I just love it when I have families returning with their new bundles of joy! This lovely family came back with their precious new little girl.
Thank you Nikki for sharing your pregnancy and birth story with us, over to you! x
When I first found out I was pregnant, the first thing that ran through my mind was - Wow...Jesse was right (he had told me 4 days before that there was a baby in my tummy and it was a little girl) & then absolute joy!! So much so that I burst out laughing & when I told Brent his first reaction was also laughing!
We both knew we wanted a third baby & she came at the best time - we hadn’t specifically chosen to “start trying” as we wanted to be relaxed & didn’t want the added stress of checking every month & getting wound up or upset if it hadn’t happened.
In the beginning of my pregnancy I struggled with awful morning sickness & during the third trimester I had major hip discomfort, but other than that it was absolutely perfect! I loved every second of it & will really miss those little kicks & the feeling of her being in my tummy.
Being pregnant during Covid-19 was a very strange time as I had to homeschool as well. There were 2 sides to the way I felt. I was exhausted most of the time & really learnt the value of teachers and school in general. I did feel that I lost those “alone” moments of being able to prepare for our little one, and have days where I could curl up with a good book or just nap. Having said that, my husband was amazingly supportive and allowed me time when I really needed it, just to go and have some time out. The other side that I found was that since I wasn’t rushing around doing the every day life sort of stuff, there was less expectation which did mean we could relax a bit more.
I was due to have a caesarean when I was 39 weeks pregnant but Maisy decided to come earlier than that!
I started having contractions when I was 38 weeks and 3 days so they decided to bring the surgery forward. She was born 12 days before her due date.
I was initially apprehensive about the caesarean, but the team at Musgrove were absolutely incredible. They brought me to the front of the queue for surgery & I was surrounded by the exact team of people I needed to keep me calm and perform the surgery. It was the most amazing birth, but the surgery was really tough. The consultant has advised that since it was so hard, we shouldn’t have anymore children.
Every time I think about the birth I want to cry! I am still so overwhelmed with gratitude for how amazing everyone was & how the surgery was one of the best experiences out of all three that I’ve had! It really was incredible.
When we first held our baby Maisy we were totally overwhelmed with love (& it all felt quite surreal)! She weighed in at 3.030kg’s or 6lb9oz
How we chose our babies name-
I prayed for a name for her from the moment I found out I was pregnant & I asked God to give me a name before my 20 week scan (so I would know if it was a boy or girl)
2 days before my scan the name Maisy popped into my head & at the exact same time my husband walked into the room and asked me what I thought about the name Maisy!!
The first few days at home was amazing, we were enjoying the peace after being in hospital. But on the 3rd day we had to call an ambulance for Maisy as it looked like she stopped breathing & she turned blue. We were then taken into a&e and had to stay in hospital over night while Maisy was monitored. It was the most frightening moment of my life & on top of that I was very emotional as my milk had just come in & I was very hormonal. It was made worse when the hospital staff tried to do a COVID swab on my baby who was only 3 days old. Thankfully, & by the grace of God, my husband was allowed in with me for a few hours when this happened. He had the presence of mind that I was lacking at that point to refuse the test. I was so grateful as I would have just gone along with what the staff said. The test was an adult size test & I imagine it would have caused a lot more harm than good.
Other than this awful experience, Maisy’s first few days were wonderful (& very peaceful due to the restrictions from COVID-19).
I have 2 older boys who have taken so well to being big brothers. My eldest is turning 9 & utterly adores little people, particularly babies. He’s very gentle with them & always wants to stroke, cuddle & love Maisy. My middle son, who is turning 6, is more of a deep thinker. He has spent hours just staring at his sister, totally mesmerised by her beauty. But not saying much. On our first night home, Maisy and I were having a nap. Jesse came into the bedroom, sat on the bed just staring at Maisy & after half an hour my mum walked in to find him. Jesse looked at my mum and said “isn’t she so beautiful Granny”! Both the boys are very protective over their sister & long may it last!!
Our house is a bit crazy with pets. We have a cat, a puppy, a hamster & a fish tank. When I arrived home from the hospital our 1 year old puppy sat very submissively on the floor, wagging her tail but not jumping up. This was the first time I have ever seen her so excited, yet so calm. And since then she sits at my feet all the time. She will often come over to Maisy and sniff her, but has never licked or jumped on her.
ABOUT THE NEWBORN SHOOT WITH KAREN KIMMINS NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY
I chose Karen as our newborn photographer as she had done Jesse’s photoshoot and I’d been watching her page ever since. She has come so far with her talent and I’ve always really liked how she is so passionate about babies.
The only thing I was worried about for the shoot was whether or not we were all dressed properly for the pictures to come out nicely. Turns out there was nothing to worry about! It was a very relaxed atmosphere and we felt we were in very capable hands! The best bit was after the family photos and the focus was just on Maisy. I loved watching how posing Maisy came so naturally to Karen.
Maisy had a feed before the shoot and was awake for an hour or so before we left, so was very ready for her sleep by the time we got to Karen.
My advice to someone getting newborn photographs taken would be to use Karen Kimmins!! Relax and let her do her thing!
Thank you again Nikki for sharing your story with us, for your kind words and for coming back with your newest family member, it was a pleasure to see you all again xx