our new baby!!!

Here is little Joseph at 2 days old (the reason he looks so 'fat' is that he had lots of extra fluid), just at 2kgs at this point (a little over 4 pounds).

It is embarrassing how long it is since I have written on this blog. not sure if it is still worth updating but for those who don't get emails from us but would like to be updated I will quickly update you on our lives. Our little baby boy was born on the 23rd June 2009. Six weeks before his due date. He was born by emergency ceaserean after an induction which was causing stress to his anemic body. He was extremely anemic when born and was straight away given red blood cells to save his life. Then he was given a double exchange transfusion (where they take out his blood and replace it with new blood - twice). He was in intensive care nursery 3 at King Edward Memorial hospital for over a week - it was a long time before we got a decent cuddle!! (Also because he was very jaundiced and under lights for that first week). Nursery 3 is a pretty intimidating place!! Tiny tiny babies (we thought he was tiny!!) machines beeping everywhere, many nurses and doctors, screens and drips and monitors and wires everywhere - including all over our little boy... scary stuff!

After a while however one by one his attachments were taken off; first the lights, then the monitors one by one, then the drip - and then I could start feeding him!!

A week after I started feeding him we were discharged - which was amazing progress. He did really well at feeding right from the start. Everyone - including the nursing staff were very impressed. I (Cheronne) was living at Agnes Walsh housing - a 10 minute walk from the hospital (connected by an underground tunnel) so I could come in and feed him every 3 hours. After he had been totally breastfed for 48 hours and was gaining weight he was allowed to go home. It was good to be with the whole family again. We all lived in a house in Byford for one more week (til the end of the school holidays) and then came back 'home' to Albany.