Life has changed a lot this past month, and I’ve learnt so much more than I could ever imagine.
On the 25th of September my son was born. It was probably the most stressful and traumatic time of my life. I had been labouring for 12 hours when I was wheeled off for an emergency C-Section. I had a temperature of 40 degrees, and my heart rate was 190 whilst his was in the 200s. I was unresponsive and becoming worse with each minute. When my son arrived he was unable to breathe on his own. He was taken off to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. He stayed there for a whole week. I couldn’t hold him for days.
I was recovering from my C-Section, and also coming to terms with going home without my baby. It was the worst time of my life. For a whole week I had to go back up to the hospital everyday to feed him and wash him. But every time I came home, a little piece of me was left behind.
But he’s home now and is 3 weeks old. He’s a beautiful soul and I never thought I could love someone so much. So many people told me to prepare for the sleep deprivation and all the other things but I have found that I have settled into routine perfectly and functioning as normal.
Before him, I had never changed a nappy or knew anything about babies. But here I am, changing nappies constantly, juggling him and normal everyday life and also enjoying breastfeeding him.
I’ve also learnt that it’s so helpful and useful to utilise any help that is being offered. I have such a large supportive family around me that if I do need the help, there’s always someone there. Although overall I’m coping pretty damn well on my own.
It’s amazing to think I’ve come from a violent relationship to a loving one and now have my own little family all within a year. Things are looking up.
– Ash
