Baby number 2

It's been a long 10 months for Andrea; and it's also been somewhat strange. This time you kind of know what's going to happen, yet at the same time there was always the unpredictability of what will actually happen. And so we tried not to just think we can do it all in our sleep just because we had done it once before. And yet, we sort of did... we didn't need to buy much, we didn't stress out much, we just desperately hoped she'd come early and put Andrea out of her misery, which she'd been in for ages.

And when we went to the doctor yesterday, about 3 days after the due date, the ultrasound showed Hannah was about 5kg give or take 0.9kg (ultrasounds aren't very accurate at extremes apparently). So we presumed she'd probably be around 4.5kg. The doctor didn't want to advise for a C-section, but with the size of the baby, the large amount of fluid, the fact the baby was still not even close to coming out, and so on.. she really had to advise for it. Deliveries 1 week or more late start to become risky, let alone large babies. So we scheduled one for the next day, 3.30pm.

Just like that. Such a strange feeling. For weeks we'd been wondering... everytime Andrea groaned i asked if it was contractions (it wasn't - just pain). And panicking a little (lots of fluid could lead to early water breaking without the baby being ready to come out which is dangerous). And then just like arranging to have a coffee with a friend, we scheduled (the exact word the doctor used) to have a c-section. We took our leisurely time to pack, arranged everything with Hannah and our nanny, and at lunchtime hopped in a cab to the hospital.

After a couple hours preparation I had to stand outside the Operating Room for ages whilst the anesthetist worked his magic, then jumped in some robes and went in. The line was drawn, the cuts made, the fluid sucked out, the baby pushed and pulled out, the cord cut, and the cleaning up begun. It was not a pretty site and i had a very queezy stomach myself from watching, so i focused instead on the baby, trying not to worry about Andrea and hoping that was all fine.

Just like last time the baby was cleaned a bit, measured, footprinted,  vaccinated and photographed. After a while we took her upstairs for a bath and weigh. At 5.45kg, she might be the heaviest baby ever born in the hospital (the hospital has about 200 births a month) and she looked humungous compared to the normal size baby also in the cleaning room. Anyway Leah Rachel Lane is doing well, breastfeeding fine, sleeping fine. Andrea is recovering and may finally sleep tonight for a few hours which is more than she has for months, due to the discomfort of being so big.

And I'm remembering how amazing it is to be a father again, whilst trying not to throw the baby upside down and around my head like i was doing with Hannah this morning. In fact we even forgot we had to change her diaper, and just remembered in time before things began leaking out (Hannah has been potty trained for several months). So now it will be back to the feeding, burping, sleeping routine for a while; Hannah will come tomorrow to see her little sister (she's well prepared and very excited, though how she will balance Leah and her doll (Lei Lei) I'm not sure - and it's a bit confusing that their names are so similar!) - of course little Leah won't understand anything we say, can't do anything herself, and well, we just have to turn back time a bit and re-learn things. And try to make sure Hannah is not neglected; is happy to share her things etc.

Anyway, a few more days in the hospital, several friends to come visit, and millions of cute pictures of the two girls will follow I am sure, and I can enjoy a couple weeks of paternity leave.