Baby Grace Elizabeth

[Bella2]

Well thought it was about time I start a baby journal after my TTC journal and pregnancy journal. Have been so unbelievably busy this is the first opportunity I've had to start one - Grace is now almost 5 weeks old! Here is my birthing story...


Contractions started as mild period pains at around 3am, although all in my back. Wasn’t really sure if it was the start of something but they did seem to come and go. Didn’t bother waking OH as I wanted him to get all the sleep he could get if I was in labour and also I still wasn’t sure that I was! When he woke at 7am I was still having the pains but told him to go to work and it could take hours.


Around 9am I had a shower and when I got out and went to the loo lost my mucus plug so was convinced at that point things were definitely happening. Called OH who came home from work and sat rubbing my back everytime I got a contraction. As luck would have it the midwife was due in to see me that day so OH called her and she came round at around 12:30pm. After examining me she told me I was 2cms dilated so advised I wait at home until contractions got a little more regular. By 1:30pm they were coming every 3mins, managed to hold off going to the hospital until 3pm. We picked mum up on the way. By this time I was having difficulty walking so had to use a wheelchair to take me up to the maternity wards.


When we arrived I was the only one in labour so got given a lovely big room with a massive bath in. Upon examination I was 3cms dilated and baby was still lying on her side which was what was causing all the back pain. They decided to get me in the bath floating on my front to try and encourage her to turn. Found it quite relaxing, had gas and air and the bath was filled with aromatherapy oils, also had relaxing music playing. Felt my waters go while I was in the water. Got out of the bath once contractions got stronger, and from then on was in every position imaginable to try to push her out!


Mum and OH were fantastic, holding my hand and massaging my lower back. Tried the TENS machine but really didn’t find it effective so asked them to take it off. Took 2 & a half hours to push baby out, unbeknown to me the heart rate kept dropping. OH said at one point it went right down to 90bpm so they brought it one of the big monitors on wheels, got me back on the bed (I had been squatting) and put straps around my belly. Once I changed position baby’s heart rate came back up. In the end I gave up with the gas and air aswell as it seemed to be slowing up the process so went full steam ahead with no pain relief


Baby Grace Elizabeth was finally born at 10:16, weighing 6 pounds 6 ounces and 10 days early. After having her I needed a few stitches as I tore but they injected me so didn’t feel a thing. Gave Grace a bottle as I was too exhausted to breast feed but started with the breastfeeding the following day. Grace was very cold so she had to go under a heat lamp for about 20 minutes, meanwhile I had a bath and then OH and Mum dressed Grace ready for her first night. We got discharged from hospital at 4pm the following day and came home ready to start our new life together as a little family

 

[Mummy2Adam]

Lovely to see you have started a journal hunny, cant wait to see how Grace is getting on x x

 

[Bella2]

Lovely to see you have started a journal hunny, cant wait to see how Grace is getting on x x

Thanks hon just hoping I find the time to write in it!! x x

 

[Bella2]

Things were a little crazy after we arrived home from hospital, had so many visitors and I just found it all so overwhelming. As lovely as it was that people were keen to make Grace if I could have that time again I would definately keep the visitors to a minimum to allow us some time alone as a family and to recover from the labour. I think I cried everyday for the first 10 days just with the emotion of it all!!

Sadly had to give up the breastfeeding after about 5 days, I gave it a really good shot but had problems getting Grace to latch on and when she did she would sometimes fall asleep or not have enough to satisfy her. I was getting exhausted so OH called a halt and suggested we try the bottle and I haven't looked back since. Was glad she got the early colostrum though. At 2 weeks old the poor little girl caught a cold so got some saline drops for her nose which really seemed to help.
Once that cleared up she then got constipation & conguctivitis!! Felt like it was one thing after another and felt so helpless as the poor little darling was in so much pain. We tried rasin water and also changed her formula but nothing seemed to work so in the end went to the docs who gave her lactolose which finally worked. We were so excited the first time she did a proper poo!! He also gave us drops for her eyes and they cleared up after 3 days which was great.

Has a couple of rough nights in the early days with her not sleeping but once we switched to formula she was going every 3 hours through the night which was great. Started her on 3 ounces which we then increased to 4 ounces once she was a month old. So that's basically got this journal up to speed Hope to write in here at least once a week with her progress as I'm sure she'll grow up so quickly!

 

[Bella2]

ROUTINE OR NOT?

Went to get Grace weighed Wednesday, she's now a wopping 9 pounds!! I could tell she had been putting on the weight nicely as was starting to grow out of her babygrows quite rapidly. All the early baby/tiny baby clothes are now packed away She's still in newborn clothes though and the 0-3 clothes are still too big. Had to pop to Asda earlier to get a few more newborn babygrows to tide us over until she's big enough for 0-3. Saw a gorgeous Christmas dress in there which I couldn't resist getting!

Have been having a few problems with Grace being unsettled in the evenings, she seems to cry every time we put her down in her moses basket although is sleeping well during the actual night which is a relief. Still only goes 3-4 hours between bottles though and is having 4 ounces a time which the health visitor said is the absolute maximium for her weight. Bit worried that having so many visitors and her being handled so much is what has caused her to be unsettled - she goes to sleep easily when being held but grizzles the minute she's put down so going to try to limit the amount she is handled for a while to see if this improves things.
Not sure if I should have more of an actual routine for her, obviously the feeds are done every 3-4 hours as she wants them and she has a bath every other day or night but apart from that have no major structure. Problem is that we do something different everyday - some days we're out either shopping or for a walk and other days we stay at home or have visitors. She always goes to sleep in her pushchair or carseat but not so much at home. Going to do a bit of googling to see what's the norm but I guess I also have to remember she's only 5 weeks old.

Still having a few problems with her constipation, I find the lactolose really helps but then if I stop it for a day or so she goes back to not having a BM and gets tummy pains. The health visitor didn't sound impressed that the doctor had prescribed lactolose and recommended that we up her water intake to 4 ounces a day so going to try that and see how we go.

 

[Piglet's Mama]

Lovely journal

Re Grace going down in the Moses and waking up, it could be that she's going from your warm arms into the cold basket & that's unsettling her. Maybe try a fleece blanket wrapped around her or already in the basket x

 

[Bella2]

Lovely journal

Re Grace going down in the Moses and waking up, it could be that she's going from your warm arms into the cold basket & that's unsettling her. Maybe try a fleece blanket wrapped around her or already in the basket x

Thanks hon for your advice, last night I popped a warm wheat bag in her crib for a few minutes to warm it up then took it out and put her down, worked like a dream!! Thanks again for the top tip! x x

 

[Bella2]

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING WITH BABY...

Had a lovely day today, went for lunch with Grace and 2 friends in our local pub/restaurant, then went to The Range to do a bit of Christmas shopping and look at the christmas decs. Had a bit of drama before we went out, Grace had gone 2 days without a BM then had the most massive poop about an hour before we were due to leave. Was so much poo I had to hold her under the running tap to get it off! Even managed to get it in her hair! So another bath, hairwash and outfit change later we were good to go.

Really getting the hang of being out and about with her, I remember when she was only a couple of weeks old I was so nervous about OH going back to work and me going out on my own with her, now I absolutely love it The first time I put the car seat in the car it took me about 15 minutes to get her strapped in correctly lol Now it's about 5 minutes and we're away! It's so much easier than I ever thought it would be to take her along with me wherever I go. She loves being in the car, 5 minutes and she's off to sleep

Took a imprint of her little hand earlier, got this lovely set from M&S which included the clay, some pink paint and a ribbon to hang it up. Also included a little storage box to put it in in the future. We used a toothpick to write her name and date under the handprint, going to look so so sweet once it's painted. She's doing really well with her feeds, last night she went 4 hours then 5 hours between feeds so today we're down to 6 bottles which is brilliant compared to the 7 bottles a day she was on. Happy Days!

Here's a picture of Grace doing her handprint....

 

[Bella2]

BALD BABY!

Yesterday had a lovely duvet day with Grace, didn't get dressed all day! Felt a bit guilty at first which was ridiculous as housework and washing was all up to date but the relaxing did me the world of good. This morning we had to go to the doctors as OH has been feeling really unwell he was ill with bad tonsilitis a couple of weeks ago and now he has a dreadful chesty cough and another sore throat. He's hardly ever ill normally, I can't help but think it's been the stress of having a new baby and the fact he's been working hard with little sleep. I made him some lovely home made soup today to make him feel better

Popped to the library this afternoon with Grace to get her some books, I know she's still very young and has no concept of books yet but I love reading them to her, it's a lovely way of interacting with her. Her hair has really started to receed, I'm thinking it might fall out and maybe grow back lighter, it's dark at the moment like mine but her eyebrows are light so I wonder if she will eventually be fairer like her dad. She's still extremely cute though even if she does wind up bald lol!

 

[Bella2]

UNCLE JAMIE & GRACIE'S 1ST WEEKEND AWAY...

Can't believe how quickly time has flown! Have been so busy this is the first chance I've had to update Grace's journal for a few days. My brother came down to visit from Nottingham last Thursday, we had a lovely couple of days with him and he was over the moon with his new niece. Took me & Grace out for a lovely lunch although Grace slept the entire time! She's such a good baby. Saturday night me, OH & Grace went up to Norwich to stay with my best friend and her boyfriend, OH was running the Norwich half marathon on the sunday so went along to cheer him on.

Yesterday the health visitor came, she weighed and measured Grace. She's now 9 pounds 9oz!! Little biffer! She's 54cms long so has gained 6cms in length since she was born. I knew she was getting longer as she's taking up more room in her moses basket. Explained to the health visitor that she's been rooting after her bottles of 4oz but I was afraid to up it as didn't want to overfeed her (she goes 3-4 hours between feeds and the other health visitor at the clinic 2 weeks ago said she was having the maximum amount for her weight). However my health visitor was lovely and said if she's hungrey to give her an extra ounce, she said she's probably having a growth spurt at the mo whih is why she wants more. I also explained about the lactulose and she didn't make me feel bad at all, just said I am the best judge and to give it to Grace as and when I think she needs it.

Yesterday afternoon I went to a friends who had a baby girl 12 days before Grace so that was lovely, got some gorgeous pictures of the babies lying on the activity mat together. Grace put her fingers in baby Poppy's mouth it was so funny! Was so nice to see another mum and compare notes. As it was such a lovely day we took the babies for a walk over the local park. On the way home I stopped at mothercare and bought Grace a new bouncy chair, got one which vibrates and has some toys hanging on it to keep her amused when I'm doing things like preparing the bottles.

Hoping to put the christmas decs up tomorrow, have bought a tiny pink tree for Grace's nursery and my mum got her a little stocking. Feel so excited about Grace's first christmas, can't wait! This morning I was playing christmas songs and dancing round the room with her, I'm sure she must think her mummy is mad!

 

[Mummy2Adam]

Sounds like you and Grace are doing fab hunny
Cant believe how quick time is going, this time last year our LO's were hopeful thoughts and now they are here it feels amazing
Im so excited for Elexia's first christmas even though i know she wont remember it x x

 

[Bella2]

aww i agree was only thinking the other day how this time last year was feeling so sad about the miscarriage and thinking about when we would start TTC again, crazy how time flies. Now here we both are about to celebrate xmas with our little ones makes me so so happy x x x

 

[Bella2]

DEC THE HALLS!

Poor little Grace has caught another cold OH has had it and I had a sore throat and a bit of a cold for a couple of days but Gracie is really suffering poor little girl. Have done everything we can to help her, still have some nasal drops from her last cold, have also raised the crib and this morning sat her in her bouncy chair in the bathroom with me while I had a shower to let the steam help her to breathe. Has slept a little better today and is asleep now spreadeagled on her jungle playmat looks so adorable! Last night she woke up choking from all the mucus, after I had settled her I stayed awake ages just watching her breathe on the video monitor, (even though her crib is right beside our bed lol) so glad we have the angelcare monitor, it gives us such peace of mind.

Put the tree up at the weekend, house is looking lovely and christmassy and Grace has her tree up and stocking hanging in her nursery Got some paint from the early learning centre so she can put little handprints in her christmas cards to her grandparents and daddy. Looking forward to the weekend, going up north to visit OH's mum & her partner for 4 days. We're going to see the wombats in concert on Friday night just me & OH, will be our first evening out without Grace. I know I'll be wanting to call the minute we're out to see if she's okay lol! Going to travel up there after OH finishes work Thursday so going to aim to feed Grace before we leave as it's a 3.5hr drive. Grace's first road trip yay!

 

[Bella2]

ROAD TRIP TO LIVERPOOL!

Another week gone and so much to write!! Last week had postnatal doctors appointment for me & Grace and all is well Doc took my blood pressure, checked my uterus had contracted back and did some checks on Grace such as listening to her chest, checking her hips and weighing and measuring her. She's now over 10 pounds so doing very well.

Had a lovely weekend in Liverpool with Grace, did some xmas shopping and had our first night out without her which was very stange, but nice to spend some time with OH just the 2 of us. Can't believe how much she has started smiling and gurgling over the weekend, it was if she hit the 8 week mark and all of a sudden she started being much more interactive it's sooo lovely Was great to have some time away from home and housework and spend quality time with OH and Grace. We read her books and she absolutely loved this musical xmas tree that MIL had.

Today took her for her 8 week jabs, poor little mite screamed the place down! Had one in each leg, she did so well. She's now absolutely zonked, it's been over 5 hours since her last feed, and she's still out for the count. We've now upped her bottles to 5oz although she doesn't always take that much, this morning she had 4oz and then only 3oz, but whilst we were away she was drinking the 5oz so we make up the 5 then let her gage how hungry she is. Still going anything from 3 to 5 hours between feeds, the average being 3.5 hours. Last night though she fed at 11pm, 3:30am and 8am so 4.5 hours between feeds which is fab.

I finally got my first AF yesterday since having Grace, feeling pretty rubbish with it too. Lots of pains and heavy bleed but I think that's to be expected as it's been 8 weeks! So glad it's finally here as it means I can start taking my pill again, we had been using condoms up until now and I don't 100% trust them really. Don't want to wind up pregnant again quite yet!! Seems bizzare as this time last year I was so desperate to fall pregnant. I remember getting quite tearful on Xmas day at OH dad's as his cousin was there with her 2 LO's and it was so difficult being around them so soon after the MC in November. What a difference a year makes!!

Here's my smiley little girl this morning....

 

[Bella2]

GRACIE LOVES HER SLEEP

Grace has come on in leaps and bounds since I last wrote Been doing so well with her feeds, she can now go anything from 6-8 hours in the night, and even managed a 10 hour stint a couple of times! Only prob is that the long stint between feeds seems to start early evening then she always seems to wake at 4am. The other night I tried doing her last feed at 11:30pm hoping she would sleep beyond 4am but she still woke up! I don't mind though, she's so good in that she will wake for a feed, burp and then I can lay her straight back down and she will happily go back off to sleep with no fuss Makes me think what a long way we've come since she was feeding every 3 hours during the night!!

Up until now we have been putting her to bed when we go at 10-11pm but a couple of nights ago I put her up at 9pm on her own. She was awake but I brought the video monitor downstairs so I could watch her and with 10 minutes she was asleep I have a friend whos baby is 2 weeks younger than Grace and she is having quite a hard time with him with colic poor little boy, makes me realise how lucky I am.

Am noticing her getting into her own little routine now, she tends to wake at around 8am for a feed, I then change her and we have playtime for an hour or so either on the jungle mat or I sing songs or dance with her. I then bath and dress her and pop her in her bouncy chair while I have a shower and she usually drops off to sleep at around 10am.

She still has her cold bless her, has so much mucus but the saline spray does seem to be helping. I only hope she's feeling better by xmas, only 5 days to go

 

[Bella2]

HAPPY 1ST CHRISTMAS!

We had such a wonderful first Christmas with our gorgeous baby girl! Even though she was totally unaware I wanted to make it as special and traditional as possible so I hung her little stocking on the end of her moses basket on Christmas Eve. Then on Christmas morning we brought Grace into our bed and opened one of her presents and our cards for each other. I had a lovely card from Grace which said "to my mummy from your little girl" We saved the rest of her presents until we got to her nanny and Grandad's. Were so overwhelmed by the amount she got bought! She got a pink v-tech walker for when she's older and a bouncer activity station, lots of little toys and books and some lovely clothes. We dressed her in her little miss santa outfit she looked so adorable! Even our next door neighbours bought her some little bibs which said "my first christmas" on them.

New Years Eve was lovely, we spent it at OH's dad's and played games and watched the London fireworks on tv at midnight. Grace was actually asleep on the sofa at midnight but we still gave her a big kiss and I felt so elated that we finally got our wish this year to have a healthy little baby.

She seems to have changed so much over the past fortnight, she now regularly sucks her thumb, sleeps 8-10hrs most nights and has really started gurgling lots. Her favourite saying is "Aboo!" Her neck has got so strong too, she can now hold her head up unsupported. We've had to abandon the small bowl we were bathing her in as she's got too big so she now has a bath every day in her full-size baby bath and loves it. She's doing brilliantly with feeds, has 5 ounces at a time and has 5 bottles a day which is a far cry from the 7 or so bottles she had as a newborn.

Hoping to get her weighed over the next week or so, she's now properly in her 0-3 clothes although some of them are still a bit on the big side. Here she is in her Christmas dress...

 

[Bella2]

FLAT HEAD ANXIETY

Me & Grace have been very busy this past week! Last Thursday went to our early days class at the children's centre, they focused mainly on bonding with baby and different aspects of play, was great to get some new ideas of how to keep little miss amused. It was our first visit to the children's centre and it was so lovely, lots of soft play toys and we all sat around in a circle with our babies on soft mats. Grace loved kicking her legs and taking in the new surroundings. Then yesterday we were back there to get her weighed, she's now 11 pounds 14 ounces, has dropped a tiny bit on her centile chart but health visitor said it's a nice healthy weight. Had been worried that her head was a bit flat on one side so asked h/v about it, she said it was a little flat but should sort itself out, just to try and give her as much tummy time as poss and lie her down on the other side. Only problem is she absolutely hates tummy time and always cries!! Am persisting though as the whole flat head syndrome does worry me.

Had my first girls night out in town on Friday night for a whole year! Felt very strange to be out without Grace but she was with her daddy. Then Saturday night me & OH had my post xmas works meal so my mum & dad looked after Grace. So 2 nights out on the trot! Only the 2nd time we have been out the 2 of us and left her with someone else. We were home by 11pm and mum said she'd been really good, all smiles and fed really well so it's given me a bit more confidence now about leaving her with other people. She's had more nights of sleeping through, last night had her last feed at 8pm, bed at 9pm and woke at 6am for feed. Day before last feed at 8pm, bed at 9pm and woke at 8am for feed!! I do wonder if it will last though particulary once she starts teething. Today I got out the new bigger bottles as she's draining her 5oz bottles everytime so moving her on to 6oz which means the larger bottles. Feel quite sad to pack the little ones away, another sign my baby is growing up

Have switched cribs as she's outgrown the little wooden one, set the larger wicker one up today but have moved it from the side of our bed to under the window so she will be a little bit further away but still in the room with us. Thought it might make the tranisition easier for when she finally moves to her nursery (which I think I will probably find more difficult than she will lol). One new thing she's started doing is actually grabbing hold of things, if we hold her soft material book in front of her she will hold the edge and she will bat and grab for the toys which hang down from her jungle gym. So lovely and amazing seeing her do new things I am so in love with my little girl!

Here she is looking cute with her foot and wrist rattles on...

 

[Nurse 26]

aww, bella, she si really growing up gorgeous pics! santa suit is so cute

Hope you are well, sounds like you are loving life as a mummy xx

 

[Bella2]

Ahh thanks Nurse, yes it's crazy can't believe she's 3 months already! I'm loving being a mummy, the days just fly by. How are you keeping? Not long to go now till your LO will be here! x x

 

[Bella2]

Had to write a journal entry today given that Grace is now 3 months old!! Have had a lovely day, was cold but lovely and sunny so dressed her in her snowsuit and took her out for a walk in the babysling. Pointed out the winter pansies and trees and green grass to her, she loved having a good look around, and was nice for her to get some fresh air.

Today I was holding up her animal farm rattle and she actually pressed the buttons with the palm of her hand, such a clever girl! Has been a bit dribbly the past few days and also a bit grizzly which is very out of character for her, am thinking it could possibly be the start of teething. Still been worrying about the flat head thing so ordered the lilla kuddis pillow today which is supposed to help. Can't wait for it to arrive!