A Year Ago Today...

It’s hard to believe that a year ago, I was creeping around work hiding a bump under my jacket (thank God it was winter). On the 30th May 2008, I got the BFP at 11 weeks pregnant. Except mine wasn’t big. It was very faint, and Daddysaur was rather convinced that a FAINT line meant NEGATIVE. Umm... No, darling, it doesn’t. But that didn’t stop me from doing 3 other tests and then going to the doctors for a blood test.

My phone had been on silent all through the doctors appointment, and when I got out of the surgery and checked it I found Daddysaur had tried ringing 36 times. Either he was really scared about the whole deal or really excited. So I rang him with the news, and we both agreed to keep it a secret until the ‘safe’ time – around 12 weeks. This pregnancy was NOT planned, and I think I can pinpoint it to one very drunken night, but we were still uber excited and could not wait.

The next 9 months or so passed quickly – well except for the last 2 months. My due date was set as the 31st December 08, so we were praying I wasn’t going to go into labour at our friends’ New Years Eve BBQ. But the 31st of December came and went, as did the 7th January. Finally, at 42 weeks pregnant, and dying of heat, largeness (my end weight was around 110kgs – and I am normally 75kgs!) and utter impatience, I begged my doc to induce me. After quite a few arguments (a new study came out that very month on how a pregnancy actually naturally lasts 42 weeks, and that we shouldn’t induce) he eventually agreed. Please note that I do not take inducement lightly, but I was running out of maternity leave, being mid-summer it was VERY uncomfortable, and I had horrific swelling of my feet and hands.

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On the 15th January at 5:55am my little angel was born. We had always wanted to find out what she was, but I got the surprise of my life when they pulled her out and she was a perfect little girl. Daddysaur was absolutely smitten, and to this day remains wrapped around her little finger. The birth was not easy, I had such high hopes for a drug-free birth but getting induced sped the labour up from around 22 hours (average labour for first-time Mum) to 5 hours. In the end, I had an episiotomy, and she had no heartrate when she was pulled out as she was very stressed. But I only had gas and a pethidine shot, so I was quite pleased that I had managed with that! Although, I must say: next time I’m seriously thinking about an epidural.

So that's about me. I am back at work, even though Tinysaur is only 3 months old and we are learning constantly about each other. I sit here tonight after struggling for 2 hours to put her to sleep. And I am learning that she likes to be wrapped up tightly like a little fat worm. Whereas when she was born, she hated it. I guess I'm learning that you just have to keep trying different things!

I look back now and realize how naive I was about parenthood. I researched like crazy (working in a library kinda turns you into a nerd) but I was still quite naive about just how physically and emotionally exhausting it all is. But in the same instance, when I am up at 3am trying to put 4 month old Tinysaur back to sleep for the 6th time I really appreciate just how little sleep the human body can function with! And I would not change it for the world. Because although she is really testing me at the moment, every smile, every laugh, every gurgle, every coo makes my heart melt. And when I see her with Daddysaur, it reminds me how important love is to everyone. And there is nothing quite like the love a parent has for their child.

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