Olive Update

Hi all,

Can you all believe it? I'm a Mummy and Martin is a Daddy!! Olive is really here! Officially here even, as Martin has been very organised and got her registered already: Olive Sarah Anderson.

I think everyone should be up to date on the fact that I went into hospital on Thursday 4th, had Olive on Friday 5th and made it home again on Monday 8th. I was in the hospital a while longer as I was unfortunate enough to suffer the uncommon side effect of an epidural which is THE headache from HELL! It literally felt like someone was slamming the front of my brain into a wall, even moving my eyes was agony and the only thing that touched the pain was morphine!

Since I've been home my head has gradually improved and I'm taking less and less painkillers each day, although it's very handy taking them for all the other parts of me that are sore and hurting!

At the moment I'm still plodding on with the breast feeding, but Olive is a bit tongue tied which isn't helping her to latch on correctly. We are off to the baby clinic on Monday afternoon to get this snipped (poor baby - don't think I'll be able to bear it) and hopefully enable us to be a bit more successful at feeding.

Overall though Olive is doing really well, her belly button 'bit' has come away, she's sort of enjoyed having a bath each night, and snoozing in her bouncy chair. She only lost 190g since her birth weight and is now putting weight back on again, she's had her nails cut twice (thank you Nana) and her hair is really growing already. We're struggling a bit with actual sleeping during the night (she'd rather not bother at all and on Friday stayed awake from 11pm to 6am) but have had some wonderful advice from our Community Midwife, and my Mum and bit by bit our routine is improving.

Martin has been fantastic, keeping the mind boggling amount of washing under control, providing meals and drinks, changing nappies and making regular trips to Mothercare for nipple shields, breast shells, nursing pillows and all manner of new necessities he's never even heard of, bless him!

He has even slotted in taking Dotty all the way to Bracknell to see the expert Bunny Vet as she has taken a turn for the worse and now needs medicine and painkillers twice a day, much like Eeyore did at this age. Nemo (the Cat) has taken her self designated role as Nurse VERY seriously and surprised us all! She is very protective of Olive and actually comes nearer to see what the matter is if Olive is crying.

Thankfully the Gestational Diabetes appears to have gone and I'm able to eat 'normally' again, despite the pain I was determined and managed to eat the head off my chocolate reindeer (saved from Christmas) while I was in hospital and since then have enjoyed a delicious chocolate cake (gluten free of course) which Mum baked on my Birthday. I should get the official all clear when I have a glucose test at the hospital in May.

Last but not least I need to say a really HUGE thank you to everyone who has visited, called, sent cards, flowers, gifts, e-mails and texts - we have literally been inundated and made to feel very very special and thought of, thank you all!!!