When Romy Met Elsie

On our little road trip back to Gunnedah, a small country town where both Luke & I grew up, I caught up with my old friend Kristal. We were close friends throughout high school but lost touch with one another after my family moved and we made our post-high school changes. We hadn't seen one another in about seven years, and started talking when we both found out we were pregnant at the same time. We discovered we were both expecting little girls. On the same date. With the same first name. And middle name. During our formative high school years we always liked the same things, and would often show up to each others houses wearing the same t-shirt unintentionally. So I guess it really isn't that strange we would pick the same baby name! Kristal sharing her baby name was one of the deciding factors for Luke & I when we were tossing up between Romy & Elsie. 

It was really nice meeting up with Kristal after such a long time, and it was especially nice that our daughters got to meet one another. When people meet Romy for the first time we tend to get 'oh, she's so tiny' a lot, but next to Elsie she looked like a giant! From the beginning of our pregnancies we were given the same due date, but I had Romy early, and Kristal had Elsie late. Elsie is such a little sweetheart, she was a bit unsettled during our visit and when she would cry Romy felt like she needed to also. Romy had had her little tantrum for the day just before I left the house, so she was handing out little cute half hearted sobs. It's been such a turn around for me to go from not having anything to do with babies, to talking about them most of the time and connecting with people over them. It was really nice catching up with Kristal and meeting her daughter and seeing how we have both changed so much since the last time we saw each other. I really didn't think that the next time we met up again we would both have daughters!

Packing Your Hospital Bag

As I've mentioned in my last couple of blog posts I had my baby five weeks early and was caught totally off guard. The day before I went to hospital we had our car seat installed, and exactly one week before I had my baby shower. So we were set for a means to get her home, and clothes to wear, but I wasn't so much prepared. Amidst moving and working I really hadn't got to check much off my to do list and having my hospital bag all ready to go was one I wish I had of got around to. Because I ended up needing it a lot sooner than expected! I had started to pick up a couple of things each time I went to the shops and had them sitting in an enviro bag under my stair case near the door, but that was as far as I got. I didn't really know what I needed, or what I should have packed, but over the course of my stay all of these things were eventually brought to me. So I decided to put together a little post to help you out if you're getting around to packing your hospital bag and were unsure like me as what to take with you.

Face cream / Soap or body wash / Brush or comb / Tooth brush + Paste 

Bio oil or something to rub on your belly / Shampoo + conditioner

Lip balm / Maternity pads

Aside from packing your every day toiletries, there are a couple of things that I would highly suggest you take with you. Like some Bio Oil, or some sort of oil or belly butter to rub on your stomach while you're in hospital. I went into hospital without a single stretch mark in sight, and ended up bringing more than I would have liked to home with me. I don't really know why this happened, but after talking to my sister she mentioned how this had happened to one of her friends. So if it is a common thing, try and avoid it if you can and pack some oil and rub it on after your very first shower! Not only will your face be really dry, but your lips will too - so pack a good lip balm! I had a tube of organic paw paw + honey as well as my go to Yes To Carrots lip balm and kept them both close to me. 

Loose comfortable t shirts / Maternity underwear

Maternity leggings / Socks / Nursing bra / Slippers

I had no idea what to pack to wear in hospital, I just thought I would wear a nighty for the couple of nights I was there. And for the first two or three days that is what I wore, but after that I was desperately wanting to end my pyjama party. T shirts and tights were a great option as they still felt really comfortable like pyjamas, but were on the day casual side of clothing. The maternity band on the tights felt like magic on your tummy because you're still really tender and it was nice to have something covering your tummy area. Especially if you've had a caesarean they're great because they won't be sitting on your scar area. When I first thought to start buying things to take, slippers were one of the first things I picked up and I'm really glad I took them with me. I really don't like walking around in bare feet, not even in my own house, and the slippers padding came in handy when getting up and down from seats. 

Nappies / Baby products / Wipes 

Jumpsuits / Singlets / Swaddle wraps

I had no idea what I needed to take for the baby, the only thing I had in my bag of things were some baby wipes. When Romy was brought into me in her little cot the hospital had provided us with a handful of nappies and some blankets, and after they were gone it was up to you to get your own. In the last month I've tried a couple of different brand nappies and would recommend the Huggies Newborn nappies as I felt they were the most effective. They also have a wetness indicator so you don't have to undo the nappy to check if its wet. My lovely cousin Sophie came to visit me and she thoughtfully brought the Gaia Baby Starter Kit which has massage oil, shampoo, bath + body wash, soothing lotion and moisturiser. Don't forget to pack a few different singlets and jumpsuits as it only takes one feed to mess them up! And lastly, the hospital has baby blankets, but after a few days it was nice to have our own on her, so chuck a couple of those in too! 

>>>So that is my little list based on my own experience,

if you packed something I didn't include and would recommend to other ladies, be sure to leave a comment.

It might help me out for next time!

My Baby Shower

I never got around to posting about my fantastic baby shower because I was waiting to get the photos off my Aunty's camera as she was the 'official photographer'. And to keep me busy while I wait for the photos, Romy thought she would come early! Exactly one week after my baby shower my baby was born 5 weeks early, so it was lucky I chose that weekend and not the one after! The only photos I have from the shower are a handful of photos my sister took on my iPhone. It was such a fantastic afternoon, my Sister & Mum did an amazing job! I was especially impressed as the night before my parents threw a surprise 80th birthday party for my Granny and my they made all of the food for that and then my shower the next afternoon. My Sister made giant pom pom decorations and handed out little cards for everyone to fill out with wishes for Romy and advice for me. All of the sweet treats were miniature, and all the flowers were fresh and placed in cute jars everywhere. The cucumber + cream cheese sandwiches were cut into cute little circles and the egg sandwiches were cut into heart shapes. There were bowls of punch and a selection of T2 teas at the tea station. I got to catch up with some old friends I hadn't seen in ages, and see my family before they all set off to my cousin's wedding in Bali. Romy was absolutely spoilt with all of her presents, and we got lots of practical things too. Luke & I hadn't got around to getting every day things like towels and face washers, so we were pretty lucky to have those things gifted to us considering days later she arrived! It was such a fantastic afternoon and I can't wait for everyone to now meet her!

I'd Like You To Meet Someone Special

It has been two weeks since this little delightful bundle came five weeks early. I was at work on a busy Saturday morning when I had to leave mid morning rush to go to the hospital because I had heavy bleeding. For the past couple of weeks I had been joking with my boss about going into labour at work and feeling slightly anxious about that actually happening - and it did. My Mum picked me up from work and after picking up my extremely worried husband, we drove to the nearest hospital. After half an hour in the emergency department and not a single doctor being able to help us or tell us anything I was transferred to another hospital. As soon as we got to the hospital I was hooked up to a machine to monitor the baby's heartbeat, which was beating away healthily. I was told I would be staying in the hospital for observation for the night until they could determine what had caused the sudden bleeding that had started to ease off in the afternoon. Things were starting to look okay so my Mum went home, and Luke & I were left to it with a Bryan Adams marathon on the radio which became less funny as each song started. Around 7pm the bleeding started again and the doctors had decided that it would be best to perform an emergency caesarean, which completely freaked me out because I was totally unprepared for what was about to happen. It wasn't until a theatre freed up around 11pm that I was wheeled off to have my baby. After surgery I was told I had a giant blood clot that was the causing my placenta to tear and it was lucky they decided to operate or things could have got really bad.

At 12.04 am on the 21st of April - exactly one month before her due date - Romy May was born. We have had her named picked out from the very beginning. I have loved the name 'Romy' ever since Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion, and am particularly sweet on shorter names. We had just one other girl name picked out that I was leaning towards, but decided against when I found out it was going to be the name of an old friend's daughter. We had the same name picked out (first & middle names!) & the same due date! So it was a sign that she was supposed to be called Romy! Luke picked her middle name as I'm not really fussed on middle names and if it was up to me I would have not given her one. My Grandmother, Sister & Mum all have the middle name 'May', so it was especially nice that Luke chose May. 

Romy & I spent a week in hospital so I could recover, and she could put on some weight and learn to feed on her own. We've been home for just over a week now, and every day things are becoming a little more familiar and we're both getting the hang of breast feeding - which is a lot harder than I expected! Luke & I have adjusted to the broken sleep, but I'm yet to get used to the 3am feeds which are going to be even more enjoyable when Winter is in full swing next month! These past two weeks have just gone by so quickly, and I really don't mind if the next four go by just as fast. A c-section recovery period is around 6 weeks, and I've already got two down. I can't wait to feel better and to be able to do things for myself and to really enjoy the new addition to our family!

Did I mention I'm Having A Baby?

Aside from having a persistent headache since Wednesday, this week has been fantastic. I slept in on my days off, the days I did work went really fast and I finished off a drawing that I've been working on for what feels like forever. Thursday was a particularly exciting day for Luke & I. I had morning tea and a much needed catch up with my friend Holly before a much anticipated appointment - our 13 week scan where we got to see our baby for the first time! Even though it was too early to be told what we were having, I have a feeling we're having a girl. It was such an amazing experience to see how big our little baby has grown since the first scan we had where she was just the size of a tiny little rice grain. Because this is such a new experience to me I had no idea of what to expect, so when our little baby started to do summersaults and cover her eyes with her little hands it genuinely surprised us both! Everything was measured up and photographed, and so far everything looks good. Now that we've heard the heartbeat and seen our little babies organs and movements, it feels like it is actually happening and we both couldn't be more excited about everything that is going to happen!