Hello chaps. Just a quick explanation as to why I disappeared so abruptly! So as some probably remember, my wife and I were expecting our first baby on 5th December - turns out he had other ideas. Born at 30 weeks after a couple of separate hospital visits with suspected broken waters (the first of which we were sent back home from...), quickly developing contractions and then an emergency C-section after baby's heart rate started to drop. Nice and healthy now though, off the UV lamps, on minimal oxygen and dextrose support, taking considerable feeds of mums milk and getting a reputation for being a little firecracker for anyone but us! Gonna be a few more weeks of to'ing and fro'ing to spend time with him and get his strength up, but all signs are that he'll be with home with us before his actual due date. It's been a whirlwind week and a bit, but couldn't be happier
Congrats on the surprise arrival to you & Mrs Wakka . Having a little fella arrive that premature is a shock, but thankfully a situation that is not uncommon and well supported. I'll try and dig out a pic later as I was born at 28 weeks and there was not a lot of support other than a warm incubator and lovely nurses to care for me. That was 50 years ago, and I celebrated my 'big' birthday this week! I hope Mrs W is recovering well, my Mum was very ill for some time after. When she recovered, amazingly was advised to go on holiday while I was in my greenhouse for 8 weeks! C Section is quite debilitating, both our kids (18 at Xmas, 15 next Feb), were born 'through the sunroof' and my wife recovered fine from both. You'll be really busy for some time, I can see, particularly as you'll be the only one driving for some time. Congratulations again, and wishing you all health & happiness
Excellent that everyone is well. Many congratulations. Does he have an octopus? My mum makes them and I can send one over to you I you'd like?
Your Mum makes official 'premmie' Octopi? Brilliant! Great thinking, I saw them online earlier in the year and thought they were a great idea.
I wasn't aware there was an 'official' one, but on checking those it appears the same, maybe a slightly smaller head?
Congratulations to you both and I'm glad to hear the wee one is doing well. Hope you get him home ASAP so that you can get into a normal routine - having been through something similar to you guys, it's no fun having to to and fro from the hospital and it's so much better once you're all home under the same roof.
Congratulations on becoming a father and the start of the next chapter in your life. I know it sounds corny but its true - your life and the direction it takes will be forever changed. My wife an I have raised our daughter alone in the UK. Our closest friends with a baby in Scotland and our family is in Canada and China. In case you haven't heard all this before I thought I would share some useful advice. Be sure to get everything sorted before bring him home. The home is clean with a comfortable area for sleeping and feeding. Also, make sure that any renovations and big cleaning are done before so that you have as dust free a home as possible. Mama & Papas is the nicest for service and shopping followed by John Lewis. Mothercare is cheap but pretty much the worse in every way. Service is bad, cashiers swear, charge for delivery, charge for storage if you don't get a bed/pram delivered right away. Your next friends are Amazon and Tesco. Amazon is very good with great prices. They also sell my favourite Munchkin Latch Bottles. I had issues with Brown's and other brands leaking. These are the nicest and easiest to clean. Best brand for breast pumps - Medela. If you don't have a lot of families you can get clothes in big bundles on eBay. Tesco is the best for toys with half price on a rotating stock of toys. Tesco is even cheaper than Amazon. Aldi nappies are widely recommended but only for infants because they aren't very absorbent but are changed frequently. Grow bags or similar is great for sleeping. Read lots of dad parenting books and enjoy the ride!
I'm not sure that's a universal experience. I bought a few things at Mothercare here in Bradford, and never heard a staff member swear. Delivery is also free over £50, except for furniture which is a tenner.
The one in Stratford London is pretty bad. I've not been to all Mothercare's and I think the one in Reading was much nicer but I was only shopping for a gift for a friends baby. I ordered a pram from mama and papas and had a really good experience. I could pay a deposit in store, and pay the rest before my order shipped. I was also able to pick the shipping date based on the expected delivery date. I ordered a crib from Mothercare, they charge shipping and charged for storage if I wanted to delay shipping. I ended up with a boxed crib in my bedroom for a few months. When most shops in the UK have a minimum of £20 for free shipping £50 is high. Especially when buying a few outfits on sale. Mama and Papas do have the same £50 minimum but it doesn't have any restrictions.
Cheers for all the well wishes, guys! Progress still going strong and we've both had a chance to actually have a cuddle now, which is hugely rewarding. He's a smiler! It's looking likely he'll be in one of the lower dependancy rooms within the next couple of days, he's back up and over his birth weight (3.7lbs) and chomping down 14ml feeds every 2 hours, so all signs are pointing to a earlier release than his due date