Generally about Reagan

Sleep

We treasure every moment we have with Reagan but there comes a point when mommy and daddy need to recharge their batteries and if that doesn’t coincide with Reagan needing to recharge her batteries it can get tough!

Bedtime routine works 99% of the time we have tea we go upstairs to run a bath and loads of splashing time while she gets washed and then it’s calm time and hopefully drift off while drinking a bottle

Tonight she was asleep as I put her down and we get our time and all we want to do is sleep lol but resist until bedtime.

When you go to bed you creep upstairs praying that she sleeps all night lol treasuring the moment your head hits the pillow and the complete elation of waking and looking at the clock and it’s 07:30 and she didn’t wake at all

We treasure sleep now…lol

OMG WE’RE HAVING ANOTHER ONE WHAT THE HELL WERE WE THINKING?

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7month…or should we say 8+month development appointment.

Reagan went to see the health visitor yesterday and here is the brief run down Jamie sent to me afterwards:

She is perfect and right on her little baby schedule. She weighs 24lbs 11oz! Her head is measuring at the big end of the spectrum BUT not for Reagan because she’s always been at the high end of the spectrum on everything, so she’s all right! She passed all sight, hearing and dexterity tests and we were told that she may not actually crawl for months in may happen today or she may just get up and walk every baby is different.

No more formula in the day (too many calories now) a bit in the morning but cows milk on her wheatabix and no bottle for nap time at me mum’s except maybe water.

At night if we are quite sure she’s ok and just wants attention just let her cry..she said it’s the hardest way for us but fastest result so when she wakes up at 9:30 don’t go in at all just let her cry it out could take a while the first few times but should ease up after a week or so…

We knew she would be fine in all areas but it nice to hear someone tell you your child is healthy and developing as she should be. It was also nice to be able to asked the questions we wanted to ask and get reassurances on what we are doing is right or how to alter what we do for the best

Well done Reagan!

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…and so it begins :-)

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hummm note to self, must buy BIG box of washing powder!
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The Forsters

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Our First Family Photo!
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Has she done a poo…?

What colour was it? What was the consistency? Has she done a weewee yet? Did you drink any of it? lol (I added the last one) but apart that one they are all questions I never thought I’d ever be asked!

Now knocking on for 13 hours old I finally got to meet our lovely daughter again after the trauma or should I say excitment of last night and it was great to kiss my wife and see her sitting up in bed looking a bit uncomfortable but happy. I was able to take Reagan for a while so Jamie could have a shower and clean herself up which was getting her down a little because she had been kept awake a lot in the night by al the other babies on the ward as well as Reagan

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Refreshed from her shower she smiled as she saw me sat there with Reagan asleep in me arms and apart from having to share her I would have let her sleep there and stare at her all day! Jamie then sat and told me all about memories of the day and what she went through (I will ask her to write that and add it to a later blog though)
One thing she did say is that she was the talk of the Hospital “the American lady who attempted every kind of labour that Leighton Hospital has to offer” and that even with a faulty epidural (that fact wasn’t mentioned yesterday?) went through to C section pushing better than anyone has ever done! She was Fantastic I knew that already but…..wow!
My mum came and met Reagan today as did my brother and sister in law which made me feel very proud. They called me dad…
I rang the Denver Post to see if I could get a copy of yesterdays edition posted to us here in England they offered a complimentary copy hand delivered to Pam’s house for free so she can bring it with her in May. We have all the newspapers from England and wanted that to give to Reagan so in a few years she can see what was in the news when she was born, Pam had alread got a wall street journal so we are newpapered up!
Feelings:
I have no idea how to be a dad, I have never been as happy as I was last night, Jamie is THE best person I know in every way, Reagan wins cutest baby contest every-time (slightly biassed here), you don’t need money to be rich, WTF….? Wow!, and I suppose Jeez! oh and YAY!
Had to leave them again at the hospital oh man that’s hard to do even if I did leave Reagan bawling the place down I would still rather her be here bawling the place down. I have since heard that she has eaten (mommy boob taste good, Reagan likey!!!) and both are a sleep now!

I may read this back tomorrow and wish I’d written it differently but I’m tired too and need to sleep, and you should thin yourselves lucky my blog began this morning with:

Ok today began with rather a spiffing hangover induced by celebrating into the early hours with a bottle of red wine while I wrote this blog. Not the best thing to do on a very tired brain (I’m 40 you know!) and an empty stomach!
…but I changed me mind!
Nighty night!
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28th April 2010

I was woken by Jamie on all fours gripping the headboard!

Now that’s an opening line 😉 but unfortunately “that’s how we got into this predicament in the first place!
We spent all yesterday pissed off with latent labour since Sunday and all the mis information we were given about, definitely not in labour, only a matter of time though, you need to calm down and all that shit “Fuck Off” So last night we ended the day with dare I say it on here a whole bottle of wine each a fabulously spicy tea and 3 helium filled balloons, there’s just something so funny about that squeaky voice you get… So we went to bed relaxed and happy
05:16 Woken by Jamie in labour maybe?

05:55 Waters broke possibly?
06:00 Hot bath definately!
06:13 Rings mommy!
06:55 Off to hospital
We get to the hospital and were put in the birthing pool room (the last room available on a very busy morning) this made Jamie sooo happy because it was her plan for a water birth but the first thing we had to tell them did not bode well for that to happen, green discharge!
They see that immediately as a distressed baby and insist on monitoring it all the time so we had to accept straight away that the pool was a no go and were moved to room 7 (now etched on me mind) where we set up camp for the duration.
Jamie settled into a good routine of contraction-breath-rest using gas and air but it was apparent to me that this was not going to be easy for her and Jamie realised this too!
IF MY TIMINGS ARE OFF HERE IT IS BECAUSE I WAS CONCENTRATING ON OTHER THINGS
Jamie asked for an epidural around noon when she had been in a lot of discomfort for 8 hours (labour began at 4am, apparently?) our plan was for me to whole heartedly discourage her from this as her birthing partner as this was probably her being weak but, I had witnessed upto this point THEE strongest woman I will ever know dilate to 8cm on her own using only gas and air and she was knackered and in pain (lower back, to be specific) caused by the baby being back to back which is the hardest to deliver! So we (Jamie) decided to have the epidural.
The woman I love had done nothing but labour upto this point and even before the epidural kicked in a smile came onto her face a realisation that what she’d done to this point on gas and air and excruciating agony would soon be over… All of a sudden Jamie was sat there in bed eating a cereal bar laughing and joking and pointing out that the last contraction was massive while still chewing on the cereal bar. Labour had become bareable!
The next 7+ hours her dialation progressed as well as the labour to the point where we could push OMG this was it… this is what you see on the telly SCREAM THE FUCKING PLACE DOWN full on we are about to become parents!
19:30 Jamie was told to PUSH! 3 x per contraction then rest!
She did this relentlessly and better than anybody could have asked of her, she was fantastic!
A back to back delivery is apparently the worst\hardest delivery but Jamie gave it everything she had and then gave the same again for an hour and a half and was still sat there preparing to go again when they (NOT HER!!!) decided enough was enough they needed to try forceps and then C Section after that!
She was prepped for both and taken down to Theatre where they tried to deliver vaginally using forceps and Jamie again PUSHED until they THEY stopped her and moved straight to C Section!
REAGAN GRACE FORSTER was born at 22:07
My Jamie will forever be my hero for what she did today I love her but no longer with all my heart (I am crying as I write this) because a little girl has stolen some of it away….
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I LOVE YOU BOTH JAMIE & REAGAN, FOREVER!
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Reagan Grace Forster

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REAGAN GRACE FORSTER
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