We were a family. A family of three. We made it!
The first few hours with Alfie were a blur. Then we went up to the ward and we had our first visitors, Andrew and Cheryl, Dans Parents, my Parents, Lynn and Mark and my brother Eddie.
They all loved their first cuddles and it was lovely introducing Alfie to his grandparents and seeing the instant love on their faces.
Alfie having his first cuddles with Grandad Fox.
Around my hospital bed was full of visitors and a lot of chaos, you were only supposed to have 3 visitors to a bed… There was 8 at one point, how we didn’t get into trouble with all the noise they were making I’ll never know.
I’ve got to say that having visitors was lovely and I really perked up when they came to see us, but only a few hours earlier I’d had major surgery and I don’t think I took it as seriously as I should have. I was exhausted, I was still under effects of anaesthetic and couldn’t move off my bed. I didn’t like having people fuss around me as I couldn’t do things for myself. I had to get my mum to brush and sort out my hair for me as I couldn’t do it! It was like I was the baby!
The first night
Visiting for Dan was over at 9pm and I would be left on my own for mine and Alfie’s first night. Before Dan left, he did Alfie’s first nappy. It was horrible and tar like and I’m secretly glad I couldn’t do it! Luckily the first poo-y nappy the midwife had to do as it was just as he was born! Another midwife was able to show Dan what to do and help me by doing them in the night when Dan wasn’t there. Then that was it, I said goodbye to Dan and I was on my own.
The first night was hard work. I could barely move without being in pain, I definitely couldn’t bend over to pick Alfie up, so I had to buzz for the midwife to help every time I needed help with him, I felt useless.
Well, I did until the other ladies on my ward had the midwives take their babies for a couple of hours in the night! I did it by myself and I’m proud of myself for powering through.
There was a lot of screaming, there was absolutely nothing wrong with Alfie’s lungs that’s for sure! There was a lot of feeding and a lot of cuddles on mummy, but no sleep for mummy and no sleeping in the little cot for Alfie.
I felt so bad for keeping the other ladies up but there was nothing I could do, he wanted more from me than I could give him. The midwife assured me that it would be better once my milk came in.
After about 10 minutes sleep, it was breakfast time and Dan would be arriving at 8am.
He was bringing me McDonalds! RESULT!
Leaving the hospital and the journey home in the next blog!
Mummy Fox xx