On Monday morning at 1am last week (7 days ago - I can't believe it!), 3 December 2012, I was awoken by surges that were different to the pre-labour - I knew this was it!
Fourteen hours later (!) at 3.22pm, Samuel Miles entered the world via the water into his father and then mother's hands.
I don't really have the energy (or time!) to write the full birth story just yet - I will start it in another post and add to it as I have time. However I will say it was quite different in many ways from my prior two natural births - but it was perfect in its own way - and once again it showed me how amazing the female body, mind and spirit are.
Little Sammy is wonderful. From the moment I held him, this immense, overwhelming wave of love engulfed me and still has me enthralled. I think, contrary to expectation, the more children you have the more your capacity to love them grows. Maybe because you know what potential you hold in your arms now?
Bringing him home (not via McDonalds may I add as I was provided a sumptuous beef stew after the birth by the hospital) was wonderful. The three other boys adore him and I know everyone says that about the siblings, but truly they are besotted with him. T, if he can't see S, keeps asking where he is. E keeps climbing up beside me at all time to kiss 'the bubba', and W always wants to hold him and kiss him as well.
However the transition for the boys has been duly noted. All three's behaviour has been pretty difficult at times in different ways. They are just adjusting but it is hard for everyone. T has been recalcitrant generally. W has had two emotional tsunamis. And E is just a monster - throwing toys, terrorising his brothers (wrestling, biting, pinching, hitting). And all of it is down to them wanting to know where their place is now with this new baby in the house.
Poor D. Newborns just aren't his thing. And as I am not in hospital, he (and our aupair) have to carry the weight of managing the three kids, plus waiting on me. And the three boys have been a challenge. D has this permanently grey face on most of the time as he runs around trying to keep everyone satisfied! I have to remind him "this too shall pass" very often. I guess it is also hard when he sees me running on the ocytocin high from birth and breastfeeding, where the world is just perfectly rosy to me all the time! He must think I am an alien.
Samuel Miles "Rodin"
I love this photo.
Oh and I love this one too.
My view after feeding the bubba - milk drunk Samuel.
After bath. My only baby who loved his first bath (real bath not birthing bath) but I presume because he was born into the water?!
As I know very definitely that S is our last baby, I am already treasuring every moment and not wanting him to grow! Isn't that crazy? It is his one week birthday already and I am emotional about that. He is so perfect. Ahhh gotta love those breastfeeding hormones. Please remind me when things are tough (and I am sure with 3 under 3 plus one older child they certainly are going to be tough at times) that I don't want to wish this away.
There is no tomorrow and 'waiting' for happiness or a better time is a such a waste.
Sleep deprived, stressed out with misbehaving children, a grumpy husband, a house that still remains in chaos after all my best intentions, a body that is certainly not going to rush back to svelte anytime soon - this is all what I wished for - so no complaining allowed (only a little perhaps?).
Grabbing a moment to update my blog post Samuel has been harder than I imagined - but will try to keep up to date as much as possible. In the pipeline are a blog on the birth, a blog on the beauty of breastfeeding (and other drugs of choice), a blog on 'getting my body back' and a blog on how to find time to write blogs with four children .....
Labels: Birthing, Large Family, pregnancy
