Welcome - Mackenzie Lynne van der Stock
Well my pregnancy is finally over, thank god! It was 9 months of pure hell but the result was oh so worth it. Mackenzie Lynne was born on December 11th 2007 weighing in at 6 pounds 1 ounce. The day began with a routine ultrasound which Mum & Dad came along to, when the specialist came into the room to inform me that my amniotic fluid was dangerously low and seeing as I was 38 weeks I wouldn’t be going home but instead being admitted for induction. So I was taken down the hall to Labour & Delivery and admitted to room 3 where we proceeded to wait for the doctor who was busy doing rounds in the wards. Once she arrived she explained what would be happening which was that I was to have cervidel administered (a cervix softening device which stays in for 12 hours) and then the next morning I would have the IV medication Pitocin started to begin labour. In theory it sounded good but what happened was totally different. Within an hour or so labour began and after another hour the pain was too much that I was given IV pain relief. But by then the contractions were actually one continual contraction which was concerning the doctor. So it was decided to give me the epidural so that my body could relax, everyone still thinking that “proper” labour wouldn’t begin until after the 12 hours. The epidural instantly relieved the pain and I was feeling great when everyone rushed in the room and started checking me at which point my water broke. Then the worried looks began and I realised that Mackenzie’s heart rate was dangerously high. Within a few minutes it was decided that I needed an emergency cesarean and things happenend in a hurry. So only 4 hours after I was admitted I was in the theater having my baby.
Unfortunately the epidural wasn’t strong enough for the cesarean so I was given a high dose of pain killers in the IV to knock me out without being under a General Anesthetic as time was of the essence. This meant that I was so sleepy during the procedure that I wasn’t aware of Mackenzie’s birth and was too sleepy for hours later to really appreciate what had just happened. But thankfully Mackenzie was born with no problems due to the high heart rate which was great and Andrew who was by my side the whole time raced out to inform my parents of the good news. Mackenzie was taken to the NICU following the operation for observation due to the fact that during the pregnancy I had to remain on medications for my arthritis which may have affected her at birth. We are pleased to report though that she had no major problems with the medications but remained in the NICU for 5 days which is standard procedure. I was released after 4 days and found it extremely difficult to leave my baby at the hospital, even though it was only for 24 hours.
So now Mackenzie is home and thriving. She is a fantastic sleeper, we have to wake her to feed her during the day which we do every 2-3 hours which means she sleeps up to 7 hours during the night. She is placid and easy going which means we are able to go out and about and do things we need to without having to worry too much about her. She sleeps next to the TV in our bedroom and isn’t perturbed at all by noise, a legacy of spending time in the NICU which has constant sounds and alarms going off. At her first doctor appointment she was deemed to be in perfect health which was great news for us. I am recovering well from the surgery having to not worry about the possibility of infection as they now use glue to seal wounds. My weight is remarkably lower than pre-pregnancy, thanks to the constant vomiting I endured during the pregnancy. I am now at a weight I was during the days of playing netball which is a long time ago so it is a nice blessing although not a diet I would recommend. As I am not breastfeeding (the specialist thought this best as I am still on the many medications) I will need to watch what I eat to maintain this weight and once I am given the all clear at my 6 week check up I can start walking with the pram each day to try and lose more.
So Mackenzie has been certainly the focus of the month but other things did happen. Mum and Dad arrived from Australia for a 7 week stay which has been fantastic. They arrived in time to see their first grand-daughter enter the world. They have been an amazing help to Andrew and I, doing everything around the house so that we can focus purely on Mackenzie. Dad has also organised the house by doing the last of our unpacking and buying shelves etc to sort things out so that now our apartment is well organised. It will be extremely hard to say goodbye to them at the end of January, not only because I miss them dreadfully, but it’s sad to think Mackenzie won’t get to know them that well until we return in 4-5 years to Australia. They have loved their time getting to know Mackenzie, taking her for regular walks in the pram and cuddling with her on the lounge when she should be asleep in the bassinet.
Andrew has been on leave for the last 2 weeks which was great timing and will return to work on January 2nd. His work have assigned him for 6 months to a particular client which means no travel. This will allow him to spend time with his growing daughter and give me a chance to establish a routine before his travel begins again. If Mackenzie continues to be so easy going I would like to travel more with him next year as I was too unwell for most of this year to do so. Andrew is besotted with his daughter and is a wonderful help, getting up most nights during the first few weeks to allow me to recover. He comments regularly that changing the nappies is hard as she is so small and a wriggler at the most inopportune times but he is doing well and getting better by the day. Considering he had never changed a nappy before she was born. She will certainly have him wrapped around her fingers as she gets older.
Christmas was a relatively quiet affair here which was nice. It was mum and dad’s first Christmas outside of Geelong so we wanted to eat out rather than have anyone slave over the stove. Last year we celebrated with one of Andrew’s bosses but this year they travelled to Arizona to be with family so we found a great golf resort which was having an English style buffet. It was a nice meal and very affordable at that. The evening was spent watching the Boxing Day test match live from Australia thanks to the fabulous cable TV we have. Gifts were exchanged and I received a lovely perfume box set, some vases and chocolates. Mackenzie fared very well but most of her gifts were to welcome her into the world. Thank you everyone who has sent us cards and gifts, they are most appreciated.
So for now that is the latest in our life. Mackenzie has certainly become the focus in our life and we love it that way. Once again the photos can be viewed by clicking the following http://picasaweb.google.com/vanderaj/Mackenzie/Â as I have yet to load them onto my web site. We will add photos to this site on a regular basis so view when you like.
1 comment December 26th, 2007