2011-2012 Expectant parent (cyclists) club!

UndercoverElephant

Aw, congratulations,DDD! Not only should you say thank-you to your son, in a few months, you'll say sorry to your Dad. You're in for a really fun ride, being a Dad is fantastic.

rjsterry

<sniff> Very eloquently and movingly posted Mr D. Hope Ms DDD and ddd are home soon.

@Cafewanda: If? Definitely 'when'.

NGale

Congrats!

snooks

Glad everything is well with mum, son and you. Congrats to all 3 of you

DonDaddyD

Oh and I have to talk up the Woman's health staff at St Helier's hospital. Best example of the NHS I have ever seen. All the staff there are pleasent, well trained, caring, understanding and on the ball throughout the entire pregnancy and birth of my child.

Couldn't recommend them more if I could.

rjsterry

DonDaddyD wrote:

Oh and I have to talk up the Woman's health staff at St Helier's hospital. Best example of the NHS I have ever seen. All the staff there are pleasent, well trained, caring, understanding and on the ball throughout the entire pregnancy and birth of my child.

Couldn't recommend them more if I could.

+1

bigmat

Its an emotional, exhausting experience and that's just for the Dads!

DonDaddyD

Guess who's awake at 3.15am one hand typing while cradling a sleeping baby who won't settle in his Moses Basket...

That zombie feeling is kicking in, formula makes them sleep and TWH thanks for the advice about the car seat base - far easier.

Bored

London_Falcon

DDD - many congratulations. Your description brought back some pretty vivid memories of my first son's birth. All fine in the end but we had a similar worrying bit on the way.

Hope Mrs makes a swift recovery. Your first Christmas as a family will be another magical memory.

By the way, take loads of photos, of every little thing. Seriously, the next thing you know they'll be starting school and you'll wonder where the last 5 years went!!

SpaceBadger

Congratulations to you and the Missus, and welcome to the world DDD junior. Fantastic news! Have you taken a picture of him on your bike yet?

dhope

DonDaddyD wrote:

Guess who's awake at 3.15am one hand typing while cradling a sleeping baby who won't settle in his Moses Basket...

That zombie feeling is kicking in, formula makes them sleep and TWH thanks for the advice about the car seat base - far easier.

Bored

Is it too early to start reading him comics to lull him to sleep?
Can we start a pool on his first word? I reckon 'Wolverine'

snooks

Just to update everyone.....

Yesterday my wife gave birth to our daughter at home, on the lounge floor.

Proper labour started at 5 am, by 9:30 meconium was seem in the waters, ambulances ordered for a hospital transfer, by 10 it was discovered baby was in the breach position. By 10:20 we had most of the east London ambulance service in the house, two ambulance crews (one for my wife, the other for baby) and a paramedic. At this time my wife had been helped from our bedroom upstairs to the hall way with contractions happening and baby progressing well...a little too well now...the decision was made that it would be too risky to move/or have an ambulance delivery, so moved to the lounge.

Baby born at 10:43 in the breach position, at home. No pain relief at all, no paracetamol, gas and air or anything!

Oh and no tearing

Hypno birthing. F.ing amazing. Seeing my baby being born f.ing amazing. Ambulance crews and paramedics f.ing amazing. Midwives f.ing amazing. My wife really f.ing amazing. My daughter, no words can describe the emotions of having a baby.



Don't read any more if you're expecting


Seriously don't

Sadly that's not the end of the story, after an hour the placenta didn't budge, injection given to help it, no nothing, so my wife and newborn daughter were taken to hospital where my wife was taking to theatre to have it removed manually. Thankfully not cut open. Hospital staff were brilliant.

Did have a really oh fook momment when my wife was taken away and I was literally left holding the baby.

Best day of my life.

rjsterry

Congratulations to all three of you!

SpaceBadger

Wow! I am due on 12th Feb and still, I read the last bit :shock:

But sounds absolutely amazing, kudos to your wife and the whole support team (including you) and most of all - congratulations!

el_presidente

Snooks - well done, congratulations. It is an 'interesting' feeling being left with an hours-old baby as your partner gets wheeled off to theatre... happened to me (all turned out fine in the end). Have your thoughts on home birthing changed at all?

walkingbootweather

Congratulations Snooks! Our first was born in the hospital but Mrs WBW had similar problems with retained placenta, so like you the newborn was thrust in my arms while Mrs WBW was carted off to theatre. Bl00dy scary at the time but all went well and we have since had another child by a much more straight-forward birth.

It is life-changing but as you so eloquently put it "F.ing amazing"... Enjoy!

MonkeyMonster

Congrats snookles, I was born in my parents bed many moons ago

DonDaddyD

snooks wrote:

Best day of my life.

Oh it all begins now! Congratulations!

Though I want to spend a few more years raising and getting to know my son, reading that makes me want to have another one... just to go through that magical moment all over again.

Bought a tear to eye that did.

Congratualtions!

Cafewanda

Congratulations Snooks/MrsSnooks/BabySnooks

London_Falcon

Many congratulations to all three of you.

navt

Congratulations! Only reason I cycle home fast.

rjsterry

DonDaddyD wrote:

snooks wrote:

Best day of my life.

Oh it all begins now! Congratulations!

Though I want to spend a few more years raising and getting to know my son, reading that makes me want to have another one... just to go through that magical moment all over again.

Bought a tear to eye that did.

Congratualtions!

Watch your back Ms DDD, he's on the prowl!

Flyingbogey

I love a happy ending. Congrats. Wait till she's smiling at you just cos your her dad, priceless. I have even got over the fact my 3 month old is a ginge.

snooks

Have my thoughts on home birth changed?

I haven't gone back and read what I wrote, but I don't think they have. My thoughts about the Nhs have though: I used to think unless you were dying you have to wait and from personal experience I know you really do have to wait. Now I know unless you are dying or giving birth you have to wait! the NHS and th service we've received has been great.

I did feel guilty that we were taking up two ambulances and a paramedic for what was essentially our own choice, but weighed against that is the cost of hospital beds and we both pay a load in tax then I still don't know.

Would we choose a home birth again, yes, without a doubt, but our time in hospital has also been valuable, assistance with breast feeding and having people to relate experiences to etc.

My heart sank when there was meconiom in the water and we had to prepare to go to hospital.

Our daughter took us by surprise, 10 days early!

If you're thinking about a home birth, go for it, all you really need are a couple of cheap shower curtains, a stack of old towels, some old pillows in plastic bags and a few old tubs. The midwives bring lots of absorbent pads as there I a lot of liquid around...not for the faint hearted. You can control the mood, the music, the temperature, the lighting etc. but you must realise you are merely a passenger of events.

Things I learnt:
Pack everything in your hospital bag, we had a list on top of other things to take that we used daily. We should have bought another phone charger, loaded up an old iPod, a couple of spare full sets of clothes for the baby in there including hats which fall off, get dirty etc.

I wanted to catch the baby, but in a breach delivery it's completely hands off unless the baby needs manipulating by the midwife

The midwives carry a lot of kit that you don't see until the day.

Breach presentations can go undiagnosed

Fatherhood is a complete mind fook but in a good way

The paramedic will call you dad if they don't know your name...it helps if you know that when they start asking dad to do this, and dad to do that and you just stand there thinking "who's 'dad'?"

I'm not freaked out by the sight of blood, or a lot of blood, or scraping congealed blood off pillow cushions! It is messy but the midwives do most of the clearing up, but if you're transferred to hospital it will be rushed.

The cord is a bit tough and fibreous and goes clear when there is no blood

The placenta can be retained, as in it won't come out

Birth rocks your world, and the business end is totally unbelievable

I like babies

Visiting hours are open again, so I've got to go...no I don't have to, I want to

EKE_38BPM

Congrats Snooks.

Flyingbogey wrote:

I love a happy ending. Congrats. Wait till she's smiling at you just cos your her dad, priceless. I have even got over the fact my 3 month old is a ginge.

Milkman?

DonDaddyD

rjsterry wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

snooks wrote:

Best day of my life.

Oh it all begins now! Congratulations!

Though I want to spend a few more years raising and getting to know my son, reading that makes me want to have another one... just to go through that magical moment all over again.

Bought a tear to eye that did.

Congratualtions!

Watch your back Ms DDD, he's on the prowl!

It's been 6 weeks

DonDaddyD

OK so Dad's how do you and Mum divide the night feeds?

I get home at 7pm (1hr from Liverpool street in this wind). I do the 8.30pm feed and try and get him to go bed (so 9-9.30pm). I get a full nights sleep and I try to get a morning feed in before I go work.

This will be my first weekend with me being back at work. When I wasn't at work we were sharing the feeds equally.

What's your routine when you're at work?

el_presidente

DonDaddyD wrote:

OK so Dad's how do you and Mum divide the night feeds?

I get home at 7pm (1hr from Liverpool street in this wind). I do the 8.30pm feed and try and get him to go bed (so 9-9.30pm). I get a full nights sleep and I try to get a morning feed in before I go work.

This will be my first weekend with me being back at work. When I wasn't at work we were sharing the feeds equally.

What's your routine when you're at work?

I do 50% of the night feeds and try not to fall asleep at my desk. The 6 month old wakes up the 2 year old now, which is another bundle of fun.

snooks

As I said, the NHS have been excellent and are excellent if you are dying or giving birth. We've now been waiting 3 hours to be discharged. We would have walked out if we didn't need antibiotics.

All we want to do is go home.

rjsterry

snooks wrote:

As I said, the NHS have been excellent and are excellent if you are dying or giving birth. We've now been waiting 3 hours to be discharged. We would have walked out if we didn't need antibiotics.

All we want to do is go home.

Yeah, that does tend to happen. You'll forget about it as soon as you do get home.

As for feeding routines, we didn't introduce formula until quite late with the first one, and I expect we'll do the same with the new one, so obviously I can't really help out with that bit so much.