BabyBoardy Blog

BabyBoardy Blog - Over and out

2006-02-27T14:39:00.000+11:00

Well, we do hope that you've enjoyed our journey into parenthood. But now that the BabyBoardy is a real, live person, we think that Genevieve deserves her own blog.

So feel free to take a look at her new Now and Gen blog. On this, we'll keep you up to date with what's happening. In these first few weeks, I'm sure that'll be a lot. Afterwards, perhaps when something interesting happens. (If we aren't posting often enough, just let us know). Also, if you have any further questions, feel free to ask. In particular, as you have read, we're a big rap for a few things we've discovered during the pregnancy, and are only too willing to spruik their praises. And of course, you can delve back into the archives to where it all began, in March 2005 (see right).

Signing off, Cory, Naomi and Genevieve. xx

HypnoBirthing - Was it worth the effort?

2006-02-20T16:40:00.000+11:00

To answer that question ... basically, yes it was. The effort was pretty much minimal and although the birth didn't necessarily go according to plan whilst I was in labour using the breathing techniques, things went very well. The breathing kept me focused and enabled me to get through the surges. It also enabled us to remain calm and rational when we knew we were going to have to have assistance in the birth. Given that Genevieve was posterior, the level of discomfort would have been much greater than if she was facing the correct way. Had I not been using the techniques I think I would have been calling for drugs pretty quickly.

From a pregnancy perspective the breathing practice kept me calm and taught me how to fully relax quickly and easily. Post partum this is turning out to be a blessing as I can drop off to sleep or have a deep relaxation session whilst Genevieve has her sleeps. Genevieve is also quite a calm baby and seems to have little trouble sleeping so far. From what other people have said, this seems to be a characteristic of babies born to mothers who have used the Hypnobirthing techniques. Cory also gained a lot from the experience, and definitely felt he took a very active role in the birth - certainly not just a bystander. I couldn't have remained focused without him. A good birthing companion is essential to the process (and no... you can't have mine).

So I would definitely recommend Hypnobirthing to anyone who is looking at ways to improve their birthing experience and wants to keep things as natural as possible. As a practitioner, we also highly recommend Kayte Walton (see link on right of blog).

Pilates - the verdict

2006-02-18T16:35:00.000+11:00

I'd have to say, of everything I did during my pregnancy, the single best thing would have to be the Fit-to-Deliver pilates program.

Not only did it keep me feeling fit and healthy during my pregnancy, but it really came into its own after the birth. Given that having a caesarian is a major operation (they equate it to having a major car accident) it makes simple things like sitting up and getting in and out of bed quite difficult. Having built up the strength in my upper body, core and legs it enabled me to these things much easier than I would have expected. The ability to support my body just my arms and shoulders was a major benefit.

I'm reminded of the muscles I'm using during the day, and from the pilates I can focus on which ones to use. For example, when I first came home and had to climb the stairs up to our front door, I realised I couldn't use my stomach muscles to brace me and had to rely solely on my quads and glutes.

What's more, as it is run through a physiotherapy practice, I could claim most of it on my health insurance. You can also get the DVD to practice at home, which I also found good when I couldn't be bothered leaving the house.

Home again, home again, jiggidy jig!

2006-02-16T11:34:00.000+11:00

We'd been told that Thursday was our day of discharge (not the best choice of word in a maternity hospital if you ask me!) Anyway, I'd ridden home on my bike and swapped it for the car so we could bring Genevieve home. I'd also had her car capsule professionally fitted by a guy in Arden St, who said that our capsule was one of the best models. Well done Naomi - the eBay queen strikes again!

So, we had to get the thumbs-up from Dr Lionel, the midwives and our paediatrician. Everything was going well, but Gen was still a little yellow so they wanted to do another (that's three now) heel prick and blood vial to check her levels. Although we were keen to get her home, we were also more focused on her being healthy to do so, so we went through the rigmarole again. Better for her to go under the UV lights now, than have to bring her back later.

So while we were waiting for the test results to come back, I loaded up the car with all of the non-essentials, and grabbed us both a decent coffee (Nai's first for 5 days).

Without any sort of congratulatory fanfare, the results came back OK so I ran down and grabbed the car. We'd already tried the little girl in her capsule earlier that morning, so we loaded her up again and took the lift down to the car. Nai sat in the back with her and I chaffeured the girls, in a somewhat paranoid drive, to our home.

I unclipped the capsule and after Nai, cautiously, went up the front stairs (yay for all the pilates she did), it was Genevieve's turn. It was quite amazing to finally have her home. Now the fun starts. No midwives. No hot and cold running support. Did we have the house set up OK? Time would tell I s'pose!

Thankyou Dr Lionel!

2006-02-16T09:09:00.000+11:00

You may remember that Kellie put us on to Dr Lionel Steinberg, after we SMSed her all the way from Dublin with the news that Naomi was carrying a little-un.

Once we returned from overseas , we met with Dr Lionel every month, and then every fortnight and finally every week. He suited us to a tee - he was very 'matter of fact' and called a spade a spade. But he was also very kind, and happy to answer any questions. He was always very encouraging. This picture was taken early on the morning when we left hospital, after he gave Naomi and Genevieve the all-clear. (The previous day we were asleep, so he told us he stuck his head in, but we didn't stir so he let us be).

One of his main characteristics is his non-intervention stance. He is quite vocal in his opposition of the level of intervention these days. He believes there is far too much pressure on mothers, and therefore also on children today when it comes to childbirth. It is a natural process, when it can, it should be done as naturally as possible.

Consequently, he was supportive of our decision to give HypnoBirthing a go, and was very happy that Nai was staying active, going to gym and doing the Fit-to-Deliver pilates.

When the time came that Genevieve was coming out through the side entrance, he explained what was going to happen and the reason for it. Again, he didn't "pretty it up" - but just laid it bare the way it was. We always felt very calm, and very confident that everything was going to go well.

So a BIG thanks to Dr Lionel, and Jane and all of the other staff at his offices at St Vincent's private. We heartily recommend him.

Mother's Milk

2006-02-15T13:04:00.000+11:00

In Ireland, they supposedly send new mums home from hospital with a Guinness. We'd always thought that if this was in fact true, it must be for the iron and B12.

However, it seems that Guinness is called "Mother's Milk" as it reputedly aids in bringing on the milk production. So as I was still waiting for my milk to fully come in, another well-knowing midwife suggested that if I liked stout, I should have a glass. Any excuse hey?

Now it just so happens that Cory had brought in a bottle of Mountain Goat's Old Surefoot Stout, June '03 vintage. Now although beer is generally better served fresh, bottle fermented beers can age well.

Cory had brought this in to wet Genevieve's head - but little did we know that it would serve a higher purpose. The next day, my milk slowly started to come in. It could have been the stout - it may have been happening anyway. But who cares, it tasted good. Still all fresh and roasty, like eating grains of chocolate malt.

Third day blues - fact or fiction?

2006-02-14T20:15:00.000+11:00

It's commonly talked about that on the third day your happy pregnancy hormones disappear and the 'third day blues' strike. I thought that this could be a bit of a myth, or one of those things that can happen to some, but like many other pregnancy-related symptoms, perhaps not me.

However, day three arrived, and so did the tears. Rationally, I knew that I was teary because my hormones were all over the shop - this also meant that my milk was probably coming in some time soon. But I still couldn't stop crying - for pretty much no reason.

I looked a mess and visitors were arriving. So the prospect of hordes, no milk yet, a jaundiced little girl and looking a mess all added to it.

Thankfully, the all-knowing midwives, again, came to the rescue. "Have you had any alcohol yet?" asked one. I hadn't, so we quickly grabbed one of the complimentary piccolo champagnes we'd been stashing away over the past few days, and cracked it. One glass of champagne, combined with a few choccies and 20 minutes later I was all smiles, ready to greet the world!

What's more, wine tasted good for the first time in 8 months! Yay!

"Look at the stars... look how they shine for you... and everything you do..."

2006-02-14T08:40:00.000+11:00

Everything seemed to be going quite well, although poor little Genevieve was starting to turn somewhat yellow. As is (incredibly) common, she was slightly jaundiced. This tends to fix itself once they are feeding well and getting lots of fluids (read... milk) through them, so the kidneys can do their job.

But Nai's milk was taking a little time to come in. It can be anywhere from 2-3 days all the way to 5-6, and if you have a caesarian, it generally is on the higher end of this scale.

So Genevieve was the not-so-willing recipient of another heel prick. This time, they had to fill a little vial with her precious blood. Now I'm not being all paternally protective there... but I'm just suggesting that it must have been quite valuable as she was holding onto it as best she could. Lets just say that she definitely isn't a haemophilliac, as it took quite a lot of squeezing (with Mum and Dad looking on with tears in our eyes) to fill that small vial.

The test results came back that she was thankfully below the threshold for putting her under the UV lights in a humidicrib (one of the ways they treat jaundice). Pretty cool how they do that these days, as the kid gets these cool little towelette sunglasses to wear - complete with printed 'Rayban Wayfarer' style shades on them. Yep... they're a 3 day old Blues Brother.

So, instead, we gave her extra fluids. This was formula, but in little pre-mixed bottles. No waiting until she's 15 to get stuck into the ready-to-drink vodka UDL croozers, she was onto the hard stuff, ready-to-drink NAN!

So how do you administer it? Well, one preferred method for non-bottle-fed kids is for them to suck a finger and to slowly syringe in the required amount. This also makes it easy to measure what they take. So, while Genevieve sucked her Daddy's pinky, Mummy slowly squirted in the pseudomilk.

Now I've gotta tell you, as a bloke, this was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. I can start to understand how breastfeeding must be such an incredible bonding experience. As Genevieve slowly sucked my fingernail loose from its mooring (not really, but it sure felt like it), I think that's about 10% of the feeling that Nai must get while feeding her. I know my pinky wasn't providing the sustanance, but it was pretty awesome nonetheless.

Classifieds schmassifieds

2006-02-13T08:39:00.000+11:00

Back in the day, you let the masses know about your fresh kid via the newspaper classifieds. Now although we did eventually get around to putting one in the paper, it was far more effective and far cheaper to SMS everyone in our phone contacts.

Of course, it didn't help that the first SMS went out after a very long day, so Daddy managed to spell her name incorrectly. On the plus side, the next day, people who we knew had photo-capable phones got a photo too!

And better yet, you get their responses! (As follows)

Brendo - Congrats guys - we are so happy to hear that bb finally has a name & is here to play. Look after yourselves and the little 1 mum & dad. Lots of love b & k :)

Thelma (who is Nanna) - Congratulations 2 Mum and Dad. Cant wait 2 c her. Boardy would like 2nd name. He he. Try and have a good sleep.

Kellie - Oh my lord i am so pleased. But is everything ok? Can i call? love to you all xox

Thelma - Oh she is gorgeios and black hair like U had when born. Sue's dream was right

Nina - Congratulations! Cant wait to see her...

Jane Salmon - Many congrats! Hope all family is well. Lovely name. Call me tomorrow.

Andrea Dennett - Whohoo!! That's great news! Congrats. Looking 4wd 2 meeting her in real life! love2 the 3ofU. Andrea X X X

Donna - Congratulations! Another great aquarian enters the world

Tania - Oh my god! Congratulations! How is mom and baby doing?

Vicky - That's fantastic news, congrats! Which hospital, if up for short visits? I'm so happy about this, love Vicky

Tracey - Great news! They rarely come how you have planned - something about having a mind of their own! Get lots of rest. Trace xxx

Emily - oh my god that is fantastic news. well done i will pass on news to all! x x

Iain - Congratulations! Hope this isn't a taste of things to come! Very happy for all 3 of you!

Keri - CONGRATULATIONS! So happy for you all - can't wait to meet genevieve! I'll call you when I get back to Melbourne. Keri xx

Kevin - Congratulations! That is great news. Cant wait to see you all x x

Miss - Congratulations nai and cory. We're so happy 4 u! Which hospital r u in? Luv miss and john xoxo

Mel - A big Congratulations 2 u all, beautiful name. Want all the details y so early. Will call tom. Melanie

James McIlvena - Congratulations Mum. I'm sure you, Cory and Genevieve will all get along beautifully. She will love her sleep and crying will be too much effort.

Sally - Fantastic news. Hope to see you all soon.

Chris Pegler - Congratulations!!! Hope to meet Genevieve very soon. Love & best wishes from Chris, Juli & Benjamin

Paul Siegemund - Congratulations on becoming a Dad! How's Nai doing? Can I come visit her in the hosp 2 wish her well or is it best 2 wail till Mum and daughter are home? P

Dean - Hey dad a big congratulations to you both! Cant wait to meet your gorgeous baby girl kylie and dean X

Jane Hockley - Congratulations!

Leanne Kerr - Congratulations to you both. Great news!

Matt Baird - Congratulations mate...just heard the good news!

Mish Hogan - What fantastic news! Big congrats guys... enjoy! Luv mish, kev & Katie xxx

Belinda Hillard - Just heard the news about your baby girl - you both must be absolutely rapt. Congratulations! Hope mum, dad & bub are doing well... Bels

Andrea Athanaileas - She is gorgeous!

Mick Leyden - Hey mate congrats on The happy news hope Nai and bub are well!

Joan Smith - CONGRATS CORY NAOMI & GENEVIEVE. END OF FEB CAME A BIT EARLY. BEST WISHES FOR A HAPPY FUTURE WITH YOUR LITTLE GIRL. JOAN

Al Venn - Congrats from sarah and myself to you and nai on the birth of your baby daughter! Great news - Chat soon :)

Dave Becker - Congrats to you both

Bobbie - Oh wow... beautiful photos and a great website. Congratulations to both you and Naomi on the arrival of Claudia-wonderful news!! Take care all :)

Jamie Leathem - Congratulations, that is fantastic, only who is this? Cheers Jamie.

Andrew Temmhoff - Great news mate, we will have to catch up soon. I have 2 of my own too. Regards andy

Ken Kroeger - Congratulations - I was out of range over the weekend. I hope that all went well.

Sorry if we missed anyone there - but as you can see, we did receive quite a few. Our phones filled up pretty quickly! And of course, there were plenty of old-school phone calls, and even older-school visits as well. A big thanks to everyone!

The two most gorgeous girls in the world!

2006-02-12T22:19:00.000+11:00

Ok... so what do we do now?

2006-02-12T14:53:00.000+11:00

As soon as we were settled in the room, it was time for Genevieve's first feed. This is to get the colostrum going, and hopefully the milk in a few days shortly after. It also brings about further, smaller surges which aid in getting the uterus back from watermelon, to grapefruit, to orange.

That evening I slept on one of those horrible fold-out beds. You know the ones... you would've slept on one at a friend's place at some stage. Wheel it in, open it up. Yeah... THEM! Suffice it to say, that I must've been tired, as I slept like a log!

The midwives actually prefer it if you don't 'bed-in' with your kid the first night. It's combination of you needing your sleep - or alternatively, if you are a very sound sleeper, you may sleep thru the cries of an upset baby. So we shut our eyes at about 12:15 and then were awakened for a feed a few hours later. Of course, Nai had to be somewhat more awake than I, but both of us only have the haziest of recollections that early-morning feed. Next, we were awakened at about 7, again for a feed. So although we didn't really feel like much time had passed, the time we did sleep was very effective!

During the course of the day, we were :

given ongoing 'lactation support'. This is the official way of saying breastfeeding assistance. It's amazing how many different tips (and sometimes conflicting information) you get from the different midwives. The trick is, to listen to it all and latch on to the stuff that works for you
shown how to change her nappies (in particular, how to ensure she is clean before putting the next one on)
ate
shown how to bathe her - which was started by a midwife but finished by me
had a hearing test (and came up with a pass)
Met Nana (pronounced nar-nar... think Banana) and John, Nanna and Aunty Sue and later, Dean & Kylie and Kellie
slept

Nana and John were staying at our place, so they gave Ben a feed and a walk and tidied up the place a bit.

From that day on, I rode my bike home (I'd dropped the car back at some stage), gave Ben a walk and a feed, and quicky rode back. The bike proved to be much cheaper (of course), but also, generally, faster - especially if you factor in the time to park.

So each day, as I got on the bike and started down Grattan Street away from the hospital, the tears of joy would well up into my eyes, to the point that I would be quite literally sobbing. The first day it finished at Kensington. The second, it subsided while riding through North Melbourne. It's so wonderful I can have such love in my life!

"So... is she a Genevieve?"

2006-02-11T23:53:00.000+11:00

This was a question that Naomi asked of me pretty soon after we all moved into our room. We pretty quickly realised that this gorgeous name came close expressing how amazingly gorgeous this little person was. Genevieve was a name that both of us had come up with ourselves, so it was a dead cert that it would have been one of the front-runners.

Claudia? My father's second name (which he later disowned) was Claude, after his father, Claude Oswald Bxxxxxxx. And although I love him dearly and do miss him, I couldn't quite bring myself to name a child after him, and give it the burden of 'Barry Bxxxxxx' for its life. But we both liked Claudia, so that sort of worked. Fennell was chosen as a third given name, as it does work for a girl, and means that we don't have to go with the hyphenated surname.

So, for the record - Genevieve Claudia Fennell Bxxxxxxx was born at 9:21pm on Saturday 11 Feb at Frances Perry House in Carlton, Melbourne. She weighed 6 lb 7 oz, or just a shade under 3kg.

Oh... and yes, my apologies for the spelling mistake in the group SMSs I sent.
I does come before E unless after C!

Hello little Genevieve Claudia!

2006-02-11T21:25:00.000+11:00

The procedure to get a kid out of your belly is actually quite quick. Although there is a lot that goes on, I suppose it really is just getting in there and getting it out as quickly and safely as possible. It ends up that she was 'posterior', meaning head down, but spun around so that she's facing out, not in, with her spine against Naomi's. That brings about a more difficult, and generally more painful birth. Most posterior babies require some sort of intervention (often suction of forceps, or caesarian).

So, at 9:21pm on Saturday, Feb 11th a wonderful, healthy, noisy little punk angel monkey was brought into our world. I was escorted over to a side-area where she was checked, sucked, crimped and wrapped. That was all quite speedy, so that they could get her back to Naomi as quickly as possible.

So this is where our little girl met her mummy. You've gotta love the look on Naomi's face!

After around 10 minutes, it was time for her to head down to the nursery area to get weighed etc. Dr Lionel and the gang also had to keep going with stitching up the seven layers they'd gone through to get her out.

So she was put in a humidicrib and I escorted her back downstairs to the 11th floor. Although Naomi couldn't be with her at that time, from the point she was born until the next day, I never left her.

Naomi and I had our preferred names, but we didn't want to actually 'call it' until we saw the BB to see if the name(s) suited. So, when I was continually asked "Do you have a name?" My response was "Genevieve, pending". This, generally, brought about a pretty confused response, while they slowly realised that 'pending' was not going to be the child's second name. Having said that, while reviewing some video I shot at the time, I'm calling saying "Hello little Genevieve.... aren't you gorgeous?"

I was told that Naomi would be around 30-45 minutes. After around 45 I was starting to get a little worried. Again, the video shows me asking Genevieve "Where's your mummy?" By about 60 minutes I was asking if someone could go upstairs and see what was keeping them. By one hour and 10, I was working out how I'd cope as a single parent, and the loss of my wonderful Naomi. (I'm sure this was just biology messing with me).

Finally, after around 75 minutes, I saw Lionel and he said that it'd gone very well and Naomi would be down very soon. And indeed she was, and I carried our little girl out to again, be with her mummy!

The longest wait of my life

2006-02-11T20:45:00.000+11:00

As you can imagine, it only takes a few seconds to get changed into a lovely fetching blue number. But it takes a while to make sure that Naomi is ready for surgery. So I was asked to wait just outside the change rooms, in a small hallway.

So this is me, waiting while Naomi was being prepped for the Caesarian. How 15-20 mins can feel like a few days is quite astounding!

During this time I went though a whole heap of different thoughts. I hope that Naomi didn't feel like she'd failed, as I certainly didn't think so. It's just that the BB has inherited her lack of patience and wanted out.

I was a little excited - knowing that the BB would soon be with us, as well as being excited about actually being there during the birth. I also thought long and hard about whether I wanted to actually watch. I had thought about this before, and when faced with it I came to the same conclusion. Although I would love to watch the procedure, and I had in fact seen quite a few on TV, it was not something that I wanted to associate with Naomi. That was a mental image that I decided I didn't need.

Of course, in the 15 minutes/lifetime I had in my lonely hall, I also had my moments of fear and doubt. This was, after all, a major operation. And the BB was showing signs of distress. And where the hell was Dr Lionel and why is this all taking so long!?

So... after a wait that did seem longer than the queue for Space Mountain at Disneyland, Thea came and escorted me in.

The Birthing Starts...

2006-02-11T13:23:00.000+11:00

After a light lunch of a sandwich, and a little more monitoring of the surges and the BB's heartbeat, we were encouraged to head on down to Lygon Street for a coffee, or in our case, a hot chocolate from Koko Black (we didn't realise there was one in Carlton!)

Through all of this, it seems that the techniques we had learned through the HypnoBirthing classes were working - and even though we knew we were at the early stages, it was still comforting to get that encouragement from what we were experiencing. The photo, below, was taken during surges that were coming around every 2.5 mins, and were quite strong. There was a point, at round 4pm when Nai started to lose her focus. Pretty much, within a few 'surges' they started becoming 'contractions' - ie: they were really hurting. The colour drained from her face, and she was starting to groan. I was getting really worried, that all of the effort we had put in would have only got us this far. But I managed to talk her through it (as I'd been instructed) and bring her focus back upon the breath and her awareness that her body knew what to do. Within 20 seconds she relaxed again - much as she appeared above.

Every hour or so, the midwife (who, by that stage, was Thea, as Ruth's shift had finished) was monitoring our progress. She'd put the monitor on to see the BB's heart-rate and occasionally also monitor Nai's surges. She was also taking Nai's temperature, which thankfully had gone down. Unfortunately, Nai was feeling a bit ill (which is common during birthing) and so I don't think lunch really got used per se.

By about 7pm, although the surges (and other indicators of labour) seemed to be progressing extremely well, the BB's heart-rate was starting to go down during the surges. This is generally known as foetal distress. This is often a key indicator that there is going to have to be some sort of intervention. This was monitored over the next few hours and Dr Lionel, who as you have probably read, has one of the lowest rates of Caesarians in Australia, said "I can't keep watching this. We have to get this baby out".

There was never any stress, or real urgency communicated towards us. Even Dr Lionel's statement was more 'matter of fact' (as is his way) than made in exasperation. Consequently, we do prefer calling it an 'Unplanned caesarian' rather than an 'emergency caesarian'. We didn't see any flashing lights, no-one said 'STAT' and there was no machine that goes 'Ping'.

So Thea and Lionel wheeled Nai's bed to theatre, with me walking beside. Lionel and I went to get changed, and Thea and Nai went into the theatre proper so she could be prepped.

Naomi all hooked up

2006-02-11T10:21:00.000+11:00

We got a bit of sleep (Naomi more than I, as I was pretty excited and had a bit of last-minute cramming of various books to do anyway). Nai was awoken at about 5:30am with the stirrings of the first little surges. So we took Ben for his obligatory walk (dodgy photo taken via phone), and then I made her a nice fluffy omelette.

We phoned the hospital and they suggested that they normally wouldn't say to come in, but because we lived so close and Dr Lionel was doing his rounds soon, we may as well. So we packed up all of our stuff and bid farewell to Ben and the house, with the realisation that we could be coming back in a few hours, or the better part of a week!

After finally getting a park (OK... it wasn't that bad, but all of the 'emergency' parks which we were legitimately supposed to use were full) we took the lift up to the 11th floor and lugged our stuff towards the birthing suite desk (I lugged bags, Naomi lugged the BB). By this stage, Naomi was walking somewhat differently, as the BB had finally dropped.

A lovely midwife named Ruth escorted us to our suite (even if we left and came back, we'd be in this room). She then hooked Nai up to a monitor so that we could see how she and the BB were progressing, as shown below.

The surges were still a little spasmodic, and went from 5 mins to down to 2.5 and then back up a bit, so the actual 'labour' was still a ways off. However, Naomi's temperature was up slightly so Dr Lionel (who had dropped thru by that stage) suggested he'd feel better if we stuck around. So it looked like we were in for the duration!

Umm.... Cory!!!?....

2006-02-10T23:48:00.000+11:00

Nai had had a nice relaxing day at home, and I rode home from work at the normal time. We were just in the throws of sorting out what to have for dinner when Chook (Anthony) dropped by with a letter. He said he was headed to Carole and Matt's, and suggested we join him.

So at 10:50pm after some wonderful conversation and some pizza (Naomi downing all of her Vegetarian Deluxe), Naomi - both calmly and quite energetically at the same time - exclaimed as she stood up, "Umm... Cory!!!?... I think my waters just broke!"

So Matt ran to get some towels and yes, by the magnitude of the gush it was pretty obvious that this is what had happened.

Chook drove us home and Nai hit the shower. We started a final pack of the stuff we are going to take to the hospital, and consulted the various books, brochures and dodgy photocopies to ensure what we should be doing at that time. One of those things that we were to do was ring the hospital, which is exactly what you can see Naomi doing in the photo.

From this point, it's just kicking back and monitoring what happens. From the breaking of waters to the onset of birth is normally around 12 hours, but it can actually be days (although many well-meaning doctors like to induce before this time).

Visitations

2006-02-10T17:13:00.000+11:00

One thing which many of you are already aware of, but we thought that we'd better say anyway, is that Naomi and flowers aren't a great match. I mean... she does love them, and I do buy the occasional bunch (at random times - "Just for", when they have the maximum effect - ha ha!). But a whole roomful of them will unfortunately be less likely to bring about smiles, and more likely bring about sneezing, tears and forced smiles.

So, after it all happens, when you come to visit, don't feel the need to bring flowers. Perhaps buy your loved-one flowers instead? Or, of course, feel free to bring something else!?

And while we're at it - it's fine for you to visit us at the hospital (or Sofitel Hotel, if we end up there in the final days of our stay). But keep in mind that it isn't like the good/old bad days of staying 2 weeks in hospital. We'll most-likely be in there for 4-5 days tops. So feel free to drop by, but don't feel rushed - there's plenty of time afterwards.

Secondly, we really do love to see you, but don't stay long. We're told the first few days after the birth are vitally important for us, so we can learn as much as we can. The hospital suggests you plan on 30 minute visits, which sounds like a good idea to us.

Finally, if you turn up and Nai is trying to feed (or should that be the BB is trying to feed?), you may find I'll turn you away. That's fine... go have a coffee for 45 mins or so then come back. Of all the time post birth, it is during feeding where it is most important that Naomi and the BB get to bond, and if possible, get this whole breastfeeding thing dialled. It's not difficult, but it is tricky and takes some practice.

So yeah... I'm sure you understand all of this and will support our wishes.

"Perfect Baby"

2006-02-09T18:43:00.000+11:00

Yep, that was Dr Lionel's parting words after today's appointment. Slightly larger than average, blood pressure and protein fine. Heartrate 145BPM. (The BB's, not Naomi).

Dr Lionel said that he sometimes suggests that people fudge about their due date. It is still perfectly normal for anyone to have their baby up to 12 days after their due date, and as we've mentioned, he's totally against any unnecessary form of intervention. So he's not going to do anything until that time. So... we're due March 11th! Ha ha!

But the other thing, is we have been "full term" for close to a week now. So really, it is truly "any day now". Our guess is any day between now, and the 11th of March.

Marilyn (Nai's mother) said that our baby is very boring. All these visits to the obstetrician and nothing to show for it. I'm guessing this is where Naomi inherited her wonderful reserves of patience.

Swelly Belly - 37 weeks

2006-02-05T16:57:00.000+11:00

Here is the beautiful Naomi doing her best Italian movie star pose. After our final hypnobirthing class we headed down to Kellie's family's place in Queenscliff, in preparation for a Triathlon that I was doing with the usual crew (Naomi too last year).

So after we got back to Kell's and had something to eat, it was a quick 100m walk to the beach for a refreshing dip. Just as she found on Australia Day, swiming in the ocean really does have both a wonderful calming quality, as well as the feeling of weightlessness - and with plenty of extra weight on board that can't be bad! And the water was nice and refreshing too. It wasn't a hot day, but quite perfect for lying on the beach to dry off.

And speaking of - we managed to allow Nai to lie on the beach just like any normal person would... the secret? Scroll down...

Yep... a little handy excavation allows for some great lying-on-the-belly action. Pretty cool hey? I think we'll manage to get to the beach at least a few times in the next few weeks - but perhaps only Williamstown as that's 15 mins away. It's not like we're going to go surfing or anything anyway is it?

12 months without peak hour traffic

2006-02-03T19:55:00.000+11:00

I walked in to work today with the hugest smile on my face. I didn't even mind being stuck in traffic for 45 mins and consequently having to park right up on the 5th floor of the carpark. Why...? Because it was my last day at work!

My manager said I looked far too happy, but she understood completely because she goes on maternity leave in two weeks time. I spent most of the day just tidying up final bits and pieces and we went out for lunch (just a few of the girlies) which was lovely (as was the pumpkin and spinach pizza!). Then there was the requisite afternoon tea (any excuse!) with cake, presents and festivities. Scott, the exec-director of HR gave a lovely little speech and I spent the rest of the afternoon saying goodbye and receiving the most wonderful and encouraging emails.

After work we went to a local pub where I had the best lemon squash on the menu to celebrate not only my last day, but the engagement of two women at work (not to each other).

In hindsight, I probably should have done this last Friday. I didn't sleep well Monday night and so took Tuesday off. My disturbed sleep affected Cory too - and he came home Tuesday afternoon for some much-needed dozing (he had a big day the next day). However, you don't know these things when you have to put your maternity-leave form in months in advance. I'd recommend to take at least four weeks before you're due. You don't know how tired you're going to be and if you're not tired, you can channel the energy into something more enjoyable than work.

I'm now looking forward to at least a couple of weeks of rest, relaxation and plenty of cat-naps. Of course, that'll be the last of that for a LOOOOOOOONG time.

"Et's all jest gisswork, relly"

2006-02-02T18:44:00.000+11:00

We're seeing Dr Lionel weekly now. We took in our birth plan, which states our preferences for what will happen throughout the course of labour and birth, provided everything goes ok. This was no biggy as Frances Perry House (where we're having it) and Dr Lionel are both advocates for a lot of these things. We can imagine, however, other people would have to fight for it.

So the usual blood pressure test, measurement and listening to the BB's heartbeat all went well. Dr Lionel has revised the weight down to 7.5 - 8lb, which I'm pretty happy about. But it is just a guess.

Swelly Belly - 36 weeks

2006-01-30T10:42:00.000+11:00

Here's our regular swelly belly picture - but this week there would be at least a few of you who will have seen the belly first hand, as it was the Baby Shower.

In spite of the oppressive heat and humidity (yes... it was another of those Nth Qld-like days in Melbourne) we had around twenty people rock up at Carole's place to enjoy a yummy afternoon tea and drinks.

Once again, the BB was very spoilt, being on the receiving-end of many wonderful gifts. Naomi managed to score a couple in there as well! One of the key gifts was a voucher for 'Fuzzy Bunz' reusable, fitted nappies. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this.

A very big thanks go to Kellie and Carole for organising the event (and organising our friends is no mean feat!) and for supplying such a wonderful location. Thanks heaps for everything and we hope you all had fun!

No-one was feeling the heat more than the four preggies in attend- ance : Mel, Tania, Naomi and Dianna.

Mr Benjamin S B Woggle

2006-01-29T11:46:00.000+11:00

We've been asked a few times if we are concerned about Ben. Both about how safe we think the BB will be with him and also how a new small, screaming, stinky being coming into his world will effect him.

There are a few strategies involved in introducing a new baby to a canine member of the family. The first thing I'll do is bring home some of the BB's clothing or a blanket, so that Ben can have a sniff (and most likely just ignore it, knowing what Ben is normally like). We'll probably do that a few times before we bring the BB home.

Next is, just as you'd imagine it, slowly introducing the BB to Ben, and ensuring that Ben is too startled etc. Ben will, of course, probably ignore it.

Greyhounds are a remarkably placid breed. The photo (above) is most-likely where Ben is right now as you are reading this. If he had his way, he'd be there 95% of the time (but we do put him out when we aren't here, so he also sleeps on his outdoor bed). Ben has had kids climb all over him, pulling his ears and poking him in the eyes. He's slowly walked away when the time was right, but he's never raised a hackle. I'm actually more concerned once the BB reaches toddler stage, as anyone who has seen Benno bound down our hallway will attest - I'm sure he'll send the BB flying on more than one occasion. But we'll deal with that when it comes.

So we aren't concerned, however we will be slow and cautious - for his sake as much as the BB's.

HypnoBirthing - The Basics

2006-01-28T14:31:00.000+11:00

I know we keep harping on about it, but seeing how it's a pretty major focus of ours from now until the birth, it's going to take up quite a lot of our time and effort. Consequently, we thought we'd give you our take on the basics - and that way, you may be able to help out a little as well.

In Western society, if you ask someone to explain childbirth in one word, generally that word is pain. This is so ingrained into our society, it is very hard to enter into childbirth without some element of fear, and many find it terrifying. This fear brings about a Fight or Flight response, which can slow or even stop the birthing process. Blood is channelled away from the uterus and the uterine muscles tense. The mother then finds they have to push against this. Even the classic 'puff-puff' breathing we've all seen on TV actually works against the birth.

In other cultures, where the fear of childbirth is not as prevalent, it has been found that women are able to give birth much more easily and with less, or even virtually no, pain. This is possibly where the stories of mothers working in the fields, giving birth, picking the baby up and then barely skipping a beat come from. (Not that I will be giving birth at the office and continuing with my daily routine - hopefully anyway!) Without fear, the cervix relaxes and each surge of the uterus allows the cervix to open slightly more, so the baby will, quite literally, 'ease' out.

So if it's all so natural then why does it need this western HypnoBirthing® methodology. In essence, I have to be de-programmed from my cultural Western fear of birth. Part of that is how it's referred to. As you may have noticed in the previous paragraph, some of the terminology is changed, so that there is less anxiety involved:

Due date is 'birthing time', but we like guess date
Labour becomes birthing
Contractions are surges or waves
Pushing is actually instead a process of breathing down which really goes well with my practice of yoga and pilates
Dilating is the far more graceful opening

There's a heap of other ones, but they're a bit too American for us.

In our society people love to share horror stories, which just goes on providing this warped Western view. People who have good experience subsequently feel guilty and avoid sharing those experiences, which are the ones that should be shared.

So - that'll about do. Cory and I are working hard, so that I can have as calm a birth as possible. Even if things don't go according to plan, I'm sure the practice at being able to relax will come in very handy at some point in the next 23 years.

Oh how cute!

2006-01-27T11:28:00.000+11:00

It's pretty sad when you get excited about a doing a load of washing hey?
(They say it's a good idea to wash everything before first use, to remove manufacturing/packaging chemicals).

Look into my eyes...

2006-01-26T12:03:00.000+11:00

Look into my eyes...
Not around the eyes...
Look into my eyes...

Well, we had our latest HypnoBirthing Session last night, and I have to say, I'm pretty blown away by it all.

After our first session, we had some homework to do. This included putting together a birth plan (what our preferences are for the birthing experience), work out which of the affirmations in the HypnoBirthing book didn't make us gag (OK, Kayte didn't quite say it that way) and for Naomi and I to go through the guided relaxation exercises that were on the CD. We pretty much did all of this (although Nai was really the only one to listen to the relaxation exercises - and she's done that pretty much every day - the iPod has helped!)

It's really looking like it's paying off. Naomi can now go into a trance-like state quite quickly and our fears regarding birthing have diminished to the point that they really don't factor into it - it's more we're looking forward to it all, because we know that the HypnoBirthing techiques are going to work - they really do gel well with us. We watched another video - but this time it was just interviews with some Australian couples who had used HypnoBirthing. It was great to get a slightly more 'real' view of it, as some of the US ones are a little over-the-top. One thing that rang very strongly with me was the fact that, generally, a calm birth leads towards a calm baby. Another good reason for HypnoBirthing I suppose.

But the biggest spinout of the night was one of the homework tasks which we hadn't done. For the techniques to be most effective, it is best if Naomi and I can get her in a trance-like state, where I can give her affirmations and help her control her breathing, body and relaxation. This, essentially, is me putting her in a trance. And... as you've probably already guessed, it all worked perfectly. At one point, I asked Naomi to open her eyes, if she could, and she couldn't do it. It was pretty astounding.

Ha HA! The power! Mwah ha ha ha!

But seriously... with more practice, this will be an extremely useful tool in ensuring that we both stay relaxed, calm and focussed leading up to, and of course, during the birth. The breathing means there's a calmness as well as more oxygen flowing around in there, so Baby Boardy seems to enjoy it too!

Anyway... I'm still buzzing (15 hours later). It just brings us both back to the thought that we wish more people would try this - apart from the dodgy name, HypnoBirthing appears to be pretty awesome! We'll post sometime soon with how all of you can help us - simple things, but effective. (Hint : out with 'contractions', in with 'surges' or 'waves').

Bend and stretch... reach for the stars...

2006-01-24T16:42:00.000+11:00

For a few months now, Naomi has been going to a pilates class that has been specifically designed for pregnant women. The Fit to Deliver program has been designed by physiotherapists, to use aspects of pilates in a way that's safe during pregnancy. So far, Nai reckons it's a winner. Months ago, when we did the training sessions organised by the hospital, the first of the these was on Fitness and Health and it mentioned the program by name. Dr Lionel, too, has given it the big thumbs-up. I suppose time will tell, but it seems to be really helping with the general aches and pains that pregnancy can give you. As well as working on core stability (the basis of pilates), it also works on strengthening and toning everything Nai's gonna need to help the BB out into the world.

As the weeks have gone by, when Naomi has attended the sessions she is getting closer to being the 'most pregnant' there, although they do claim that women have come to sessions in their early stages of labour. It is as much about focus as it is physical activity, so in a way that is probably not terribly surprising. And the focus, deep breathing and relaxation principles that it espouses also neatly mesh in with the HypnoBirthing techniques, so it's all good really. And being physiotherapy in nature, we can also claim in on our health-insurance, which is a bonus (but then... makes sense really!)

As well as these sessions which she, and her friend Tania, attend (yes... Tania has been drinking that water too, and is due around a month or so after us) they also have DVDs so you can go through things in the comfort of your own home. So the photo is of the lovely Naomi, on her purple yoga mat in our lounge, in the last stages of the DVD. At present, Nai is managing this around 2-3 times per week.

Swelly Belly - 35 weeks

2006-01-22T14:13:00.000+11:00

This weekend was one of those wonderful, very hot Melbourne weekends. Forecast 36 on Saturday actually tipped out at 41. Sunday was forecast for 41, which they revised for 43 and it almost made it there. Consequently, a lot of the weekend's activities revolved around keeping Nai in a cool environment.

We had a few things to do, so we were out early on Saturday. We bought a new mattress for the cot, as well as smaller one for the basinette (SIDS-people recommend you only re-use a child mattress if it is a sibling - they don't understand why, but there is a greater incidence of SIDS with used bedware). We also picked up a few things from Bunnings for the house. By the time we got home (before noon) it was pretty hot and Nai had had enough.

On Sunday, I was off killing myself in the heat (read : MountainBiking on the Commonwealth Games track at Lysterfield) while Nai went for brunch and a movie with her friend Kellie. The first thing on the agenda was to ensure of air conditioning - so after a nice iced chocolate and a vegetable panini from Brunetti's (in Faraday, off Lygon St), it was off to the Nova to see Good Night, and Good Luck which spoke about how CBS tried to counter the scaremongering tactics of Senator McCarthy. She said it was very good - and I reckon quite enlightening in current times. Anyway - nothing like the air-conditioned cinemas on a hot day, with a nice choc-top.

Once Nai got home, it was back into the air-conditioned comfort for the rest of the day. Thankfully, the change arrived early in the evening, although they are prediciting another bout of very high temperatures later this week. We read that the BB has pretty much stopped growing in length (average is around 45cm from head to toe), but will spend the remaining time in-utero putting on around 250g per week until it's time to pop out and see the world.

Nai is still keeping up with the Pilates, and we have our next HypnoBirthing session on Wednesday. She's starting to scale back at work a little and may, if possible start late or leave early if she needs to. Maybe even snooze in the car after lunch and/or listen to a hypnobirthing CD in the car when possible.

Bigger than average???

2006-01-19T10:55:00.000+11:00

We had our first visit with Lionel for the year and he said that everything was going well and according to plan.....except that he thinks the BB might be a little bit bigger than your average 34.5 week old foetus! Apparently the average weight at birth is 7lb 10oz and he reckons that BB might come in a pound over that. However he did say it is all purely guessing and of course BB might decide to make an early appearance - which we are not discouraging based on that information.

BB is being reminded on a daily basis that we are very excited about its arrival so anytime from 36 weeks on is fine with us! I am not the most patient person in the world so these last few weeks are going to seem like ages.....

A better way to birth

2006-01-15T12:18:00.000+11:00

A few weeks back, I bought the book in this picture, having read about the theory of hypnobirthing on a few internet sites. I pretty much read the book from cover to cover and felt that it all made a lot of sense with regards to making yourself as relaxed as possible for the duration of the birth to provide an easier, less painful experience for both mother and baby. So we looked around for a practitioner in Melbourne - easier said than done!! There are not too many around and most seem to be in Sydney. However we managed to find one in Preston and booked in with her for the sessions. Basically the technique uses breathing and visualisation to enable the mother to work with her body to relax all of the muscles to effectively give birth.

We had our first session on Saturday and the practitioner turned out to be a woman that Cory had worked with at TAFE - small world! Anyway Kayte was very good and took us through the theory and we saw some videos of women delivering using the techniques. It was very different to what we saw at birthing class!! The women in these videos were nowhere near as distressed or in pain as the one we had seen. It really showed a different experience completely.

So now along with pilates, walking, drinking raspberry leaf tea, massage, resting and nutrition I also need to practice my breathing and affirmations.... I'm not sure how I can fit all of this in to one day with work as well!!!

Swelly Belly - 33 weeks

2006-01-08T11:43:00.000+11:00

It's been a while since we've had a photo in the 'baby' top (it's been too warm to wear it), so we thought we'd better give you one, for reference.

Nai is definitely starting to slow down. She's feeling less mobile, and more tired more often. She's also finding it harder to roll over at night, as well as changing positions on the couch. Tomorrow she's back at work for the final four weeks, and is somewhat concerned how she'll cope without the afternoon nap she's got into the habit of taking

T-minus 50 days and counting...

2006-01-07T11:32:00.000+11:00

More and more these days we're getting asked "When are you due?" It is, of course, a perfectly natural question and in particular for Nai, with the bump getting more and more out there, I'm not surprised it's one of the first questions asked.

As you can see from the photo, since we went public, we've been keeping the countdown ourselves, on our fridge. (The actual size is from head to bum, which is now 30cm. Head to toe is 45cm!)

But in reality, the BB can come any time. Pretty much any time around 3 weeks either side from the 'guess date' of Feb 27th is pretty normal. Even outside of that 6 week span isn't exactly abnormal either, although they don't like it getting any later than that. Naomi has taken to saying she's due "Late Feb" and I suppose that'll change to "Any day now" as it gets closer. But don't worry - we'll keep you posted.

Nursery Decor

2006-01-05T20:24:00.000+11:00

Nai and I thought we'd deck out the nursery in an aquatic style, to go with the blue/green colours that are already in there. One easy way to do this would be to put in a wallpaper border. I found this one, but Nai doesn't think it's appropriate. I can't see what her problem is!

Nested

2006-01-02T16:42:00.000+11:00

Well... the nursery is pretty much set up - well at least enough to actually call it a nursery. We've moved all the baby stuff in, or more to the point, we've moved all of the other stuff out, and set up the baby stuff in there. It's had a thorough clean (probably the first of a few before the baby arrives). And, as you can see from the photos, we've set up the cot. Looks VERY cool. From this point, the wardrobe will need another coat of paint, and we're keen to get some sort of aquatic styled border to put around the walls.

Cory Assembling

Nai thinks the BB will work
out these latches before she does!

The finished product

More Nesting

2005-12-30T19:46:00.000+11:00

I'm happy to say that the nesting is all me today. Brian (our fix-it guy) has finished putting in some doors into what's going to be the nursery, so it was up to be to paint them. Once I've finished that, we can move what remains of the study (including the computer I'm typing on now) into our front room, and set this room up a little better so it looks like somewhere a self-respecting newborn would wanna hang out.

Travelling and Dr Lionel

2005-12-30T19:05:00.000+11:00

Before leaving for Adelaide, one of the questions we asked Dr Lionel was if he thought that it would be wise driving interstate when I would be 30-31 weeks. He said, yes, as long as I don't travel after 32 weeks.

He gave me a few horror stories. One in particular was a woman who had flown up to Surfer's Paradise at 27 weeks and had then gone into labour. She had to stay in Brisbane for three months, until the baby was able to leave hospital to come back to Melbourne. She was without her family and support network (and everything else) for this period of time. And of course... no Lionel.

But I wasn't 32 weeks yet, so Lionel said I should be fine. Thankfully I was, but that's it - no more travel from now on. (See photo for me, with our car in the background, and the complimentary cuppa from our sponsor at the Dimboola rest stop)

We had another checkup today. Lionel was very happy - everything's going well. The baby's currently head-down, so he hopes it stays that way. He said that the way I've been feeling it kicking (ie: where I can feel the kick) is indicative of how BB prefers to lie - head-down with its back to my left-hand side. I generally feel the kicks to the upper right of my belly.

Today it was 39 degrees (that's about 108 for those who don't use celsius), so I wasn't particularly happy to have to get out of the house. For the last day of the year it's going to be 42. Thankfully, we're spending the night in... but we still have a few visitations and other small things to do.

Swelly Belly - 31.5 weeks

2005-12-30T10:11:00.000+11:00

Well, the countdown to the 'guess date' is now down to single figures. This week's swelly belly photo comes from NewQuay at Melbourne's Docklands where Matt, Carole, Naomi and I had dinner with our friend Anne. Annie lives in London, and she was witness to Nai's last night of getting drunk, before we confirmed that she was pregnant. (Nai didn't get wasted that night, just a little tipsy). These days, it's sips of my beer, and the odd Guinness or champagne.

BB's 1st family holiday

2005-12-29T10:07:00.001+11:00

We arrived back from Adelaide yesterday. About 750km in the car. We left at 5am on the 24th, to get there in time for the family Christmas dinner. Weather for the trip was quite changeable - plenty of wind, some rain, as well as some baking sun.

It was good to catch up with rels for Christmas, and especially to see how some of Naomi's cousin's kids had grown.

But for me, the highlight for the trip was the brief time we spent on the beach. We managed to secure lodging in a friend's apartment at West Beach, which was pretty much directly opposite the beach. The weather/timing conspired against us, so we only had the one swim. But seeing Nai bouncing around in the water, forgetting she had a big, growing-heavier, bump on her belly was great. Back on the beach, I excavated a nice round hole so she could lie on her tummy - something she hadn't done for a while now.

And the BB learned that Christmas is for kids - even while still in the belly. The BB did manage to get the majority of the gifts we received. Thanks everyone!

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-23T09:33:00.000+11:00

Have a good one everybody. It'll be our last as just a couple - next year we'll have a family.

Nesting

2005-12-20T20:29:00.000+11:00

I must really commence this by saying that I haven't really been doing all that much nesting myself, it has mainly been Naomi, with some help from her mother Marilyn.

But, the house is getting a bit of a once over (or twice over) ready for the BB. In the photo (attached) you'll see me getting ready to be a bit of muscle to help our fix-it/build-it guy, Brian, install a rolladoor. That, combined with a working rear gate, will make it easier to drop off shopping and the BB, instead of lugging it all up the front steps. After all, when we bought the place they did say 'Right of Way' access at the rear. I suppose, after 3 yrs, we're finally getting it!

We've also had some front steps put in, a door in the nursery (as I suppose we can call it these days) and some wardrobe doors in there as well. So we're (slowly) getting there!

Swelly Belly - 30 weeks

2005-12-18T16:36:00.000+11:00

Yep... it's a still a growin'!

Lunch & blood-tests don't mix

2005-12-18T16:15:00.000+11:00

Last time I saw Dr Lionel coincided with the routine 'glucose' test. What we didn't tell you is that I FAILED! (And I studied for it and everything!) But seriously... the maximum acceptable level is 8.0 and I was 8.1. This meant that I had to go and have the full glucose screening test.

This required me to fast from about 9pm the night before and then go into the pathology place in the morning, have a blood test, drink the yummy glucose drink (again!), wait an hour, have another blood test, wait another hour and have a final blood test.

Of course, the day that I did it was a lovely 36 degrees and I had to wait in a stuffy pathology room for 2.5 hours until the testing was over. Needless to say, I ended up with a headache for the rest of the afternoon.

Anyway - that test came back negative. So the first one was a false positive. Cory thinks it's the fault of the schlep who was serving me he said it'd be fine for me to go and have some lunch just before the blood test. I don't think it was fine.

Dr Lionel was very happy. He asked if we had any questions - we'll have to think of some for next time... as we're a little bit too well read. We asked him about hypnobirthing, and he's all for it so we're going to see if we can meet up with a practitioner or three. I also bought this book.

Crash-test Dummy

2005-12-13T15:37:00.000+11:00

Here you'll notice the ever-faithful bear testing our latest eBay acquision, a cradle, or bassinette, or whatever they call it in your neck of the woods. And a big thanks to Nanna Thel for picking it up from the seller, and dropping it off to us.

You'll also notice that the 'nursery' is still very much a study, with the computer in the background, and the ladder to the right. It'll get there soon - as will various other upgrades to the house in general.

(Oh... and we know that having the toys in there isn't good practice from a SIDS perspective, but at the moment it's somewhere to keep them.)

"This kid has too many clothes!"

2005-12-11T15:39:00.000+11:00

We started organising a few things today, including getting out the haul of clothing we have so far (many gifts, and a few purchases) and putting them in the chest of drawers we got on eBay.

There seems to be a lot of items in there, however I'm sure we'll get proven wrong with how quickly they go through them. Also... we just put them in there - we'll need to sort on size and have the 000's ready for post-birth, then the 00's etc etc.

Happy Birthday Mummy! - 29 Weeks

2005-12-10T20:50:00.000+11:00

Here's Nai at her birthday BBQ. Had a great day catching up with people.

Horror Movie

2005-12-07T20:48:00.000+11:00

Last night we finally managed to attend a 'Labour and Birth' class, after it had been rescheduled from the week before last, after the educator didn't show up. We'd actually been warned about this class from people who had been to it previously - especially about the birthing video that is shown in the class. Not so much the actual birthing bit, but the fact that she hadn't been to see her beautician for quite some time (if ever!). The lack of orthodontic attention was also concerning.

The session went through the whole process, from pre-labour through to what you can expect for the first few hours after giving birth. Unlike other sessions, when prompted, most people were not asking any questions. I think they were a little concerned about what was coming up.

And so it was time for the video. The educator had stressed it was optional - and one look of 'Sally', the poor unfortunate who had put her hand up (legs up?) to be videoed, and one of our number took that option. Straight out to the hallway with a cuppa. It was shot in the 80's, in Adelaide, with the parents both somewhat one-sandwich-short-of-a-playlunch. The video, although quite full-on, wasn't as bad as we'd expected. Still, it was very confronting. It wasn't the head (barely) coming out of the pink bits that was the worst, it was the pain that she was in beforehand - when you could see that she was really stuggling. But the video-sponsor CIG nitrous-oxide was never far away (luckily!) The instructor/midwife also let us know that only once has she caught the husband/partner/support person taking a few quick tokes on the gas themselves!

So funnily enough, after the video the questions were coming thick and fast. The various pain relief options were discussed, and some of the participants also mentioned hypnobirthing, which we are going to investigate.

"Sleep now, while you still can"

2005-12-01T22:58:00.000+11:00

Our third class was entitled "Post-natal and early parenting". It covered a lot of stuff from what happens as soon as you've given birth up until the first few months.

Some of the things included crying, sleeping, what a normal day will look like, crying, communicating with your baby, post-natal depression, crying, community help and resources, tools and techniques you can use, and finally the fact that your baby's main method of communication is, apparently, crying.

We think that we were slightly better prepared than some of the couples in our group, (and they were all further-along than us), so that made us feel pretty good. However, we'll see just how long that smugness lasts once the BB arrives, when it'll probably be baby crying, mummy crying, daddy crying...

Q: Do you know what are you having?

2005-12-01T13:36:00.000+11:00

A: Yeah... a baby!

This is something that we've been asked ever since we went public, but it now starting to increase somewhat as Naomi's bump gets more prominent. (And she's also discovering exactly why it's called a 'bump' - as that's what it constantly does - doorframes, tables, people etc).

Anyway - we decided long ago (before we were even planning) that we wouldn't want to know the gender of the little'un until it came out.

My thinking - You get far too few real surprises in adult life, and most of the ones you do get tend to be bad.

So - at each scan, we confirmed that:

It was alive and well
There was only one
Full complement of fingers and toes etc etc
and nothing else!

So you'll just have to wait! If you think you have an inkling, use the comments section below to say what you think, and your reasonings why.

C'mon people! We know that you are reading this - so take a punt and let us know what you think we are having!

Ages 6 and up

2005-11-29T15:59:00.000+11:00

Only 6 years and 3 months to go! Woo hoo!

Breast is best

2005-11-28T22:51:00.000+11:00

Tonight was the second of our classes - Breastfeeding. It was actually supposed to be the 3rd, but Cory and I and a dozen others managed to turn up to the Labour and Birth class the other night, but unfortunately, the educator didn't! That one has been rescheduled until Dec.

This class focused upon the benefits of breastfeeding for both baby as well as the mother, plus the community. In some ways, it was sort of preaching to the converted as all in attendance had planned to breastfeed if possible.

We each received a plastic baby and were instructed in the various holds, as well as the basic routine you go through. We also watched some videos on technique and what happens when you don't do it properly. Ouch!

Of course, everything that was taught will most-likely not be very effective when you have real live sucker down there, but they'll go through the whole lot again once you're in hospital with the baby. It was actually very useful to hear about what we're in for and what is involved. We won't be going in with our eyes shut.

Have we done the right thing?

2005-11-26T21:03:00.000+11:00

Today we attended a Thanksgiving Day party with friends. We've been doing this for quite a few years now, and each year the number of children grows. This year, we had 3 x 3 year old boys, a 2 year old girl, an 18mth old girl and three in-uteros.

Suffice it to say, when 2 of the young lads decided to nude up in the backyard, sword-fights a plenty, along with the general constant noise, wrestling, parental scolding, placating, feeding etc.... well we were a little concerned about our future.

Still - Naomi looked gorgeous, as per usual! (Oh... and we're not really having second thoughts...)

Next round of testing

2005-11-24T15:18:00.000+11:00

We had another appointment with Dr Lionel today. This also coincided with the next lot of testing - which was the 'glucose test'. Here, I get to forgo anything sweet for 24 hours prior, then swig a sickly-sweet lemonade-type drink, wait an hour, and get some more blood taken from me.

My mum (Marilyn) came in with Cory and I to see Dr Lionel. Lionel asked her some background questions about her own experiences with pregnancy, labour and birth. He jotted them all down. He was impressed that I only took 3 hours to come out, and that was on the day I was due.

Mum thought Dr Lionel was very nice, and quite a bit younger than she expected. He reminded her of George Clooney a bit - not that I can see it myself. We heard the heartbeat again and all was progressing well.

Swelly Belly - 26 Weeks

2005-11-20T08:58:00.000+11:00

Here's the latest. There's definitely no mistaking it for anything else these days. There's been some wardrobe rearranging and the maternity clothes are now being favoured.

Pelvic Flooring

2005-11-17T22:26:00.000+11:00

Tonight was the first of my pre-birth sessions, delivered through our hospital, and (thankfully), paid for by our health insurance. They aren't actually held at the hospital; they are held where (hopefully), I'll be staying in the 2rd and 4th day after the birth. Frances Perry House (the hospital) has a deal with the Sofitel (swanky city hotel) where mothers and babies can stay their last two nights, with hot and cold running midwives, at a luxurious hotel suite, provided everything goes ok. So... the classes are run in one of these hotel suites (hopefully not the one I'll be staying in!)

The first session was "Physio and Relaxation" which was a women's only class. The physio side of things was focused on exercises and other things you can do to prepare yourself and your body for the rigours of birth. We spent a good deal of the time focusing on the pelvic floor muscles and how to exercise and strengthen them.

The relaxation side really should have been called 'Active pain management', as we looked at our natural response to pain and how to work through that. To do this, we were actually put in pain by holding ice cubes in our bare hands for one minute, which is the approximate length of a contraction. It's surprising how much an ice cube in your bare hand actually hurts! My natural response was to focus inwardly and breathe through the pain, sort of like meditating through it (which, as far as natural responses go, is a pretty good way to be - much better than talking, complaining, jumping up and down or screaming, as some of the others did).

Sire... I have a cunning plan!

2005-11-15T09:08:00.000+11:00

As you can see, we've taken a few photos and answered a few questions - and that's largely coming from friends and family wanting to be kept within the loop. So the plan was to put stuff on the web so that people can check it out whenever they felt like it. It beats spending heaps of time emailing to people...

There were a few ways of doing this - but a friend of a friend used the 'Bundle of Joys' website. I should have been suspicious as soon as I saw the obvious grammatical error in the title. The features the website had on offer was great, although we can't say the same for the choice of backgrounds. After finding the one (yes, single one) that we found palatable, we set up our site.

Check it out : http://sites.bundleofjoys.com/babyboardy/

Anyway, once we set it up, their site went down for a few days. Then it came back up for one day, and now it isn't displaying photos. So it was at that point that we decided to go the blog instead. Especially, seeing how we were going to have to fork out some hard-earned for any more than 1MB webspace.

Don't get me wrong - you may have far more success with this website that we did. But once bitten twice shy. Where going with what we know and staying with the blog. (Yep - this post shows the date where we started and everything else has been backdated...)

Swelly Belly - 25 Weeks

2005-11-12T15:36:00.000+11:00

Strike a pose!

Was it Johnny Depp?

2005-10-30T22:09:00.000+11:00

For some time, Nai wasn't sure if she was feeling the baby move. Some friends were saying that she was, but she just didn't realise it. Others said that it can still take a little time.

But after a while, the 'bubble' or 'butterfly' feeling (also kinda like a palpitation/panic attack too) morphed into something that was obviously the BB throwing its weight around.

Cory first felt it on a Friday night watching a repeat of 'The Glasshouse'. It really just felt like Nai's tummy being hungry (or perhaps even more wind!) But it became far more obvious the next day.

We went to the local to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Now Nai claims it was the sight of the chocolate waterfall, Cory claims it was the effect the sight of Johnny Depp was having on her, and the books would probably say it was the Dolby Surround-sound, but the BB went NUTS! Pretty cool - we highly recommend a trip to the movies when the baby first starts moving.

Yummy Mummy (to be)

2005-10-15T20:28:00.000+10:00

This was taken at Daniel's 1st Birthday Party, complete with jumping castle, pinata, etc etc etc. Great fun!

Check out those teeth!

2005-10-06T16:34:00.000+10:00

This was taken at the twenty-week scan. All was good - lots of fingers and toes and all where they should have been.

This is the last photo we'll get of the BB until it pops out. It is pretty big now, so it won't all fit in the frame. This is its head, looking up toward the top right. Cute little nose - and yeah... tooth buds!

Swelly Belly - 20 Weeks

2005-10-02T09:43:00.000+10:00

Oh what a difference a week makes. You can pretty much see it growing day by day.

Swelly Belly - 19 Weeks

2005-09-26T09:29:00.000+10:00

Here's the first of many photos showing the growth of Naomi - or more to the point - the growth of the BB inside Naomi.

At this point, it is obvious to us that the weight is being put on quite differently to normal. It must be obvious to others too, as Nai was offered a seat on the train the other morning. YAY!

The bloke's point of view

2005-09-18T20:43:00.000+10:00

It's pretty weird entering into this new world. It's something I probably would have done years ago (in fact - the original plan had me having two kids by now - but that didn't happen, although she now has a daughter of her own).

Once Nai and I had decided that we were going to do it (when we worked out when we could start trying - based upon when her maternity leave kicked in), I was pretty much committed. Jogging around Albert Park Lake one day, with my best mate Brendan, I asked him if he'd like to mind the house while we went away - as we were planning a trip, and then planning to try for a kid.

He was pretty blown away - but really happy - and that's mainly for the kid bit.

That sorta surprised me somewhat. I mean... we are really good mates and spend a lot of time together. We've seen a lot of bands, and we motivate each other to exercise - this Summer's TriAthlon Slab Challenge is off to a hot start. But this would really change our relationship. I'm sure he knew this, as he's got a few good friends with kids.

Anyway, when we came back from the holiday, he was one of the first people we told (it was pretty hard not to, as he was minding the house - but he would've found out pretty quickly anyway). And he's ecstatic.

Some of my oldest friends Matt (who has two), Cam (who has one, and now another on the way) were similarly pretty chuffed. Another friend, Chris, who has little Ben, was REALLY blown away. And finally, Dean, who I SMSed the first scanned image to with the caption 'guess what?' could not contain his excitement. It was quite amazing.

I dunno - perhaps it's just me who's a bit blaze about other people's kids...? I know I couldn't get enough of my nephew when he was born, but that was 22 yrs ago.

But to Dean and Chris and Matt and Cam all my other mates - and in particular to Brendan, they can see the joy in my eyes and the excitement that's building. They also know me well enough to realise that it's just another excuse for me to buy gadgets and toys. YAY!

(Mates do know you pretty well hey?)

Oh... and the tasche? It was for MOvember, to raise money for prostate cancer research. It went 5 mins after the picture was taken!

eBay, or not to eBay - it isn't really a question

2005-09-14T16:39:00.000+10:00

We only want the best for the BB. Having said that, the best can often cost a packet! I've discovered that there are a heap of top-quality, barely used items for sale on eBay. It makes sense really - as many baby-oriented items are only used for very short time. Obviously there are some things that we will buy brand new, but we've managed to secure most of our gear at very little cost. There is also quite a lot of brand new stuff available too! Some of the things that we have bought through eBay include:

Wooden Cot, tall-boy and change-table
Pram/Stroller
Another (3-wheeled) Pram/Stoller with clip-on car baby capsule
Adjustable High Chair
Assorted baby clothes
Assorted maternity clothes (inc new bathers from Paris - woo hoo, I can swim again!)
Baby cocoon
27 inch bike tyres (Cory... what's that got do do with the BB?)

More than just a blob now!

2005-08-19T19:10:00.000+10:00

Time for the real scan.... this is the one that is done at the ultrasound clinic and combines the skin fold at the back of the neck with the blood tests taken earlier on. This give an estimate of the risk of the baby having Down's and also checks to see if the brain, organs and skeleton are developing normally.

At this stage everything looks fine. The tests showed that I have a risk rate much lower than my chronological age and the baby is developing normally. This was a great relief and made me feel comfortable about telling everyone else who didn't already know.

We were both very excited. It was amazing how much more detail there was, and how much more BB there was, since just a few weeks ago. We really did feel we were saying hello to our little baby!

12 week scan

2005-08-19T11:57:00.000+10:00

This is the image we received from our 12 week scan. We also got a 20-25 minute video. Here, if you can make it out, you can see the BB waving hello. (Head towards centre-right, belly lower left. Right hand waving in front of face).

Henceforth... thy shall be called...

2005-08-10T12:58:00.000+10:00

We have settled on some preferred names for each gender - plus a few extras sitting on the bench just in case we get gazumped by the multitude of friends, stepfamily and workmates having babies within 4 weeks of our due date. (Of course, we're not that concerned about some of those - but having the same name within the family is probably a bit much).

However - it took some time to come up with an in-utero name. Although I would love to name a child in memory of my father, burdening anyone with 'Barry' for the rest of their lives isn't something I feel comfortable with. However, to many people my father was always 'Boardy', or 'BB'. And so, Baby Boardy or BB for short just started being used.

Reading between the lines

2005-08-06T09:51:00.000+10:00

We found out we were expecting in Dublin, but we kept it quiet until later. Once we went public, people were trying to see if they knew. Generally, most people said that we 'hid it well' as they had no idea.

A few went back to the last day of our travel blog, where we mention that Nai hadn't been feeling well and suggested that this was morning sickness. In fact, apart from being (only slightly) more emotional, so ready to put on the blub if required, Nai hadn't really had any morning sickness. The nausea was, we think, mainly due to being in the car. So really, we where just ready to use a ploy to ensure we sat together on the plane - and it worked perfectly!

Once we got back to Australia, all was pretty good. Occasional slight nausea, cured by a snack. Pretty good, all things considered!

Going Public

2005-08-05T12:41:00.000+10:00

We had decided to do the usual first pregnancy thing, and tell very few people until the end of the first trimester. Kellie knew, as did our parents and a few of our closest friends.

Once we had the first scan, and our first appointment with Lionel he said that it was a very healthy pregnancy and thought that we should tell people, if we felt ready.

The next day, at work, with a copy of the first scan on my phone, I couldn't hold it in, so I told my workmate, Bec, just quietly. Her eyes grew very wide as I was telling her but she kept her excitement in. I showed her the photo and told her all about it.

To her credit, she let me say the whole story - prob about 3 mins worth - because then she replied 'Funny about that - I'm pregnant too!'. She is due 2 days after us - pretty amazing. So, although I wasn't going to tell anyone at work, this had really tipped the scales for Bec who was finding it increasingly hard to keep quiet, so we went around and told everyone on our floor.

I was quite amusing, as more than one person thought that 'we' were expecting a child, as opposed to Bec and I expecting our own respective kids, which caused more than the odd chuckle!

Nai kept quiet at work for a few more weeks...

First Scan

2005-08-04T20:48:00.000+10:00

Well there it is - definite proof. It's one thing having a swelly belly, and feeling not quite 'normal', but it's another seeing something moving around inside you!

It truly does bring it all home and make it far FAR more real.

Just in case you can't suss it out, the head is towards the right, the body in the centre with a bit of leg toward the left. Placenta at the top.

Meet Dr Lionel

2005-08-04T12:22:00.000+10:00

Kell had worded us up about Dr Lionel. She described him as being quite 'to-the-point', and as someone who doesn't beat around the bush. Consequently, she said that some people found him a little abrupt. This was also backed up by Dr Adrienne who said that some people preferred a softer approach. However, the no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach generally works for me, so we weren't concerned at all.

On meeting Dr Lionel, we found that this in fact was the case and his style suits us well. He's very matter-of-fact and subscribes to a low-intervention approach to labour and birth. This doesn't mean he takes one-size-fits-all, production-line or removed approach - quite the contrary. He is very focussed on the well-being of the woman and this forms the foundation of his low-intervention philosophy. He's very concerned about the amount of pressure that's placed on women by today's medical community, in terms of their options in childbirth. He's also concerned about the skyrocketing number of caesarians performed today - and firmly believes that is for the benefit of hospitals and doctors rather than the monther and child.

Of course - if something is required, he will do whatever is going to provide the best result for mother and child.

After some discussion about how I felt and how I was going - and if I had any questions, he asked me if I'd like to have a look and see what's in there. We were a bit surprised by this, as we didn't know that was on the cards but agreed straight away. We got to see a little blob moving around and checked there was just the one of them. Phew!

He also checked the dates, and it appears that we were first time lucky as the dates coincided perfectly with what we thought.

Testing Time

2005-07-14T12:18:00.000+10:00

We thought it best to actually go and check that our suspicions were true. In any case, we needed to get a referral to the obstetrician that Kell had lined up for us. So it was back to Dr Adrienne.

She was very happy and quite impressed we were back so soon. She wrote a referral, gave us a heap of pamphlets and spoke to us a bit about the various tests and scans I'd be having during the pregnancy.

The first lot of tests were done at the on-site pathology place - with the urine pregnancy test and loads of vials of blood being drawn for a variety of tests. One of these is to be used in conjunction with our 12 weeks scan to test for downs syndrome, amongst other things. The only thing that came back was that I'm not immune to chicken pox, so I need to steer clear of any kiddies with the pox in the first and third trimesters.

You're going to be a grandparent...

2005-07-12T12:51:00.000+10:00

When we arrived back at Tullamarine from our trip, Naomi's mother (Marilyn) and step-father (John) picked us up. We were both very tired, but also excited to be back from our trip - and of course, excited about our news.

They drove us home and came in for the requisite cup of tea. While I was up making the cuppa, Naomi said "We have some news... we are having a baby". Marilyn got very excited, exclaiming "I thought you'd never get around to having children!"

The next day, my mother (Thel) came down to see what we got overseas, as well as a few of the photos. My speech also followed the "We have some news..." route. Thel was a little stunned - but could see how happy we were so was happy for us too!

Everyone needs a good friend!

2005-06-26T19:53:00.000+10:00

Other than us, the first person to find out about this quite spectacular news was one Kellie-anne, via the ever-reliable inter-continental SMS.

Kell was wonderful - booking us a spot in Melbourne's best maternity hospital. She also tried for Melbourne's best female obstetrician. However, Nai was not already a patient of her's - so we had to go with Melbounre's best male obstetrician. (We aren't sexist, after all!) This was all done overnight our time - and by the next morning Aunty Kell greeted us with the (quite unexpected) news that she had it all sorted! Lucky - coz if we'd waited until we'd returned, we probably wouldn't have got in anywhere.

Lessons for others:

If you are planning to get pregnant - sort out your obstetrician beforehand. (They may also give you dietary and fitness tips to aid in you getting pregnant).
Have the number of the hospital you wish to go to there beside the bed. If you think it's a particularly good (and well-timed) shag, ring them post coitally.

Well... that confirms it!

2005-06-25T10:33:00.000+10:00

As our trip progressed, Naomi had a inkling, a bit of a feeling, that our absence of 'precautions' had already taken effect.

So, we thought we'd grab a pregnancy test kit and check it out. The first one we got (in London) came out positive. But the kit itself was a little on the dodgy side, (and Nai was a bit pissed when she used it, so initially held it face down) so we thought we'd give it another go.

Now... you'd have to assume that the test kits you buy in Dublin would have to be pretty good quality (and quite hot-sellers I'd expect!) So... with our second (and pretty obviously) positive result, we were happy that Nai had better restrict her Guinness intake!

Pre-Trip

2005-06-05T19:47:00.000+10:00

It's the weekend before our trip around the world. We have a Uni exam on Thursday. Work is insane (both just generally busy - but also due to the fact that we are getting ready for being away for 4 weeks).

So what do you do? Throw precaution to the wind! Yes - we decided to actually start trying.

No, without getting you to reach for your buckets - we'd have to say that it was one of the most romantic moments of our lives. Of course - it was really just biology saying that everyhing was in sync, and it was the opportune time to do it. Because if the scans are accurate people - it was first time lucky for us!

(Oh yeah... and no photo for this one!)

Fertile soil

2005-04-13T20:02:00.000+10:00

We are both firm beleivers that the healthier you are, and the healthier you live pre-conception, the easier it will be (and hopefully, the better the outcome).

Naomi has been lacto-ovo-vegetarian for 13 years. Cory eats predominantly vego (hey... it's easier). Both of us also exercise regularly and over Summer even competed in a 'Fun'-TriAthlon series (still not too sure where the fun bit is - apart from the finish line).

We also indulge in the odd beverage occasionally - probably a little too much if we were serious about having a kid. But then... we weren't really planning on it working too well straight away - even with all the practice!

We've had quite a few friends who have struggled to get pregnant, and then started living healthier, less stressful lives and have fallen in straight away. That - and a little google-research proved to us that living healthy was the way to go.

Dr Adrienne

2005-03-30T13:49:00.000+10:00

I thought it would be a good idea to go and see my GP for some advice and suggestions on preparing for pregnancy - given that I've been vegetarian for 13 years I wanted to get the lowdown on any special requirements I might have prior to conception.

I had some blood tests done and iron, B12, folate and blood sugar all came back in the very healthy range.

She gave me some suggestions on maintaining a healthy diet and exercise, and that if I hadn't conceived within six months to come back and see her. Generally, they don't worry until 12 months, but she couldn't see the point in waiting any longer than 6.

She was also most impressed that I was actually coming for advice and the general health check-up pre-pregnancy, and wished many others would do likewise.

In the beginning...

2005-03-23T21:03:00.000+11:00

We aren't exactly sure when we decided to have a kid. It just sort of happened. (Not the actual having of the kid - the deciding part).

Nai had vowed and declared to never have children (yes - friends still have audio evidence of this on dictaphone tape). But the biological clock wins out hey?

We had planned to wait until Naomi's maternity leave kicked in (she needed 2 years service before she gave birth). We also wanted to travel a little (see our round-the-world trip). Finally, we wanted to have Uni pretty-much completed.

So stay tuned for what happens...