Because it was almost 8pm, it was quite dark... and there wasn't a street light near by, so my husband had to rely on the moonlight and the headlights of the car that was facing side on.

A few mins after Angus was born my next door neighbours came out asking if we were ok, and if we needed anything. About 10 mins later the ambulance arrived, they checked Angus, and asked my husband if he'd like to cut the cord, my husband had been instructed over the phone not to cut it till the paramedics arrived. Shortly after that I was helped into the ambulance and told to lay down on the stretcher. My husband and baby joined us. I was desperate for them to deliver the placenta, but they said it was better it stayed intact till we got to the hospital in case I were to haemorrhage. About 15mins later we arrived at the hospital where they checked Angus over again, and then proceeded to deliver the placenta.

He weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces (2810 grams), and was 47 cms long.

Angus had a little hypothermia so his temperature was taken. It came back low and because he was born 5 weeks early he was taken to the NICU where he was given oxygen, had his heart monitored, was kept warm in the humidcrib and was given a tube to feed through. I was disappointed that his 1st feed was formula as I was told I would be given the chance to express milk for his 1st feed.
But above all else, I just wanted him to be in the best care. On day 2 he was taken off the oxygen and I was now able to express milk for him, by night I was able to breastfeed him and cuddle him properly but he remained in the humidcrib. Because he was premmie he was a very sleepy baby, and had to be continuously roused to feed.

By day four he was feeding every 5 hours.
On day four I was also transferred from my maternity ward to the Ambulatory Care ward.
That same afternoon... Angus had a few blood tests done, and later was given the all clear to come home with me.
In hindsight.. i think they should've kept Angus in the neonatal ward much longer.
It took 3-4 weeks to establish breastfeeding properly... all the while my Angus had lost weight and was now 5 pounds 4 ounces (2449 grams). I had been feeding every 3 hours and expressing in between feeds so I could top him up after every breastfeed. But it wasn't making any difference. On the 4th week I was finally able to get in to see Angus's paediatrician. Who then instructed that I only feed him on one breast and alternating at each feed, without any expressing. This did the trick... finally he started to put on the weight

And so now my little man is 11 weeks old and thriving, weighing at 9 pounds (4100 grams). He has a little way to go to catch up and be in the right percentile for his age... but that will come in time I've been told.

Anyway... thank you all for reading this far... it's definitely an experience I won't ever be able to forget

Ok so it's definitely time to update with some photos of my kids...

I came across this awesome link on google where I can add items from the net to a wishlist...

MY WISH LIST

It mainly consists of props I'd LOVE to add to my collection, but also includes items I've always wanted to get myself, and some of them are items I'd like to treat myself when achieving certain goals.

Well it sure has been a long time between posts...

Between family life & my photography, I'd forgotten all about this blog up until today...Ooops

Well what's a better way to update my blog then with my Birth Story...

We have a new addition in our family...

Here's a song I've chosen that suits the mood to go with this story:



WARNING ~ Heavy Reading Involved!!

On the 24th May our 2nd son Angus was born.
He was born 5 weeks preemie, and what an entrance he made into the world.



My contractions had already started early on Monday morning, but I managed to sleep through the night without too much worry.
As my husband said goodbye to head off to work, I sleepily told him "By the way I started having contractions last night!". I'm not sure what my husband's response was. But at this stage I don't think either of us were really all that concerned.
It wasn't till I started to really wake up that same morning to get my son ready for school that I realised they were more then just your ordinary cramps. At this stage the contractions were few and far apart still... but ouchy none the less.

Once I'd gotten back home (roughly just after 9am) with my two daughters from dropping off Zach to school I felt... or thought that my waters had possibly broken. So I rang the hospital delivery suite and asked what they thought I should do. They advised me to come in when I could. I had my 2 daughters with me, so I was a little worried that if this was the real deal, that I'd be admitted into the hospital with no one to look after them. So my next thought was to ring up Michelle, (let me say this girl is a godesnd!) a close girlfriend of mine. Michelle and her mum were having a cuppa in town... So Michelle's mum drove her over and dropped her off.

During the time it took for Michelle to arrive, I quickly went and got the baby seat out of our bedroom and tried to install it into my tarago. Michelle had her 6 month old baby boy with her, so I needed to have a car seat ready for him if she was going to come with me to the hospital. I also quickly rang my hubby to let him know what I was up to. I remembered him saying to me only days before... "Don't let me go to work if you think you're in labour". Lol ok hmmm, a little late for that. So I told him the contractions weren't regular yet, so I wasn't sure if these were pre-labour contractions. I'd read and heard that pre-labour contractins could happen a week or so before and leading up to the actual birth, so I didn't really want to drag my husband home if this wasn't the real deal.

Not long after Michelle had arrived (roughly 9.30am) I decided to pack some last minute things. I'd only just packed my labour & hospital bag the day before (my hubby calls this voodoo, because he thinks I had a 6th sense that labour was iminent), but still hadn't packed a bag with all my clothes in it yet. I also managed to make us both a cuppa... I was nervous, but tried my best not to let Michelle catch on. Michelle looked on at me as I had a contraction, her face was overcome with a look of conern. She suggested maybe I should ring my husband back and see if he wanted to meet us at the hospital. It only took Matt about half an hour to get home, what usually takes about an hour. So Matt arrived home before Michelle and I had even gotten the chance to get ready and hop in my tarago. Michelle then suggested Matt take me to the hospital and she'd take my girls back over to her house, as know one would know whether I'd have to stay in hospital or not.
First things first... Michelle, Matt and I all had our Hong Ha Red Rolls that Matt had brought back with him. These rolls are a delicasy... if you're ever out Mascot way... be sure to try them! They are by far the best rolls you'll ever come across!!

We decided to give Michelle my tarago for the day, so that she could drive the girls back to her place, and so she'd have a car if she needed it. And so we all went on our way.

Matt and I arrived at the hospital and made our way down the lonnnnnng corridor to the delivery suite. They showed me to the examination room and hooked me up to a machine to monitor baby's heartbeat & my contractions. A doctor was also called to find out whether I had actually broken my waters. After the assessment I was told my waters hadn't broken yet, and that I should come back when my contractions were regular or when my waters had definitely broken.

I'd really hoped that it wasn't pre-labour contractions, and so I felt so silly walking out of the hospital with no signs of what was yet to come.

By 1.30pm Matt had dropped me off at Michelle's place, so that I could collect the girls and head back home. I hung around for a bit, enjoyed a cuppa.. all the while still having the odd contraction here and there... By now they were noticeably more "Ouchy"! Michelle was still giving me concerned looks. I kept re-assuring her they weren't regular.
By about 2.30pm I hustled up my girls... thanked Michelle & her boyfriend for being so great in looking after them for me, then made my way home just in time for my son Zachery to be dropped off home from School.

From this time onwards it was just the usual stuff at home... kids winding down... then time to get dinner served. By 5.30pm hubby has dinner ready on the table. My contractions are getting quite painful now, but they're still not regular!! Arrrgh what's goin on here!! I've lost my appetite. My husband suggests I make some calls to the family who wanted to know when to be here or needed an update.

By 6.30pm'ish I've noticed my contractions are coming in a steady pattern. They've started coming every 5 mins... and now lasting a good 30secs. I'm finding it quite hard to talk through any of the contractions... and I keep trying to find a new position that helps me get through the contractions. Be it laying down, standing up, crouching over the couch...

I think it's also around this time I've decided to ring back Michelle, and let her know we're off to the hospital again. I'm pretty sure this girl had her pedal to the metal with how quickly she drove over here.
Now from here my memory is a lil fuzzy... everything seemed to have happened so quickly.
Just after Michelle had arrived, I started having multiple contractions (contractions people... not orgasms!), one on top of the other.
I don't know who I would rather have been. Me trying to ride out each contraction, or be Michelle looking on in horror, terrified by the look on my face as i stretched out my body against the contractions only too see me stricken when all of a sudden my waters break in the lounge room!

Somewhere around 7.45pm Michelle had all my children in the Tarago ready to head over to her place for the night... Meanwhile Matt was helping me get into his little car to head off to the hospital.
Matt had only driven a couple of metres out from the driveway when suddenly I felt our baby's head crown! "OhMyGawd Matt stop the car I can feel him, his head...STOP THE CAR!"
As soon as Matt had braked, i swung open the passenger door, and lept out onto the lawn, our next door neighbours lawn.
All inhibitions were lost, and I stripped my pants & underwear down to my knees and swiftly laid down on the grass. In a matter of moments Matthew was kneeling infront of me, and without a push or any warning, our lil baby slipped out (my husband says he cartwheeled) and into my husband's hands. At this same moment Michelle was standing by my side to see why we'd stopped the car...
Michelle quickly headed back into our house, grabbed the phone and rang 000 for an ambulance, and instructions on what to do now that our baby was born. Personally I think I was in shock.

I can't remember saying much at all after our baby Angus was born.
All I could think was that I was so grateful I had both my husband & Michelle by my side.
The night could've turned out so differently had either one of them not been there!! ♥♥