Today...

Today we woke up to the rain pelting outside - its a nice COLD day so we spent the day inside at home!!

It started with a morning cuddle after Oliver's morning feed!

 How cute is this, we found Ollie like this when we went to wake him for a feed....

 Like father like son :)

Rainy days are meant to be spent at home right!

Going home outfit...

Another thing i forgot to show you is that Dads job for while I was in hospital was to find the perfect going home outfit for Oliver....

 Unfortunately the outfit was a "little" big :)

Poor boy didnt stand a change of fitting into it!

 Luckily I had packed another outfit just in case in his baby bag and it fitted him fine!

 Look at these little feet with this big socks!!!

All said and done no one even saw his coming home outfit as he was wrapped in a blanky! Dad did well with the shopping but just the sizing was out which I wouldn't have gotten right either!

Cradle club and check up!

On wednesday my mom and I went to a cradle club (baby group) where there was a talk about adjusting to motherhood - it was so lovely!! Two of the other ladies from our antenatal group were there so we got to catch up and all in all there were about 18 moms and babies - 4 which were boys!!

I really loved the talk and loved chatting to the other moms and hearing their stories even more!! Anneke and I are going to join a baby gym group together - I cannot wait!!
Olive was super chilled the whole time.......

After cradle club we went to Barbara our baby clinic nurse to see how Ollie was doing as he had lost alot of weight since coming home from hospital and we were delighted to see and hear that he has put on 300 grams!!!! He has 600grams to go until he is back to his birth weight so we are praying he keeps on steadily putting on weight!
To celebrate his weight gain (besides the shrieks of joy in the baby clinic room) my mom and I went out for lunch and I had a coffee for the first time in over 9 months - lovely!!! I chose a decaf organic latte and it was so delicious!! Thank you woolies for your delicious coffee!

 We each had a salad sarmie too and again it was delicious - we love Woolies food!

We got back to the clinic in two weeks and lets hope there is reason to celebrate again!!! Ollie must get nice and FAT!!!

Going home...

I totally forgot to blog how cute Oliver looked going home from the hospital :)

 We were excited (and a little nervous) to take our boy home after being looked after so well in hospital BUT man didn't he just look so cute and small!!!

 PROUD dad carrying him out...

 And this was waiting for us when we got home, I nearly cried - so thoughtful of Mike knowing how much I love messages on the chalk board!

I just had to share :)

A happy sleeper...

My boy Oliver is a very happy sleeper - he LOVES to sleep and we often have to wake him up for feeds - from day one he has been in his own room and he loves it!! He is too cute when he sleeps!!

We had to change the chalk boards when he came home so we updated them..... welcoming out precious boy!!

TOO MUCH FUN!!

Presents from a doting grandpa!

My dad walked in so proudly the other day with a gift for Oliver - his first camping chair for their adventures together!

I mean how cute!!!
I can see them having many adventures together!!!! Gotta love a doting grandpa hey!

2 weeks!!

Little Oliver is already 2 weeks old as of yesterday!!!!

Don't grow up too fast little one!!

Beautiful!!

Isnt Oliver just the most beautiful boy you have ever seen!!

SWOON!!

Story time :)

On friday morning we read Oliver his first story - i really think he enjoyed it!!!
The pups loved it too...

 We chose Winnie the pooh of course!! Such a gorgeous book!

There will be MANY more times like this, I cannot wait!!

Reality....

Oliver is now 2 weeks old and he has been home for 11 days and there have been some easy times and some NOT so easy times! The reality of having this little munchkin and the ups and downs it brings!
Oliver was a dream when he came home, he just ate and slept and woke up twice in the night to feed... we thought we were doing really well and that we were on track to breastfeed for a while until his first baby clinic appointment a week ago. I went in smiling feeling happy that this little munckin was doing so well and then when we weighed him we found he has lost weight instead of gaining the little bit he should have from feeding, i was devastated! I felt it is my duty to feed him and the fact that i wasn't doing that well just broke me. I was put on meds to help my milk come in and then from there the wheels fell off - Oliver wouldn't settle at night, i was feeding him every 2 hours on both breasts trying to nourish him and yet he still cried all night from hunger, we could hear his tummy grumbling!
Then 2 days later i woke up with a fever, feeling horrible and my left breast was swollen and red and i could NOT touch it at all let alone feed Oliver, i freaked out thinking his next feed is in 2 hours now what do we do! We called our baby clinic lady, Barbara (who is an angel) and she said we will need to get him some formula (which i felt was a huge failure on my part) and then a pump to express as i couldn't go a day without expressing or it would not be good for me! It turns out i have mastitis, my milk still wasnt coming in and my poor boy was hungry! Mike, my hero / angel / Godsend popped out to get the formula, anitbiotics for me and a breast pump (toooo funny imagining him standing there trying to choose a breast pump) and then home he came for Olivers first bottle feed!
My boy chomped that bottle like there was no tomorrow then slept like he hadnt slept in days!!!!

 One of the good things about Ollie being on a bottle is that Mike can take feeds and also my mom can babysit if we need to pop out and there isn't this panic of getting back in time to breastfeed him!

So yesterday we made the decision, after a long discussion and many tears that breast feeding just wasn't working for me, my milk still hadn't come in enough and my poor boy needed food - so Ollie is on the bottle full time and he is loving it - his tummy gets full, his jaundices has gone away and he is sleeping so well! I was expressing every 2 hours on both breasts and after 4 express session i would produce about 30ml of milk - Ollie needs at least 100ml per feed every 3 hours - so ya! Nothing could be done but accept that these things happen and there is nothing you can do besides do what is best for your child!

A word of advise for moms to be - don't have a set plan in your mind about how things are going to go - it will only throw you completely off and shake your world!

I was adamant i was going to have a natural birth - after 3 hours of pushing i was rushed into an emergency c-section.

I was adament that i was going to breast feed unitl i had to go to work - no milk = needing formula.

It is so good to have an idea and wants for your birth and your baby but trust me reality sets in and you have to just go with what is best for you, your baby and what works!!
Thursday was my "all fall down" day BUT after coming to terms with what had to be done and what needed to be done for Ollies well being i adjusted my thought patterns and now i am comfortable with the decision to bottle feed him and go from there!!
Shoooo - lots to learn BUT it is so totally worth it!!!!

Now my boy is sleeping so beautifully!!!

 His tummy is full and he is a happy boy!!
We needed to do what we needed to do and i cannot wait till tomorrow to see if Oliver has put on the weight that he should - praying that he has - please pray too!!

Sleepy sleepy....

My boys loves to eat and loves to sleep.... I often have to wake him up for his feeds especially during the day as he loves sleeping with the light streaming into his room!
This is the scene that awaits me when i wake him up....

 I mean come on - HOW DAM CUTE IS HE!! I keep saying to mike that i cannot believe we made such a beautiful child!

I cannot stop kissing his cheeks!!!!

Look at this smile!

Yes yes i know its not a smile but just a wind BUT to me it is a smile and he was smiling at me!!!

To me here he looks like a little turtle :)

Morning cuddle...

I love the mornings with my boy - he is fed and cleaned and smells like baby powder - heavelny!!!
Then we have a little cuddle before he gets put back to bed.

He is really good actually, I often put him in his cot while he is still awake and he just chills looking at the bumper until he falls asleep - we have been really good and not getting into any bad habits with rocking him to sleep etc as we want him to self soothe as well!
Precious boy is so good!

Best cuz ever!

My goodness, i thought i would have ALL this time while baby sleeps to blog and show off my little boy and alas things are busy! Did you know how much washing a little one creates - a load or two per day - all worth it for sure BUT I am missing having some leisurely time to blog!
Things will calm and then i suppose i will have time - for now i just want to show you the cutest thing ever - we were at Mikes family yesterday as everyone was there for a braai and I went in to check on Ollie who was sleeping and this is what I found -

Ash who is smitten with her new (and first cousin) made this balloon for Ollie - how special!
Off to the folks again as Steve, Jackie and the Kids go back tomorrow and then from here our lives should calm down a bit.... hopefully!
I have SO MANY cute pictures to post of our little angel and some "new mom news" about how its been the last week and a bit - all in good time they say... suppose its true!!

Ollies birth story!

My precious boy was born a week ago already - a whole week - really? My goodness, time goes so fast!
It all started about 11pm on the 1 April... I started having some weird pains and thought "huh, I wonder if this is labor".... Said to Mike this may just be it and then after an hour of nothing much else we fell asleep. 1am on the 2 April I woke up and though "yoh - this is labor". I went to loo a million times and then eventually at 2:30am I started pacing the passage trying to feel a pattern of the contractions... I didn't wake mike up and i still wasn't 100% sure i was in labor but but 3am i woke him up and said "its go time" - we looked up symptoms of labor for the 100th time just to make sure and then called the hospital and was told to kind of just wait it out and see how i feel and when the pain gets too much we can come in.... i was told to get in a hot shower and that should do it! I did just that and it did feel amazing BUT the contractions carried on as normal - while i was in there i thought id better shave my legs and underarms, mike thought this was hilarious and brought me our laundry basket to sit on while shaving as I couldn't stand and shave like I normally do!!
I got out the shower, probably waited another 20minutes and said "ok babes, we need to go" - I got my bags, mike packed a bag, called my mom and dad and off we went!

 Teddy was ready to meet his new owner....

 Mikes bag all packed - NOTE to dads to be - take a jersey!!! Mike forgot his and was so cold the whole time!!

 All excited to meet my precious baby!!

When we got to the hospital they hooked my up to a monitor that monitored babys heart beat and also my contractions - I was told yes I am in in fact in labor and so the morning and excitement started!!
The contractions were SORE and as soon as i got there I asked when i could have my epidural :) I am a wuss! It was so lovely to hear Ollies heartbeat!

 The WORST part on the whole beginning stage was the drip in my arm - as i said i am a wuss and dont like needles too much! BUT Wendy, our nurse, was amazing!!

When i saw the pics afterwards this make me laugh!!!

 I didnt want to see the needle :)

 Then came the epidural which was a breeze - our anesthetist was amazing!

The drugs kicked in and we were too excited!!!! I was amazing how i wasn't nervous at all..... 

 My blood pressure was a little low to begin with but it stabilized eventually and also baby's heartbeat was a little fast - mike prayed for me and Ollie and soon they both sorted themselves out! We were well on our way to a natural birth which was our plan all along and we both got SUPER excited when they wheeled in the baby bed.....

 This was monitoring baby's heart beat (the smaller squiggles at the top) and the bottom was my contractions.

 Mike too excited (and a little exhausted)

Within 4 hours i was 10cm dilated - baby head was still a little too high so we had to just wait it out - we waited 3 hours and then I started pushing.We tried and tried but baby head wouldn't decent and then we discovered that baby's head was facing the wrong way.... after what felt like forever baby's heart rate went up again and became distressed and Dr turned to the nurse and said "put her on oxygen - the baby needs oxygen" - this is when i got a fright! I was put on oxygen and told that i had to be rushed in for an emergency c-section.... a very scary moment for me and i will say the tears came and didn't stop until baby was born!!! When i started pushing the turned off the epidural so i could feel labor enough to push so by the time we realized i had to be rush in for a c-section i was feeling every single contraction full on - sore and hectic BUT its amazing how your body just copes hey!
Anyway, an hour later I was in theater squeezing the heck out of mikes arm and within about 20 minutes baby Oliver was born!!!!!! I heard mike burst into tears and say "its a boy" and then i heard Oliver cry and i was ok! It was all worth it just in that moment alone!!! I kept saying "i cant see him, i cant see him" and then they held him up and i got to see Oliver for the first time!! My precious boy came out with his mouth open wanting food - moms child for sure!!

 They cleaned him up and did everything they had to while i watched!! Mike says here he looks like a gorilla child - too funny!!!

 As you can see I was balling my eyes out, it was all a little overwhelming for me especially being rushed to theater BUT when i saw this boy i lost my breath!!!!

 Our first family photo!!!!!

 Mike got to go to the nursery with Oliver and weight him, bath him etc while they sticked me up in theater and made sure i was ok!

 They popped him in here to warm him up a little - he warmed up pretty quick which is a good thing!!! Look at that proud dad hey!!!!!

 They bathed him and got him ready for me to see him!

 My two best boys!!!

 From 3pm - 4:30pm it was granny and grandpa time so our parents came to give Oliver a cuddle!!!

 A proud grandpa!!

Was nice seeing my folks and having them meet their grandson!!!!

 And this was Ollies home for the next 3 days - this and in my arms!!

My goodness - it was one of the more amazing, tiring, scary, humbling days of my life!!!
And this is how little Oliver Michael Brits came to be :)
I could not imagine my life without him!!!!

(my goodness, this took me 2 days to write and post - having a little munchkin really does take up your time - not that I mind too much)