seem to have changed quite a bit. It feels like you really aren't a newborn anymore; you have a personality which seems to be coming out more and more with each passing day. It feels like I really know you now, in fact I've said to Daddy that I just feel so close to you - so in tune with you - that I know what you want before you want it. It's a magical thing. And I just love our bond; how nobody else has quite the effect on you that I do, and how I just feel so much happier and more relaxed with you in my arms.

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{the baby diaries} month one

After sharing vlogs for each month of pregnancy, I was keen to share similar updates about our new little lady as she grows. This first one is a very late being posted... because, well, Christmas build up has kind of got in the way of blogging/vlogging time. But I videoed it a few weeks back and still wanted to share it. I'm talking about the early days with three, what she's like and the fourth trimester approach. I'll be back with her two month update soon, so let me know if you have any questions you want me to ask about her or about life with three.

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you are two months old {dear beautiful little lady}

dear beautiful little lady

As I sit writing you this letter you are sitting in your chair by my side. The change in you this past month has been remarkable, and totally magical, with your personality coming out more and more. While I write this I can see out of the corner of my eye that you are staring at me intently, willing me to look your way, and as soon as I do your little face lights up in the biggest smile.

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how we've helped our baby sleep

We are very lucky and have three children who all seem to value sleep as much as their parents. But our latest a little addition really is the most amazing sleeper. She self settles at nap times and often at bedtimes too, and ever since she was born has only woken us once at night. It's an absolute dream to have a newborn who loves sleep so much; because I definitely think that the grind of caring for three children would be a LOT harder if I was super tired. But the reality is that I'm getting as much sleep as I would normally, and that I actually feel better rested now than I did in the later stages of my pregnancy.

Now I think a large factor in our well rested state is luck. We have got extremely lucky with our littlest one, and she just happens to be pretty chilled out and a fan of sleep. She was a pretty chilled bump too, with definite awake and asleep routines, and it seems like she's carrying on with that in the outside world too. I think it's probably just her nature... although ask me again when we've passed the point of the four month sleep regression, because it could all still go wrong.

But that said, I do think that as third time parents we maybe know a thing or two now about what helped our previous children sleep well. And it would be fair to say that we've thrown anything and everything that worked on the older two at our third baby; so you could argue that we've given her - and us - the best chance possible at a good nights sleep.

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you are one month old {dear beautiful little lady}

dear beautiful little lady,

You've clicked into our family like a piece of the puzzle that we didn't know was even missing. I say it all the time that you are so loved... I'm quite frankly obsessed with you; cuddling you and breathing. In your intoxicating baby smell is just about my favourite way to spend time. Your daddy is so so protective of you and I just know that you are going to have him wrapped around your little finger like no one else. And your older brother and sister simply adore you; they have embraced you into the gang right from the start and they love to be near you, to hold you, and to lie either side of you on the bed whenever we change you. Changing time always descends into them giggling like total nutters and you looking from one to the other like they are the best, funniest and most insane things you've ever seen. We all feel so lucky to think that in the not too distant future there will be three gorgeous crazy little giggles at changing time, and I know they cannot wait to have you interacting with them more. 

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sisters

When I was still pregnant I was so intrigued to see how our beautiful girl would take to her baby sister when she arrived. It seemed like the changes would be bigger for her than for our beautiful boy, who was already a big brother and was simply gaining another little sister to look out for. By contrast, for our biggest girl her place in the order of things was about to change dramatically; she would go from being the baby of the family to being an older sibling. But she was also about to gain something very different too... a sister. And the sister thing has always kind of fascinated me.

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a missing piece of the puzzle

At 4.45am on the morning of Tuesday the 13th of October, this little lady came crashing into our world at great speed. And after a day of sitting in a newborn bubble with this beautiful piece of our family puzzle, I thought it was probably time we share her a little bit. 

A definite part of "the set"; with so many features that we can pinpoint to her big brother or big sister, but yet definitely still her in her own right too. 

She is perfect. All 8lb 3oz of her. With the fullest head of hair that any of my babies have had, big dark eyes like her siblings, big hands and long fingers like her mummy, and those trademark long eye lashes that mark her out as her daddy's.

She is so loved, this little girl of ours. 

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a labour of love

I don't think anyone can deny that a carefully planned and lovingly handmade gift is the best kind of gift. There is something so special about knowing that somebody spent a lot of time making something especially for you. While I was pregnant with my little Dollop, and then with Splodge, I made patchwork quilts. I wanted my babies to have something special, made by mummy, that marked a special point in time. And I love their quilts so much... because they are full of memories of eagerly anticipating their arrivals, and then of wrapping them up in them for the first time.

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being ready

"We creep a little bit closer to being ready for this little bubba each day. I remember with my previous two, how in the last few weeks I'd wander into the nursery just to ponder what was ahead. I would open drawers full of tiny little clothes all freshly washed and neatly folded. I would arrange and rearrange soft toys. I would stare at those teeny newborn nappies and try to picture the little person who would wear them. And this time is no different (except her bedroom is my bedroom) and I love taking that little bit of time to bond and dream and think about the bomb of love that is about to go off in our lives."

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on the cusp

As parents we know only too well

that children seem to grow up really fast.

That in what seems like the blink of an eye;

they go from bump to baby to toddler to child.

I can't speak for any older than that

but I have no doubt that it continues at that rate.

Parenthood feels a bit like you're living your life on a roller coaster,

it's fast, it's relentless, it has ups and downs

and much as you might like it to just slow down a bit,

it won't happen, can't happen,

it will keep racing forward.

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fourteen months new

Your fourteenth month saw some big changes.

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just the four of us

The past month or so have been full of reflection for me,

reflections on my family

and on where we have been and where we are going.

These thoughts have floated around in my brain for nearly a year now

and the thoughts change almost daily.

So I think, I wonder, I reflect.

My husband and I talk,

we go around in circles and we get nowhere.

I think reflections are pretty natural when you approach big milestones,

you think about what you were doing and how you were feeling

when you went through certain emotions before.

And with the beautiful girl's birthday coming

I've been doing a lot of thinking back to when I was pregnant with her

and back to when my beautiful boy had his own first birthday.

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a second birth story - part fourteen

In my second birth story so far;

My water broke at 11.30pm,

I booked into hospital as high risk

with meconium present in the waters.

At 4cm just before 3.30am I got an epidural,

only to be fully dilated just after 4am.

After a break to let the baby descend and the epidural wear off a bit,

I pushed my baby into the world at 6:05am.

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over the moon

I love all my babies.

My beautiful boy.

My beautiful girl.

And my third baby,

this blog.

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the best baby clothes around

I don't throw statements like my post title around lightly,

but when it comes to The Essential One it's true.

I received a lovely big package of goodies from them

when the beautiful girl was first born

And I was impressed right from the start

with the four sleep suits and five body suits they sent us.

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