Posted on by wherethejourneytakesme

dEAr dairy ~ busy times

Welcome baby X  -isn’t he so cute.

I just thought I would drop by to introduce him and write a little update of the last few days (which are slowly turning into a bit of a blur for us due to our new circumstances and some unfortunate problems arising quicker than we can cope with them and even worse a total lack of sleep – and we are only the grandparents!)

I think I left you all with the news that new baby X (still no name – no time for that) had arrived into our world and mum, dad and baby all seemed well and content.  I rushed out for a few little gifts to give to my daughter.  Buying blue is new to me – I had two girls, my cousins are girls, my sister had a girl, my SIL had two girls, one of whom has recently had a little girl and my younger daughter had two girls (Little L and Sweetie who you have met).  So having a little boy is quite a novelty and a bit of unknown territory too.  I am quickly getting used to thinking in terms of diggers rather than dolls and dinosaurs rather than fairies.

I found the little grey velour babygrow and the knitted fleece lined blanket in Primark – some of their baby clothes are quite good value.  The white one with blue teddy bears is from Mothercare.

All seemed well until the day after mum and baby arrived home then the problems surfaced.  I don’t wish to say too much here on my blog about the specific problems only that they would normally have been picked up at birth or during the hospital stay and been addressed before discharge – not major things but potentially serious if not dealt with quickly.  Now the problems are compounded due mainly to the many hospital visits in the last couple of days seeing a variety of specialist staff for further advice and treatment which has meant that baby has unavoidably been missing feeds whilst hanging around in busy corridors whilst waiting for one or both of them to be seen (all night, last night).  So now this has caused a problem in itself and baby X who was doing very well initially has not gained enough weight in the last day or so and feeding has to be every two hours now to catch up.

I am worried about my daughter as she is physically exhausted at the moment as well as emotionally drained and they are temporarily having to feed the baby by expressing her milk and giving it to the baby in a tiny cup so the whole process of feeding this way takes about two hours as it is not very easy to administer.

We have been helping out as much as we can with cooking and minding baby X whilst both mum and dad get some much-needed food and sleep (which was only a couple of hours at most between the previous three-hour feeds).

I am hoping things will start to settle down in a few days.  It has all been a bit of an ordeal which is a shame as the actual labour and birth went quite well.  Strangely enough my younger daughter who has recently had Sweetie had a totally different NHS experience in North Yorkshire where the midwives follow-up for about 6 days if needed after discharge whereas here in West Yorkshire it was one visit at home and a further hospital appointment 2 days later.  I suspect we have fewer resources living in a very overpopulated area but should it not be the case that the NHS deliver the same service everywhere?  Don’t get me wrong the midwives and other professionals have all been very good – but she has been passed around so many now with differing advice that she is feeling a little confused and everything is becoming such a blur to her because of the tiredness.  So I may be gone a few days until things calm down a bit.

Hope your weekend is a relaxing one.

Welcome to my new followers and welcome back to Lucinda – her blog is over at Lucinda Sans and well worth a read.

 

24 Replies to “dEAr dairy ~ busy times”

  1. Oh dear, how horrid for you all. So precious. So fragile. I hope all goes well and Baby X gets stronger and stronger every day. Such a cutie. And he will look adorable in the gear you’ve bought.

    Thank you for the shout out and welcome back.

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  2. My very best wishes to you all. It must be a stressful and exhausting time for everyone, especially your daughter, although I’m sure that with your love and support they will become stronger and be able to enjoy this precious time. X

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  4. I was a midwife in my early working life. During the 1980s we visited the mother and baby every day up to Day 10 when both were discharged into the care of the health visitors if thriving and well. I can’t help thinking that lack of resources in the NHS has resulted in a very poor service. Congratulations on the birth of your precious grandson. Hopefully it will become plain sailing from now on.

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    1. I do hope so – they need some time at home – at the moment they seem to be forever chasing hospital appointments and it is so difficult to keep a rhythm going for the baby and he is becoming less and less responsive over time. None of the professionals seem to be looking at the overall picture just their specialism.

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    2. My babies were born in 79 and the 80s and I was very grateful for the care given me. My daughters in the last few years have had their babies and the same care just isn’t around.

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      1. My daughters were born in 80 and 81 and we spent 5 days in hospital then and a lot of the problems were ironed out during the stay. Even my daughter felt they are sent out too early now with conflicting advice.

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  5. Sending positive vibes your way and hope that day by day things improve- little boys are wonderful and so loving ( mine are now 20 and 25!! In time it’ll be wonderful for you to discover all things boys – take care yourself too x

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  6. Sorry to hear of the problems with the little fella, I hope everything is sorted very soon so that Mum Dad and baby can enjoy some peace away from hospitals.

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  7. Those early days are so hard even when everything goes to plan, the very best of luck to the dear baby and his parents.
    I so understand the thrill of having a boy to buy for after your female family. I had three sons and then two grandsons, which is why when number 3 grandchild was a girl I went a tad over board on pink, dresses, fairies and unicorns. The novelty has not worn off over the last five years.
    Enjoy the cuddling duites.

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  8. Wishing all the best for your daughter, husband and especially the little one. I’m so sorry they are enduring such a difficult start. In general in the US, no one provides any follow up once the mother leaves the hospital on day one or two after the birth. In most cases, it is up to the parents to get the baby to a paediatrician (one selected before the birth–assuming the Dr is in the parent’s insurance plan) and or to a hospital if there is an emergency (again–hospital must be covered by insurance plan–can’t just go to any hospital or you get charged exorbitant out of network fees) for any follow up issues. Regardless, it is so hard for the new parents to be pulled from pillar to post with varying recommendations and long waits when they are already so exhausted. Here’s hoping the baby improves very soon for his sake and for all of you during this trying time.

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    1. Hi Mary just spoke to my daughter this morning and although sleep is limited for them they did well through the night and baby more settled now. The midwife is coming to them again today as a home visit as she has recognised the value in not disrupting this new routine to take him up to the hospital. One step forward I think.

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  9. He’s lovely! Wishing a speedy wrap-up to the health checkups. I trust he will be back on track in a few weeks. So glad you can be a support. I love that grey onesie! And I’m glad babies are wearing them again – for a while, babies were being bought uncomfortable looking “outfits”!

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