Sofia Update

I thought I would send out a quick update on Sofia. Things have been pretty crazy in the Pereira household with trying to produce enough breast milk, getting her to sleep at night and keeping up with the never ending laundry (the laundromat next door is getting some good business from us). Antony and I (and my mom too) are truly sleep deprived but still enjoying her (almost)every minute. But this week has thrown up some new challenges.

Because she was breech in the womb she has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia which means that her hips were out of socket when she was born and the hip isn't developed enough for it to go back into place. We went to the orthopedic surgeon yesterday who confirmed the diagnosis and put her into a body brace that will help to correct it.

The good news is that there is a very, very high percentage of full recovery and Sofia will never remember being treated for this. She also isn't in any pain. The harness doesn't hurt except for where it has started rubbing on her delicate skin.

The bad news is that she has to wear this brace full-time for the next 2-3 months and part-time for another 6 weeks afterwards. I have attached a photo so you can see what it looks like but needless to say, I have shed many tears over this. Poor baby! To make matters worse, she can't wear a single item of her 0-3 months clothes and instead I need to buy her tent style dresses that will be able to fit over the harness. What a heartbreaker that all of the little outfits that I bought for her when I was pregnant she will never be able to wear.

But given all of this, we are going to stay positive, hope she is out of her brace by Christmas, and are already planning a 'Free Sofia 2009' party for when the brace is finally removed.

Thanks always for your warm wishes and support from both near and far,

Rachelle, Antony and Sofia x

Sofia 'Peanut' Emily Pereira's Debut

Home at Last!

Well, this news is five days old but on Monday morning, at 11:30am, we had a lovely little girl that we named Sofia Emily. She was 7 lbs 6oz, 20 inches long and full of vim and vigor with a very strong cry. The c-section was a strange experience to say the least. After the spinal went in (which took 4 painful tries) and Antony was able to enter the OR, Sofia arrived in less than 10 minutes. The second the doctor pulled her out I experienced an amazing weightless feeling, like a welcomed emptiness. Sofia was then taken by the pediatrician to be checked out, weighed, cleaned and so on and in 30 minutes the three of us were being taken into the recovery room.

After a couple of hours in the recovery room, Antony took Sofia to the nursery and left me to get some more rest. While he was away, I noticed some commotion around me. Nurses were putting monitors on my chest, the OB was called in to take a look at me, a cardiologist arrived and everyone around me was talking about what needed to happen with me, without talking to me directly. Feeling very confused and doped up, all I could understand was that the medical staff were telling me that I had an arrhythmia and that meant that I needed to be transferred to cardiology to be monitored for 24 hours. All I heard was that I would be separated from Sofia for that length of time. I said that I didn't want to go, they said that I was 'refusing care' and the arguments began. Being alone in the recovery room, trying to make sense of the mess was both scary and disorientating. Eventually Antony came back to the recovery room to find me crying and the doctors frustrated. And once the story was revealed and Antony calmed me down, I was wheeled down to the general medical ward for the night.

The 10th floor was filled with sick (and crazy) people. Throughout the night, I heard patients moaning, wailing and sometimes screaming. The nurses, while very nice, had no idea what to do with a post-part um c-section patient and I could tell that they were feeling there way through dealing with the aftermath of birth, much like I was. In the morning, I had an echo which checked out how my heart was functioning and afterwards I was taken back to my empty room. I felt so separated. I wasn't with my family, my husband or my baby. When Antony came back to check on me he showed me pictures of Sofia being help by the grandparents and himself and it was like looking at someone else's baby. What this really my baby?

It wasn't until 4pm that day that I was cleared by cardiology and was able to be moved to the post-part um floor. They suspected that the heart irregularity was due to drugs given to me during the surgery and they were satisfied that I be moved to the post-part um ward on the condition that I have a follow up in the coming weeks/months. So at last, I was reunited with my daughter and we started fresh, getting to know one another.

We were in the hospital for four nights and luckily my experience on the 12th floor was amazing. The nurses and the doctors were so helpful and friendly. I was so happy to finally be where I belonged that I felt grateful for every moment I was there. And on Friday, (I can't believe that was just yesterday), with teary eyes we were discharged. We slightly expected someone to handcuff us and charge us with baby-nabbing as we took Sofia out the hospital front doors, but no one did and we arrived home feeling happy but 100% clueless.

I have to admit that we are in love with her and can't believe that we made her! The last 36 hours have been wonderful, trying, tiring and generally mind-blowing. Stay tuned for more on this adventure and our beautiful Peanut's progress.

The Final Stretch

Now at 36 weeks, we are nearing the end of this pregnancy marathon and preparing for the next race that will last a lifetime.

As it turns out, Peanut already has a mind of his/her own by bucking the status quo and has decided that head up is much more comfortable than head down. This, of course, causes me a bit of difficulty in welcoming it into the world the ol' fashioned way and so we have a c-section booked for Sept 14th. This will be Peanut's birthday unless it decides otherwise at the last minute. This would be the definition of sod's law as we have cancelled our birthing classes and have already organized ourselves for the big day!

Now we have less than 3 weeks to go before D-Day so stay tuned!

Lastly, many have asked for updates on the bump so this 'Hitchcock' styled photo is courtesy of Bernard who, I might add, has been a real trooper in listening (he says tuning out) to Ann and I talk about female nether regions.

Our Co-Ed Baby Shower

Last Sunday, July 26th, was our co-ed baby shower celebrating all things baby club-sandwiched between great company, wonderful food and lots of wine for everyone but me. I was luckily enough to have my mom, sister and grandma (who would also appreciate me mentioning that she was not drinking wine either) flew in for the occasion and we were also joined by Antony's aunt Margaret, cousins/friends Nick and Jess, and friends Annie, Phillip, Inigo, Matt, Leonard, Stephanie and Kristin, who kindly hosted the whole soiree.

We had a wonderful afternoon looking at baby pictures of the guests and a mocked up photo of what our Peanut may look like using a combination of our baby pictures (it is hung on the wall above the photo of the ladies). A few wagers were also made as to when it may arrive and so now there is a 50 buck pot riding on it. Kristin also outdid herself with nibbles of freshly made pesto, fresh Italian bread, cheese, olives, nuts, fresh fruit, berry pie, chilled squash soup and freshly squeezed lemonade with mint from the garden. I have included this because I know some foodie friends of mine like to know these things (Jos!).

The guests were also asked to bring their favorite childhood book so now Peanut's library is beginning to be fairly established and now has no excuse about not going to college and such. Thank you everyone!

Decorating the Nursery

I am incredibly impressed with Antony's skills. I have to admit that I was a bit concerned about putting together the three pieces of furniture (crib, dresser and bedside table) kindly purchased by the four grandparents-to-be. My fear came from previous experiences of putting together Ikea furniture - the end result being a slightly knackered piece of furniture and bad moods all around. But not this time! Fatherhood has revealed a new superpower called 'patiently following the instructions' and the result is a beautiful nursery custom-made for our Peanut.

We still have some things to do and a luxurious 9 weeks to do them but the video should give you an idea as to what we have been up to.

Pre-Peanut Festivities

We now have just 12 weeks before our new arrival is fully cooked and ready to come out of the oven. Given that seems like both a very long and very short amount of time, we have been doing our best to maximize our last child-free summer.

We have had several wonderful guests visit during the last few months including: Howard & Vicki, Dan & Grania, Luke & Marni, Mom & Ed, Jos and currently Bobo. We are going out for dinner, visiting museums, having weekends away, spending time with friends and spending time with each other. No one can say that we aren't trying to make the most of it!

Now in the final stretch, we are busy trying to set up the nursery and preparing for imminent arrival. Our co-ed baby shower is scheduled for July 26th and our childbirth and baby care classes start soon afterwards. So check in again in early August for another update!