Photos

Hello Everyone
My parents have put some photos of me on a website: http://rut-valgardsdottir.magix.net/
Look for an album called OSCAR (on the left site of the page) and you can see some of my fabulous expressions. My parents will try to update this site once in a while to let you see the development of my features.
Big hugs, Oscar

My birth

I've been planning for some time to tell you about my first few days, but my life has been very busy lately, with the breastfeeding, sleeping and learning to know my parents, so there has been little time left for blogging!
Anyway, as you already know, I was born on the 29th of december 2006 -more precisely at 11.41 in the morning. The birth was not exactly as I had planned it, for as you may remember I had been in the breech position for almost 2 months -despite moxa for one month and an attempt to turn me with ECV.
Rather than calling it breech position I like to call it the divers position! Or if you prefer a more technical term: the reverse pike position. In case of the diver, this position lasts only a fraction of a second, but in my case I kept it for a couple of months, imagining that I was flying through the air, towards the surface of the water in the swimming-pool.
When the diver approaches the surface of the water he should keep his legs extended upward while straightening his torso and pointing his head straight down towards the water, then swinging his arms with the whole body so they remain over the head and end up pointing towards the water before entering the water in a vertical position. And this is exactly what I had planned to do, in due time!!! But a week before the due date, my parents went to the hospital where again the doctors tried to convince me to turn doing another attempt to do the ECV. This time there were 2 doctors, pushing my mum's belly hoping that I would give in...but I didn't realize how close I was to the water, so I preferred to remain breech!
What happened next was beyond my control. My mum was brought into the blocco parto where women go to deliver the babies, and she was prepared for the birth. The atmosphere was really relaxing, and as the doctor injected the anastetics in my mum's spine, she was laughing and joking with a group of midwifes. Once the anestetics had started to work, everything went really quickly, Dr. Angela Iasci cut the skin of my mum, pushed away membranes and muscles, cut the uterus and in less than two minutes I was out of the belly! What a shock. I started crying the moment I was out, and got an immediate AGPAR score of 10.
So how was the birth for my parents? My mum was present, obviously, and was lead through the operation by 2 doctors that explained everything that happened. It was like having a nice chat with old friends. When the uterus had been cut my mum was asked if she wanted to see my birth... she wouldn't have missed it for the life! The sheets that blocked my mum's view of the operation were removed for a moment and she could see me being pulled out of her belly, at the same time she could feel a suction feeling as her belly was emptied. She immediately started crying of happiness, and when, a moment later I got to touch her face, she was still crying.
My dad was not allowed to be present during the operation, but he got to see me very soon. One of the midwifes was equipped with a polaroid camera, and the moment I was out of my mum's belly she snapped a photo of me and brought it immediately to my dad who saw the photo delveope before his eyes. To see me materialize on the polaroid sheet was almost as if he was seeing me being born! A moment later the midwife brought another photo to my dad, this time of me touching my mum's face. Shortly after I was rolled passed my dad as I was brought to the neonatologia. At that time he was exploding with pride.
After the operation was finished, my mum was kept under observation for an hour before being rolled into her room where she and my dad stayed for a couple of hours waiting to see me.
I don't know who was more emotional, me or them when we finally got to see each other. My parents kissed me and hugged me and explored my face and features trying to understand who I'm looking like and they told me in million ways how much they loved me. I was offered my mum's breast immediately and started sucking right away, even if there was nothing to have the first time. This was soon to change, and already the second time I was breastfed the colostrum had arrived. Less than three days later, on the magical first night of the year, the milk finally arrived, and my breakfast, lunch, dinners and snakcs were secured for the months to come!
I celabrated the new year in the hospital with my parents and other neo-parents and newborn babies. The nurses had brought cakes and spumante (on the picture you can see my dad opening the bottle at midnight) and there was a happy little crowd that cheered for the new year and for the health of everyone present. I doubt that my parents will ever have a happier new-year's eve than this.
As I'm healthy and my mum recovered very quickly from the cesarean section, we got to go home from the hospital on the 1st of january. A fantastic way to start a new year.
How things have been since I'm home will have to wait for the next blog, but I can tell you that so far
LIFE IS SIMPLY WONDERFUL

OSCAR IS HOME

Ciao
Just a short notice to let you know that I was born on the 29th of december and that yesterday I came home for the first time. I will tell you more about my adventures later, but now I'm just extremely sleepy (having drunk A LOT of milk) and prefer to take a nap.
My year 2007 has started in the best way possible...coming home with my mum and my dad and I'm looking forward to whatever this year will bring me.
Finally I just want to wish you all a happy new year and I hope to see you soon.
Big hugs, Oscar Polselli