Ashton in the Incubator

I was going through the pictures on my phone, and I found a few from hospital, when Ashton was still being incubated.  Feels like a lifetime ago!  He looked so much smaller, and more fragile than he is now, unless I'm used to this tiny little body.  He weighed 2,34kgs here, and on Friday he weighed 2,38kgs so not much of a difference.

Memories, although not the best quality photos.

2nd Shots Done

We went back to the hospital for my second set of shots on Thursday night, so I'm happy that those are all done.  I was a big baby again, much to my husband's delight.  I am convinced he gets a kick out of this kind of thing.  So now we wait till 15th to see our doctor again.  


I must say the time off this week has been really good.  I had yet another blissful pajama day yesterday.  I was lying in bed yesterday morning, and decided to test out the kick counting theory.  Well, from 07h11 to 07h18 I counted 10 kicks.  That's 10 kicks in 7 minutes - wonder if there's a little soccer star in there?

Injections - first shots done

I realized again this morning what a big baby I am. The needle itself was fine, but the meds burnt!  I'm still grumpy, but I know it's all for a good cause.  I didn't sleep much last night I was so nervous, I really hate injections.  I'm poep scared of injections and of worms, in case you never knew.

It took us forever to get there, the traffic was a nightmare. Hubby is working from home today so that he could go with me. We went to pick up the meds from the dispensary, and the lady there was really sweet.  Telling us she had to have the same thing and everything would be fine.

Then we went up to the labour ward. We rang the bell a few times cause we couldn't just walk in.  When we got in, we handed over the meds to the nurse and hubby had to go downstairs to open an NST file whatever that means.  I went through to delivery room one, and was left alone while the nurse (I think that's what she was) went to sort out the needles.  I looked around at everything, saw some interesting and weird things.  She then came back and strapped me up and I lay there for about 20 mins listening to baby's heart beat while waiting for hubby to get back.  My dr also popped in to say hi - he was about to go to theatre and she told him I was there.  Everything was good with baby boy's heart beat.  He even kicked up against the monitor a few times!  Baby's kicks are getting stronger and stronger, if I hadn't known he is a boy I would have guessed so by now.  I haven't felt any pain yet though, but I have noticed my belly jump every now and then, especially with my laptop on my "lap".


She then felt my belly and made some comments, you could see she's done this thousands of times before.

Ok the injection - hubby walked in just in time -  I had to phone him first to see where he was and why he was gone for so long.  I turned on my side and gripped onto the rail. By now he was laughing.  She started injecting the needle and I flinched, and hubby laughed some more - I think he enjoyed seeing this.  The meds burnt like crazy, and yes I'm probably a baby for saying it.  And then we were done!

Basically, the reason he took so long is because he was chatting to them about my 'situation' and what NST meant.  In short - the hospital is now ready for me and the paperwork is all taken care of in case I need to go in.  So no need to go back to book a bed, it's all done. 

Back tonight for round two. 

I was feeling sorry for myself, I asked to go and get me some chocolate to make me feel better.  It worked :)


Here are 2 pics from the delivery room... not as cold and as scary as I imagined.

Um, We're "Authorized"!

So hubby is being a little pro-active... which I really love... this morning I get an sms from our MA with an authorization number for August.  I think to myself... hmmm did I go to the doctor in August 2011, and hit a complete blank.  Soon after I get an email from him asking if he should call the hospital for our booking in August or if we can do it through the doctor, and that he already called for authorization.  Then I clicked, it's for THIS August!  Hold your horses honey... I said thank you, and maybe we need to wait a few more weeks till we phone the hospital.  I just want to get past 12 weeks - for now that's my only goal.  Apparently or baby bag will be sent soon.


Funny thing is this all still feels a little unreal.  I feel good, just a little tired, and not loving many types of food, but good!  Although, you still can't come near me with eggs, and Rooibos tea is pleasant.


I also shared the news with my boss today, so that's done.  He's happy for us!


Today I'm 9 weeks and 6 Days.  I've read there's lots happening in there!


I've been thinking about taking a photo every now and then to see the change in my belly, but not sure how often I should do this.  Once a month, once a week for every week...? 


I'd also like to get a proper journal, but need to find a nice one.  Think I'll start it at end of January after our next appointment - mind you I still need to phone to schedule it.     

When Worldliness Takes Over

"When you're a nurse you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours.  ~Author Unknown"


If only the above were true for all the nurses.  The public servants are still striking and the public hospitals are in desperate need of help.  I was fortunate enough to be able to volunteer at a public hospital last week.  What an incredibly humbling experience.  We worked in the labour and maternity ward.  There was heavy security and it wasn't easy to get in at all, not even through the main gate.   Driving up to the hospital, my first impression was that it looks like a prison.  A few members of the army and police were also stationed there.  Walking around, rooms and halls were full with patients, but empty at the same time.  There was nobody to give them care.  Dishes stacked up in the kitchens with what looked like the remainders of the last two meals, security lying back in their chairs, sleeping against the walls, long, cold and dark passages between the wards, laundry piled up here and there, patients' files and papers lying everywhere, rubbish bins filled to the brim.


We got to change nappies, clean, warm up formula, feed, burp, put clothes on the newborns and finally porter them to their moms in another ward after they were out of recovery.  Some babies lay there without clothes, wrapped up in what ever we could find as they had run out of clothes.  I looked at a tiny baby lying in a crib and told the nurse I think that baby is in the wrong place, there was no way that such a tiny baby could weigh 3.3kgs.  Turned out I was right, we moved her and a few others to the right cots.  All of them were tagged, but some tags came loose and we had to retag them.  When we portered the babies to their moms we placed two in a cot, covered with a towel and wheeled them about a km down the dreaded dark and cold passages.  The moms in recovery could hear the wheels so by the tim we entered the ward they had managed to sit up, waiting anxiously to see if their baby had arrived.  The process when you arrive is to call out the name of the mom (to be found on the card, wheel the cot to the mom, make her call out the number on her own tag, and ask her if the baby is a "Ntombazaan or a boy"  I forget the name for a boy, I took so many girls.  Once we knew it was the right baby for the right mom we moved the baby into the bedside cot next to the mom.  Some were so happy to meet their babies for the very first time, and others couldn't be bothered.

We also helped some moms who were in labour.  The sad thing was that they had run out of hospital packs, equipment, clothing as the laundry hasn't been done.  I went to look for a delivery pack and there wasn't one, so another nurse and I were looking for equipment and blades.  When I returned the one nurse told me and a friend to grab this and grab that and we said "hang on we are not medical students, just volunteers!".  She said "Haibo! The baby is coming now".  I stood, motionless with horror, excitement and wonder at the miracle of life about to happen.  It was good to be able to hold another mom's hand for support, and remind her to "breathe".  It was like second nature, like I had done this here before.  No partners or family members were allowed in with the moms, for fear that they were strikers posing as family members.  I am so amazed at those nurses and staff that still work despite the strikes going on, you can see they are really running on empty, but yet they keep going.  Saying good bye was the hardest part.  They were so sad to see us go.  If I didn't have to go to work the next day I would easily have stayed.

There honestly wasn't one moment where I felt unsafe.  It was so rewarding to be able to volunteer, and work with those newborns, and a very real reminder of how blessed we are to have access to private facilities.  I'd go again in a heart beat.  When worldliness takes over, what remains?  What about caring, why is there so little regard for human life?