Yesterday I was going through our external hard drive with a friend looking for old pictures for her and I came across my girls' newborn photos and was overwhelmed with emotions. It brought back many memories and feelings. It made me realise how awesome it is being a mum, being a parent.
Its the most rewarding and yet the most daunting job in the world! If you gave me the choice of being rich and famous or having my wee family. I would choose family EVERY time. I love my job as a mum as every day is never the same and each stage of my girl's life is a celebration.
Within an hour of being born Megan was whipped away from me as she was having trouble breathing and taken to NICU.
She had a hole in her lung!
The stress of leaving the hospital the following day after giving birth to my perfect little girl with an empty carry cot, broke my heart! The next two weeks were a daze, worrying, no sleep, traveling back and forward to the hospital for feeds, to cuddle her, to just hold her hand and stroke her hair. All I wanted to do was take her home. After two weeks, we got to take her home and it was the happiest day of my life! I could watch her, touch her, kiss her, 24-7 and she was the most beautiful little person (in my eyes of course).
Megan was a very easy baby after this and I considered us lucky. She slept through the entire night at 7 weeks and she never had any illnesses worse than a cold or flu.
Then....
....Kaylin came along!
Its the most rewarding and yet the most daunting job in the world! If you gave me the choice of being rich and famous or having my wee family. I would choose family EVERY time. I love my job as a mum as every day is never the same and each stage of my girl's life is a celebration.
When I fell pregnant with Megan I had no clue what I was in for. No clue! I was one of those young girls who never did any baby sitting, I turned into one of those women who never got broody when a baby was near. I wouldn't coochy coochy coo and pinch cheeks. I would think those women who did that were all a wee bit loopy and wondered what all the fuss was about. I wondered if I would ever have a motherly instinct that would "kick in" when I gave birth to my wee button.
Turns out that I went into pre-term labour at 35 and a half weeks and Megan was born after only 5 hours of labour and an epidural. She was a healthy 2.6kg. I was in love instantly. The second she was put in my arms and I said to my Boerewors "We made Her! Isn't it a miracle?".
She had a hole in her lung! Within only hours of her being born she developed double pnuemonia and a day after that she got jaundice and had to sunbathe under the lights for a few days. My brand new baby had to be tube fed as her sucking reflex wasn't quite there yet.
The stress of leaving the hospital the following day after giving birth to my perfect little girl with an empty carry cot, broke my heart! The next two weeks were a daze, worrying, no sleep, traveling back and forward to the hospital for feeds, to cuddle her, to just hold her hand and stroke her hair. All I wanted to do was take her home. After two weeks, we got to take her home and it was the happiest day of my life! I could watch her, touch her, kiss her, 24-7 and she was the most beautiful little person (in my eyes of course).
Then....
....Kaylin came along! KK was born at 37 weeks on the dot and was the tiniest little person I'd ever seen! Another fast labour of 4 and a half hours and with no drugs (even though I wanted them) it happened all too fast so everything was all natural!
I couldn't believe I done it all on my own with no drugs and when I held her in my arms she looked like a wee doll. She was only 2kg - even the prem clothes were too big for her.
However, despite her being even smaller than Megan's birth weight she had no medical complications, I walked from the labour ward to my ward bed with Kaylin and went home after 36 hours in the hospital.
Kaylin in her daddy's hand
Sisters meet for the first time
Kaylin one week old alongside one of Megan's dolls.
She was teeny weeny!!!
However things were soon to change....
Kaylin was a sickly newborn and suffered from reflux and for a teeny wee person she could hurl puke at you with deadly accuracy. It would fountain from her minature mouth with great force and then smile afterwards.
Her first hospital visit was when she was only 12 weeks old and yet she smiled!
After that it was in and out of the hospital for the next two years with various things including pneumonia, chest infections, raging temperatures, roselea, chronic bronchitis, etc the list goes on.
After many doctors and specialist visits, we eventually went to a HomeoTech who discovered Kaylin was very stressed out and had a dairy intolerance. But she still smiled.
Cows milk was banned in our house and we swapped to Soy products. After that she went from strength to strength. Her appeteit improved and she ate everything in sight. I always joke about Kaylin that if you sprinkle sugar on shite, she'd eat it. She really isn't a fussy eater and after Megan who still eats like a bird - it was a God send.
After all we've been through with these two little girls, I couldn't love them enough. They make me smile, they make my heart warm, they bring me such joy. I want to kiss and hug them to death and I can't stop telling them how much I love them and how special they are.
When I think about how we made them from scratch, how they grew in my belly from a tiny seed into a wee person, how I gave birth to them and watch them cut the cord that attached us together...
We've watched them grow and develop everyday and it still blows me away! I still can't believe how perfect and beautiful they are. Every child is a complete miracle and each one so completely different.
My two precious gifts from above and my Boerewors who is my precious gift down below.
These three people are my everything.
I am in awe of them everyday and I couldn't be happier.
Nothing could possibly be more fulfilling than being someone's Mum.
Who knew two little girls would change my world forever?
All you have to do is blog a few simple things that you enjoy and the author of Enchanted Oak will donate $2.00 towards the cause in Haiti. Remember to pop on over to her blog and share your blog link (otherwise she won't know you did a post) That's right! All you have to do is what you already do. BLOG!! Write a post about what simple things in life make you happy, and they will donate money on your behalf!
