Rosie's birth photos

How many newborns have you seen within minutes of their birth???

Rosie's birth story

Before I delve into Rosie's birth story, I should recap on Henry's a little, just 19 months ago...

July 2010, I didn't feel great all day Sunday; we sat around and played cards. Late afternoon Danny went to get my folks from the airport, I cooked dinner. We started timing the contractions around 10pm. We went to the hospital at 1am, when contractions were 2 minutes apart and had been for 1.5 hours. They sent us home the next day at 2pm. I cried in the bath. I laboured alone all day Tuesday, with contractions still 2 minutes apart. We went to the doctors office at 5pm because I refused to go back to the hospital, he confirmed 5 cm dilation and we walked across to the hospital. Waters broke as I was pushing. We had Henry just before 9pm, after the doctor threatened me with a c-section.

Roughly 48 hours of labouring.

So I was in it for the long haul this time also. Or so I thought.

I had been having contractions on and off for extended periods of time for the past two weeks, particularly around 2 am. So when I woke up with mild cramps Thursday morning, I thought nothing of it. The only thing different from the past two weeks was that I had to pee after every cramp, I would guess at every 10 minutes, but I wasnt timing them at all. I was looking for a bloody show like last time and there was nothing. They started to hurt around 6am and I had to groan through them, though Danny didnt wake up until 630am and asked how I was. I told him we were probably having a baby in the next day or two. He got pretty excited!

I got up to pee around 7am, walked back to the bed, stood over it for a contraction and there was a pop and my shorts filled up with fluid. "Er, Danny, something just happened". "What do you mean, something just happened? What happened?" "I think my waters just broke, Im going in the shower". "Oh". It wasn't a lot of fluid, but enough to notice; the baby was pretty low. Danny wanted to call the midwives, but I said there was no need. He played with Henry and felt compelled to set up the birthing tub. I laboured on the toilet, on my own. He decided, against my wishes, that it was time to call the midwives; thank goodness! When Missy arrived (about 1030am) and heard the noises I was making, she ran straight into the bathroom and insisted she check me. I of course cried that I didn't want to hear it if I was only 2 cm (because of the mean nurses last time) and sort of refused to get checked! She was going to check me whether I liked it or not and it would be easier on the bed so I had to move. It took several contractions to make it to the bedroom, but we got there; 6-7 cm! yeay. I balanced myself on the birthing ball (so comfy!) and poor Missy ran between comforting me between contractions (1-2 minutes) and trying to change the bed, set up the oxygen, yada yada yada!

Our friend Lana came to pick up Henry about the same time Missy arrived and Danny continued to fiddle with the birthing tub. He had filled it up without the sterile lining, drained it and was furiously boiling water to fill it back up with the sterile liner, since he had used all of the hot water!

Jamie and Martina arrived about 1050am and now every one was in the bedroom, getting things ready. Suddenly I announced that I could feel the babys head and they told me I had to move to the bed. Indignant that they thought I could move in that much pain, I told them they were crazy. They informed me that I could not give birth sitting on the ball so I had to move. ugh. I made it onto the bed on all fours, holding Dannys hips and burying my face in his belly. It only took a few pushes and the head came out a little but they told me I couldnt wait for a contraction to push more because the head was stuck at the eyes, so I had to push with no urge to push, and that was a feat against nature! With the head out, the shoulders were stuck as they announced that it was a large baby. Someone tried to wiggle the shoulders out (I later found out that was Missy) but then someone else took over (Martina) and the agony ensued as I was jiggled up and down by someone else's shoulders! All of a sudden the baby was released (I was trying to crawl away from the pain across the bed!) and I realised how much my throat hurt from screaming. 20 minutes after our main midwife arrived, our beautiful little girl was born. I couldnt see her and was distraught because she wasnt crying. I could just see this little blue foot. I asked several times why she wasnt crying and people just went about their business. Turns out it was less than a minute, but it seemed like an eternity. I managed to turn myself around and she started to make some noise, though Im not sure if she really ever cried, as such. She scored an 8 and then a 9 on the 1 and 5 minute Apgar tests.

We didnt use the birthing tub!

Henry saw Rosie when she was just 30 minutes old!

Danny made the comment that evening, as we sat at our kitchen table, alone, to eat our dinner in a surreal state of shock, that it was a good thing that we planned to home birth as he was pretty sure that I would have refused to go to the hospital and that it would have been an ambulance crew delivering our baby, and he is probably right. I had no intention of leaving this house!

Its silly that we were taken by surprise because I was pregnant for 40 weeks and 1 day! But I certainly didnt expect a 4 or 5 hour labour, thats for sure! Though I am super glad it was so fast!!!

Immediately post-natal photos to follow as I have to go get Henry up from his nap...

A lot has changed since my last post!

Well let's see...

Happy Birthday Rosie!!!

Thursday February 9th, 1110am, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.

Rosemary Anne Klimetz was born 9 lbs 6 oz, 21 inches long and very healthy.

Her birth story is a totally different one from Henry's, but I shall save that for another time as I still need to do the dishes and sweep the floor, oh and fold laundry and wash diapers before I can go to bed tonight. And anyone that remembers what its like having a newborn, knows that I will be up at 2am feeding my sweet girl, and she is a bit of a cluster feeder so Ill probably feed her again at 3am, get her to bed by 4am and sleep a little more before Henry wakes up at 7am. So Im just going to upload the pictures from my phone over the past few days and hope that keeps you satisfied until further notice. Danny has some photos immediately following her birth and we took some staged newborn pictures of her the other day, oh and to make you laugh, we took some 40 weeks pregnant photos Wednesday night to compare bellies from when I was pregnant with Henry, so I can show you those also!

All in all I gained around 50 lbs with Rosie; I was amused when I realised that I started out at 115 lbs, so almost gained 50 % of my body weight! After 24 hours I had lost 15 lbs. After another 24 hours I had lost 5 more pounds. Seven days from her birth and I have lost another 5 lbs. Craziness! And yes, I am eating like a horse, but so is my little girl! From when she wakes in the morning she generally nurses every hour until lunchtime, then we both sleep when Henry sleeps, around 2-4pm and she nurses every hour from about 5-8pm. I wake her to nurse around 10pm, then she wakes up once during the night. She is a really great baby!

Henry has taken to having a little sister really well, which was such a pleasant surprise for us, as he was always a little mommas boy, so we assumed he would be possessive. He shares his toys with her, even his comfort blanket. He asks to hold her, occasionally kisses her and checks where she is regularly. Other important milestones in Henry's world is that he LOVES his potty and uses it most evenings and mornings. Oh and we went out today and bought a mattress for his big boy bed. We havent put it together yet but we moved everything into his bedroom tonight and he was insanely excited! He is also undergoing Tabasco treatment for his finger sucking which actually seems to be working.

Early in the morning we all play in bed for a while...

Henry actually asked to hold Rosie...

Proud Papa just hours after she was born...

Dentist said finger sucking must have ceased by 2 years old or it will not only ruin teeth but his palate also...

My sleeping beauties...

Skyping the grandparents.

Henry devouring a Valentines cupcake given to him by Lana.

Henry holding Rosie, he gets rather annoyed if you dont let him take full responsibility, which of course, you cant!

Ah yes, he likes to point out her facial features to us regularly, not sure she likes it!

Thanks a lot full moon

Well, the full moon has been no help to me this month, eh! No contractions at all today. Blood pressure is a bit high and my lower legs and feet are swollen. I am very uncomfortable!

On a different note, we bought Henry a potty today, it was just $3 so we thought we would give it a try. He lifted up the little lid, sat down and pee peed in the potty. Good boy!

Henry's sleeping habits are rather off kilter for some reason at the moment and he didnt take an afternoon nap yesterday, so we went to visit Lana and Knox and play in the huge 'sand pit' at the end of their road...

Im going to be pregnant forever

Like most people, I had a thousand due dates. Well, just two, but still, that's annoying enough. So one due date passed on Saturday and one is Wednesday. I have lost all hope for the full moon to bring the baby because its Monday afternoon and Im not in labour, so tomorrow is pretty much out of the question now. I have resolved myself to the fact that I am going to be pregnant forever.

I got pretty excited yesterday as I had 2 minute contractions all morning, then 5, then 7 and then they stopped early afternoon. Fantastic. So disappointing.

I go through bouts of being incredibly uncomfortable and periods of feeling normal (pregnant, 50 lbs heavier than usual, normal at least).

Im guessing there is still a two week window when this baby could show up. yeay. Oh and to boot, all I want to do right now is climb into bed, (yes, I realise its 2 in the afternoon - Im tired, alright) but Henry is talking away in his room, refusing to take a nap and stressing either that his socks are on and he needs them off, or that they are off and he needs them on. Please go to sleep little man.

Here are some pictures from our stomping around in the puddles Saturday... It was all fun and games until Henry stepped into a puddle that went over his boots. He was no longer a happy camper after that and screamed until he was running around the house almost naked, as is the way he seems most happy. Roll on warmer weather so that he can live naked the whole time, though a winter of 50s and 60s really is nothing to complain about!