Holding our new baby for the First Time

The first time I got to hold Keren I was very apprehensive. The nurse was very considerate, and tried to help me relax. I tried to insist that Glenn held wee Keren first, as he had been able to be in with her for longer, but he was adamant that I was to hold her first. I was so nervous but I wanted to be able to hold her so much, just the way I had held her brother and sister, but all the wires and apparatus did not allow this.

As it was better for her not to be out of the incubator for too long, I only held her for a few minutes, and then placed her in her Daddy’s arms. (Glenn here: as Geraldine has said, working with the wires and having to keep the oxygen mask near her face, really limited the way we could hold her, but she felt so light and fragile, so lovely, and it really brought it home to me how privileged we were, and how much I loved her, already.)

Holding Keren in SCBU

Watching the Monitor

I can remember that at this early stage, I was looking at the monitor as much as I was looking at Keren, to see if the readings were as they should be. A nurse had explained what was being monitored, to help us understand what each reading meant. Although it was a bit overwhelming, to say the least, it was good to see just how closely Keren was being watched.

The SCBU was an extremely busy department in the hospital, and the staff really were wonderful. They all really did their jobs so well, looking after the babies and helping the worried families in every way they could. It was really nice to see a few familiar faces working in there, and they helped us to feel assured that they cared.

More to follow soon.

December 22, 2007 | Filed Under Keren | 2 Comments

Meeting their little sister, for the first time…

The following day was Sunday. I hadn’t seen Jed or Kezia since Friday morning, and I was missing them so much, as up until this point, I had rarely been apart from them.

So, as you can imagine, Glenn and I were delighted when they arrived to visit, with their Auntie and Uncle. Even though it was very difficult to be away from them, we did feel very blessed, knowing that they were being loved and cared for so well, in our absence.

They of course were excited and pleased to see us, and we soon told them about their new wee sister. We felt we had to be careful what we said to them, because we had to be honest, and yet not worry them either. We told them that it was God’s plan that wee Keren was born with an unusual condition, that meant she had to get her food through a wee tube, and she had to be in a special glass bed, to keep her warm. We didn’t say that she was sick, because we didn’t want them to associate being sick with being in hospital, necessarily, and we didn’t want them thinking that everyone that gets sick, is going to die.

Glenn took Jed and Kezia to SCBU to see little Keren,while I was being relocated to a private room. Glenn says he just acted as he would have if Keren hadn’t been in the incubator. One of the nurses kindly took some photographs, and we didn’t know if those few photos would be the only ones we would have of our three children together.

Kids in SCBU

We didn’t know if Jed and Kezia would ever be able to hold their wee sister, but we were so thankful that they had got to meet her.

That day, Keren was also visited by two more Aunts, her Granny Paddy, and two close friends. These friends were able to offer their help too, as they own a daycare/nursery business…Sandcastles. This is where Jed and Kezia were looked after in the daytime, in the weeks to come, and we are forever grateful for this.

God really did supply all our needs at this time…everything was taken care of.

December 11, 2007 | Filed Under Keren | 6 Comments

Four Peaks in the Mournes, Co.Down

Five excited hill walkers appeared ready for action, on Saturday 6:30am! We had a good journey down to Newcastle, and were on the go at 8:30am. As you can see from the first photograph, the conditions didn’t look too promising, but everyone was enthusiastic, and we headed off.

Mournes at 8:30am