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I honestly had no idea what we were in for, and it's been a full on 10 months!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Ci\u003EWarning! There are some graphic photos below of the birth.\u003C\/i\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EWednesday the 18th of October rolled around like every other day. I woke up and felt a sense of relief, because as any Mama will tell you, reaching 38 weeks of pregnancy is a wonderful milestone. It means you are officially full term and basically, it's safe for your baby to be born. We were so excited for the arrival of our second little girl!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-2QFHU4rfaYQ\/W20BQKNlZRI\/AAAAAAAAFxQ\/H7pEX-6JvZIEKCFNEwHakfyIYPtDpyf6ACLcBGAs\/s1600\/124A1998%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"533\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-2QFHU4rfaYQ\/W20BQKNlZRI\/AAAAAAAAFxQ\/H7pEX-6JvZIEKCFNEwHakfyIYPtDpyf6ACLcBGAs\/s1600\/124A1998%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EIt was time to really crack down, get the hospital bag packed, and get ready for our second little girl to join our family. Joe headed off to work and I had my weekly antenatal appointment at 10am. So I dropped Isla off at my Mums, and planned to go to my appointment, and then I was\u0026nbsp;going to grab a take-away iced latte, head to the shops and pick up a few\u0026nbsp;necessities for the hospital bag! That was my plan anyway.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EA little back story.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI found Isla's \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/2015\/09\/birth-story.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #ea9999;\"\u003Ebirth\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E quite traumatic. It really affected me. I've had a lot of nightmares about it since, and had a few mild panic attacks a few times\u0026nbsp;during April's pregnancy\u0026nbsp;because I was so\u0026nbsp;worried that the same thing would happen. At around 36 weeks I met with an anaesthetist and talked about what happened last time and about how to help prevent having a high block again, if I was to end up in the same situation.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EAfter going back and forth about trying for a natural birth, or having a planned c-section, I had officially decided to try for a natural birth again this time. Being rushed into an emergency c-section last time, sliced open, heavily drugged, thinking I was dying, and then the recovery afterwards was just something that I\u0026nbsp;definitely didn't\u0026nbsp;want to go through again.\u0026nbsp;Especially with having a 2.5 year old to run after as well. We thought that if I did things a little differently this time, I would be able to feel everything better, enabling me to push better, and hopefully end up with having the birth that I had wanted the first time around!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EAgain, that was the plan.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI trooped off to the\u0026nbsp;hospital, saw the nurse for my appointment, and as I\u0026nbsp;was\u0026nbsp;about to leave, I thought that I'd just mention quickly that I had noticed that baby hadn't moved as much as normal in the last couple days,\u0026nbsp;expecting him to brush it off as normal because baby was getting big now, and didn't have a lot of room to move! But he looked a little concerned about the reduced fetal movement, so he pulled out the gear to do an Ultrasound. After a little while, he said that he was a little worried about my fluid levels around the baby. He called the clinic upstairs and arranged for me to go straight up for a proper Ultrasound. He said that depending on how that goes, he might also get me to go in for a CTG for monitoring. Before I left to go upstairs he said \"I just need to prepare you, that if the scan doesn't look good, you might be coming back in the next couple days for an early delivery\". Oh my gosh! I was not ready to have a brand new baby yet! I still had things to pick up at the shops, still needed to pack my hospital bag, the bedrooms we were building on for the girls weren't finished yet, there was still so much to get done!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI headed upstairs and waited for my scan. Joe was at work, so I messaged him just to let him know what was happening. I went in for the scan and the two ultrasound technicians were \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003Eso lovely. They chatted with me the whole time, and made me\u0026nbsp;feel really at ease. Everything that they said was positive. Baby was practicing breathing\u0026nbsp;really well, she was estimated to be 3.6kg (yikes!!), and they even said that the fluid levels around baby looked good! They still wanted me to go to have a CTG though.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI messaged Joe again letting him know. He asked if we should be worried. I said that everything was\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);\"\u003Eprobably okay, they were just taking precautions.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI went next door and waited for about 30 minutes. I could hear women in labour, babies crying, and a lot of beeping from the CTG machines. They took me through, got me to lay down\u0026nbsp;on a bed in a room nearby, and they hooked me up for monitoring. An hour or so passed. A nurse read through my file, and then came and sat with me for a bit. She asked about my previous birth, and told me all about her experiences with c-sections, and talked me through where babies were at by 38 weeks. She told me how different an emergency c-section is\u0026nbsp;compared with an elective one. I\u0026nbsp;honestly didn't know why she was talking to me so much. She told me the Doctor would be in shortly to see me.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003ESure enough, a little while later in walks the Doctor accompanied with that same nurse. I had met with him a few weeks prior, and talked about trying for a natural birth, which he had supported. The scan that I just had, had seemed to have gone quite well, so I was expecting him to tell me that everything looked fine, and that they'll see me\u0026nbsp;in a week for my\u0026nbsp;next antenatal appointment. But instead he calmly said \"Here's the short of it. Your baby is not getting enough oxygen to her brain, and we need to get her out.\" I was shocked. \"What do you mean?\" I managed to ask. He said \"We need to get her out. We can do it tomorrow if you\u0026nbsp;really\u0026nbsp;need, but today would be best. We can\u0026nbsp;have you down in theatre in a few hours.\u0026nbsp;When did you last eat?\" At this point, I burst into tears and the room started spinning. He sat on the bed and said \"It's okay to be upset. I know this is a lot to process. But this needs to happen, and today preferably.\" I asked if I could still try for a natural birth. He said that it was risky to induce me again after my first c-section. And he said that even if they did, it was\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003Eextremely likely\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;that it would end up in theatre anyway. He said that given the situation, the absolute safest thing for the baby was a semi-emergency c-section. He\u0026nbsp;acknowledged that he knew that's not what I wanted, but he said that's what had to happen. He calculated how long it had been since I had eaten or had anything to drink (due to fasting purposes), and said that they could take me down to\u0026nbsp;theatre at about 4pm. From memory I couldn't really talk at this point. I just nodded, and focused on breathing. I didn't want to have a panic attack. 4pm was only a few hours away. The Doctor said he'd start making the arrangements and left. The nurse sat on the bed, held my hand and said \"I was trying to prepare you before darling. To give you a little heads up. You're going to be just fine.\u0026nbsp;This will be a totally different experience to last time, it will be much more relaxing and stress free. You'll all just be chatting the whole way through it!\" I couldn't stop the tears, and I just couldn't believe that I was about to have another c-section, and be holding my baby in my arms in a few hours time.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI messaged Joe and asked him to call me asap. He called moments later, and I couldn't even speak. I just\u0026nbsp;couldn't stop crying. I\u0026nbsp;eventually got out what was happening, and he left work straight away. He went home and got my half-packed hospital bag, installed the carseat and capsule. I\u0026nbsp;also let Mum know what was happening (which was another phone call of not being able to speak properly through the tears) and she said that she'd take care of Isla as long as we needed. All I\u0026nbsp;could think was that I was supposed to have picked her up, and supposed to have been drinking an iced latte right about now! I didn't get a chance to explain to Isla what was happening, and that next time I'd see her, she would get to meet her little sister. I really missed Isla at this point. I felt very far away from her.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI stared at the clock and watched the minute hand tick faster than I've ever seen it tick. Once Joe arrived, the Doctor went over what was happening again. Joe wasn't too happy about the pending c-section, but as it was the safest thing for baby, he accepted it. We let our immediate families know what was happening, and they kept us in their prayers. I also stood up for one last bump photo before they started prepping me for surgery. I had been crying so much, and was just so emotional and\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);\"\u003Eterrified. Don't get me wrong, I was also so excited to meet our little girl, I just wanted to see her and for her to be safely in my arms. It was overwhelming! I tried to focus on that, instead of the way that it had to happen.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-f4s7BhmHUZc\/W2z9j_G2JPI\/AAAAAAAAFwg\/BYQg9WqFoU8uNXd9FDn0WHTHxAXlTEBcACLcBGAs\/s1600\/combined%2B2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"529\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-f4s7BhmHUZc\/W2z9j_G2JPI\/AAAAAAAAFwg\/BYQg9WqFoU8uNXd9FDn0WHTHxAXlTEBcACLcBGAs\/s1600\/combined%2B2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EA couple nurses\u0026nbsp;came in to prep me and starting chatting with me trying\u0026nbsp;to calm my nerves. Bless haha. I had already heard plenty of times about how different planned c-sections are to\u0026nbsp;emergency ones. It didn't make a\u0026nbsp;difference. My concern was with possibly having another high block, and not being able to breathe, swallow or talk properly. I mentioned it to various nurses and doctors at least 20 times, so that they'd keep it in mind, and administer the\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003Eanaesthetic slowly if possible. (Yes.. I was that annoying pregnant woman!) But I can not express to you the amount of fear that I was trying to keep at bay.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EBefore we knew it, it was 4pm. I don't know where those hours went! Some nurses came in and said \"Okay guys, it's time! Lets go meet your baby.\"\u0026nbsp;They handed Joe some scrubs and he got dressed while the nurses got me onto a different transportable bed. Once ready, they wheeled me down the hall. I was so terrified that my entire body was\u0026nbsp;visibly\u0026nbsp;shaking and I couldn't stop it. The nurse told me that she would be right next to me the entire time.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI remember having flashbacks of being rushed down the hall in a panic during Islas birth, and being so drugged up I wasn't physically able to keep my eyes open. I remember only getting flashes of what was actually happening. It was this very same\u0026nbsp;hospital, and down these very same halls! I couldn't believe I was there again, but I\u0026nbsp;felt like everyone had much more control of the situation this time, and I just tried to focus on how calm everyone was.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-m4d2T5n9xaM\/W2z9WPcqqOI\/AAAAAAAAFwM\/-sEo1zJkAP46zL0GD7uOqR_ULnyi5WPQgCLcBGAs\/s1600\/blank%2Blanscape%2B2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"533\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-m4d2T5n9xaM\/W2z9WPcqqOI\/AAAAAAAAFwM\/-sEo1zJkAP46zL0GD7uOqR_ULnyi5WPQgCLcBGAs\/s1600\/blank%2Blanscape%2B2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EWe were there before I knew it. I was wheeled into a very bright, cold operating room, filled with staff and a bed in the middle. They got me to sit up on the edge of the bed, with my feet hanging over. It was time for the spinal. They told me to lean forward a little and let Joe support me, and they warned me that they were about to do a very cold iodine solution wash over my back before giving me the needle. I was already shaking, so the thought of this was less than appealing. WOAH, that was cold. It felt like a sponge full of freezing cold water pressed into my back, and dripped down everywhere. I don't know why, but when I think about that cold wash, the words 'ice' and 'beetroot' come to mind! After the cold wash, I started getting really faint, and I told them I was about to black out! Luckily that happened before the needle was going in, and they told me to lay back down until I felt better, and got some colour back in my face. It had been a big day, and was about to get bigger. It was also going to be a big day for this baby, and I had no way to warn her what was about to happen. I had been so nervous leading up to this point, my whole body was uncontrollably shaking, and I felt so overwhelmed. It had all just came to a head. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing. I told myself that this was happening, and it was going to be fine. Our baby girl needed to come out now, and if I couldn't pull myself together, they might just knock me out with general\u0026nbsp;anaesthetic\u0026nbsp;and I would miss the whole thing. I didn't want to miss out on those first moments. I wanted so desperately to meet her.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EOnce I felt ready, they sat me up again. Take two. They gave me another cold wash and I focused on the handsome details of Joe's face as they gave me the spinal. Then they quickly lay me down again. They told me they were going to move me over to the operating table, and to just try and relax, and not to move a muscle.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI couldn't have moved even if I wanted to! I felt like I had been\u0026nbsp;paralysed from the waist down. Goodness that was quick!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EOnce in position, Joe sat next to me. And that lovely nurse was right to the other side of me, checking to see where I was numbed up to. So far it was just up to my chest, and I was praying that that was as high as the block would go. I'm pleased to say that YES, that was as high as it went. I was able to breathe, swallow and talk\u0026nbsp;basically normally throughout the whole procedure, which made things so much less stressful. Another Doctor was in the room, and he also sat right next to me. He was just casually chatting about some dinner he had eaten recently at his in-laws. Everyone was pretty chill. One thing he did which I am forever thankful for, is he asked if I wanted him to take some photos on my phone. Joe was already set to take a video on his phone, so it was perfect. Honestly, I'm so grateful for it! After checking that I was numb enough, it was time to get baby out! Up went the curtain.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EThere came that familiar strong pull and tug. No pain. Just the extremely\u0026nbsp;unusual feeling of people playing a game of tug of war with your stomach. I can't even describe it properly! But there was no pain, and I could still breathe, swallow and talk fine, so I was feeling okay.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003ESuddenly it just hit me that the hard part was seemingly over. From here on, I just had to lay there. We were only moments away from meeting our new little baby girl! I started to feel pretty emotional at this point. I couldn't\u0026nbsp;wait to finally see her, cuddle her, kiss her and make her feel happy and safe again after being pulled out. The doctor next to me suddenly piped up and said \"Did you hear that?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EThe cord was wrapped around her neck, so\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;that's lucky you're getting her out this way. That could have been really bad.\" That was crazy to hear. So you know what, maybe this was all just meant to happen this way. You know what else is crazy to hear? Those first cries of your baby.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-OHxtBXjZfpA\/W2z9kuazEmI\/AAAAAAAAFwk\/IsoURnBki9A4i1pyNqdypqKdd1yjGdt7gCLcBGAs\/s1600\/combined%2B1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"529\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-OHxtBXjZfpA\/W2z9kuazEmI\/AAAAAAAAFwk\/IsoURnBki9A4i1pyNqdypqKdd1yjGdt7gCLcBGAs\/s1600\/combined%2B1.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EShe was here. Our\u0026nbsp;April\u0026nbsp;Elle Davis.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EBorn at 4:58pm. Weighing in at 3.28kg and 49cm long.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EThey held her up over the curtain so I could see her. Even if you've had a baby before, nothing can prepare you for that moment when you see them for the first time. They are just so tiny, and so beautiful. I couldn't believe she was here!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EGoodness I loved her. She was mine.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-55KNWjv64Uk\/W2z9gBzswbI\/AAAAAAAAFwc\/2jVZsNVz0tEe37O8kUu_ncODqTBNMWoLACLcBGAs\/s1600\/blank%2Bportrait.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1200\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-55KNWjv64Uk\/W2z9gBzswbI\/AAAAAAAAFwc\/2jVZsNVz0tEe37O8kUu_ncODqTBNMWoLACLcBGAs\/s1600\/blank%2Bportrait.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-scGjefGLvok\/W2z9egzxBNI\/AAAAAAAAFwY\/--hbk5xr01MwOXn0283BkUXgH0QPyQslQCLcBGAs\/s1600\/blank%2Bportrait%2B2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1200\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-scGjefGLvok\/W2z9egzxBNI\/AAAAAAAAFwY\/--hbk5xr01MwOXn0283BkUXgH0QPyQslQCLcBGAs\/s1600\/blank%2Bportrait%2B2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-KYV1hkM3VpQ\/W2554pkOcxI\/AAAAAAAAFxc\/8rH7geEJ2P4j0_RuF73RBq6LcrsevhBnQCLcBGAs\/s1600\/blank%2Blanscape%2B3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"533\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-KYV1hkM3VpQ\/W2554pkOcxI\/AAAAAAAAFxc\/8rH7geEJ2P4j0_RuF73RBq6LcrsevhBnQCLcBGAs\/s1600\/blank%2Blanscape%2B3.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EAfter seeing her quickly, they took her over to the\u0026nbsp;\u003Cspan style=\"caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);\"\u003Etable\u003C\/span\u003E\u0026nbsp;to wipe her down, check her over, and Joe cut the cord. Poor little darling was crying and I just wanted to comfort her! But she was alive and well which is the important thing.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EIf you'd like to see the video, click play! Be warned, theres a lot of detail, so if you don't wish to see, just keep scrolling!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Ciframe allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ktEa43ft8tQ\" width=\"560\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EIt took an hour to\u0026nbsp;stitch me back up, which felt like an eternity. I got to have little cuddles with her briefly, and Joe held her next to me for a while. I felt a little out of it though, so I couldn't do much.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-OYcnYhxuz6o\/W2z9lI1hKTI\/AAAAAAAAFws\/Xhku1AvEl3Ua72ZmIOQQk6nGKYxh4IctQCLcBGAs\/s1600\/combined%2B3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"529\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-OYcnYhxuz6o\/W2z9lI1hKTI\/AAAAAAAAFws\/Xhku1AvEl3Ua72ZmIOQQk6nGKYxh4IctQCLcBGAs\/s1600\/combined%2B3.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Wvwm2Sn4vUs\/W2z9YQyQBuI\/AAAAAAAAFwQ\/VdhD3VWwKDgWVDa8S2FeKeawct7dThC2wCLcBGAs\/s1600\/blank%2Blanscape.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"533\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Wvwm2Sn4vUs\/W2z9YQyQBuI\/AAAAAAAAFwQ\/VdhD3VWwKDgWVDa8S2FeKeawct7dThC2wCLcBGAs\/s1600\/blank%2Blanscape.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EOnce I was stitched up, they took me down to recovery, and sent Joe and April to the ward to wait in our room. It took another hour there, and it was strange just\u0026nbsp;waiting in recovery by myself. We had just gone through all of that emotion, finally met our baby girl, and now I just sat in a bed waiting. It was silent, and it felt like the calm before the\u0026nbsp;storm. (But a good kind of storm.) I was so happy when they started to wheel me back to the ward to find Joe. I desperately wanted to see April again, feed and have proper cuddles with her!!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EAnd thats exactly what I did.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-EsdgC_jy9c8\/W2z9d_RkhTI\/AAAAAAAAFwU\/0w_WJ7-YWRI7zifKj52azwOrUhxD-5dwACLcBGAs\/s1600\/blank%2Bportrait%2B3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"1137\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-EsdgC_jy9c8\/W2z9d_RkhTI\/AAAAAAAAFwU\/0w_WJ7-YWRI7zifKj52azwOrUhxD-5dwACLcBGAs\/s1600\/blank%2Bportrait%2B3.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003ESo all in all, it was a pretty unexpectedly crazy day - but a good one! I had been so nervous\u0026nbsp;about it all, and finally it was over! She was safe in my arms!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI do want to take a minute to talk about something that really effected me in a negative way. And that's the drug Tramadol. If you are ever given it, please just be very weary of it and what it can do to you. Post birth, I had a big few weeks of physical and mental challenges to overcome. I knew nothing about Tramadol, but it really did a number on me. It took me a while to put 2 and 2 together and figure out why I was feeling the way I was feeling, and why my body was acting up. And as soon as I figured it out, I stopped taking it. Not everyone reacts to it, but I've now heard countless stories similar to mine. Even in the words of the midwife that came out to the house, Tramadol is known in the nursing world as a 'dirty drug'. It's really nasty, and can take a while to get out of your system. If you can, stay as far away from it as you can. Recovery-wise, I had a few weeks from hell. Never again. To summarise what I went through - I was nauseous, had night chills, night sweats, felt dizzy and faint. The worst of it however was the intensely high anxiety I experienced. I've never gone through anything like it. I couldn't even walk somewhere without having my heart racing and needing to sit down, and I had to carry a wet cloth around with me everywhere to put on my forehead every time I felt my heart starting to race. It helped to get it back to normal. Even when I left the hospital, I had to walk extremely slowly down the hall to the lifts, and then I had to stop in the lobby because I physically couldn't continue. Joe went to get the car, and I almost had a panic attack sitting in the lobby with the wet cloth! Once we got home, we realised that it was Tramadol that was doing it to me and I stopped taking it straight away. But it took weeks to get out of my system. I wasn't getting any sleep at night because every time I started to fall asleep my heart would start racing, and I'd have to try and calm down, and keep putting the wet cloth on my head. I couldn't even walk down our hallway to get to the toilet without having a seat in the hallway that I could rest at on the way to keep my heart rate down. I had to take that wet cloth with me EVERYWHERE. At one point I finally got to the toilet, sat down and then almost blacked out! So I had to rush out, almost fell to the floor and I had to stumble my way to the bed and lay down quickly. It was honestly dreadful. I didn't know what to do. I was a ball of emotion, and there were times where I was uncontrollably crying with a racing heart and I had Joe and Isla holding me, playing soft music and trying to calm me down. I'll never forget that. To some extent, I feel like I was robbed of those first few weeks with my baby girl. Between Tramadol and just regular c-section recovery, I wasn't able to enjoy them or spend them quite the way I had hoped.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EBut I slowly got better and better, and I came off all pain meds as soon as I could.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EHaving two beautiful girls of our own has made our hearts so full and happy. I honestly didn't know that I could love another little girl as much as I love Isla, but I do. She is the perfect addition to our family, and as soon as I saw our little April lifted above that curtain, I was just overwhelmed with this fierce mama bear love. We vow to protect her for the rest of our lives! \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-x6T401lPRsU\/W2z9U-t6x4I\/AAAAAAAAFwE\/yP1xxSAi66EhpTBTF7pVTDUe9iC3Pdc2ACLcBGAs\/s1600\/124A2869%2Bcopy.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"533\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-x6T401lPRsU\/W2z9U-t6x4I\/AAAAAAAAFwE\/yP1xxSAi66EhpTBTF7pVTDUe9iC3Pdc2ACLcBGAs\/s1600\/124A2869%2Bcopy.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-exhwbkQpwHk\/W2z9VNohPWI\/AAAAAAAAFwI\/y8187UaluUcmTRBvfAiHrKfElshgOa3YgCLcBGAs\/s1600\/124A3480.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"533\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-exhwbkQpwHk\/W2z9VNohPWI\/AAAAAAAAFwI\/y8187UaluUcmTRBvfAiHrKfElshgOa3YgCLcBGAs\/s1600\/124A3480.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34);\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222;\"\u003EI have now had two c-sections that I had not planned on. And although it's not the way that I had wanted to do it, I am definitely still grateful that I've got two healthy girls, and we are all well and alive to tell the tales! Thank goodness for the Doctors and modern day procedures.. and thank goodness for\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003Eanaesthetic\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E! If you're curious about c-sections, I found this\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #ea9999; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ogmagazine.org.au\/18\/4-18\/caesarean-section-step-step\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003Elink\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E helpful. However, it makes me feel a little ill, because it's very close to home for me!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"color: #222222; font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EThank goodness I mentioned the reduced fetal movement to the nurse at my\u0026nbsp;antenatal appointment. Thank goodness he was concerned about my fluid levels (which were actually fine) and sent me up for a scan. Thank goodness they sent me over to have a CTG, and thank goodness they thoroughly checked over baby and myself, and realised she wasn't getting enough\u0026nbsp;oxygen to her brain. Thank goodness this ended up being a c-section, seeing as the cord was wrapped around her neck. Because if any one of those things hadn't have happened, I possibly wouldn't have my little girl here with me today.\u0026nbsp;Which is unbearable to think\u0026nbsp;about.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EApril Elle, you have turned our lives upside down in the best kind of way! You are just this smiley, squishy, bundle of joy, and we can't even remember life before you! Thank you for your daily face suckles, smiles, laughs and cuddles. You are ours, and we are going to love you forever.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E- A M Y \u0026nbsp;D A V I S\u003C\/span\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/feeds\/324616521298445275\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/2018\/08\/welcoming-april-elle.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3129807201012209093\/posts\/default\/324616521298445275"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3129807201012209093\/posts\/default\/324616521298445275"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/2018\/08\/welcoming-april-elle.html","title":"Welcoming April Elle"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-H9YroFdPg0k\/W2z9TH3jEyI\/AAAAAAAAFwA\/7v0-VjE0Mp0ZB3DJz8oJETNPeDy4UNOtACLcBGAs\/s72-c\/124A2773%2Bcopy.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3129807201012209093.post-1841787493789218832"},"published":{"$t":"2017-06-22T10:18:00.002+08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-08-13T14:59:36.420+08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"baby"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"featured"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"film"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"gender reveal"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"hold powder"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love story"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Holi Powder Gender Reveal!!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-eGlbXXLqZ_s\/WUsnwTvpS9I\/AAAAAAAAFqk\/WkCD5acsuZ0ncdwr0H1PD0E5V-m7nltxACLcBGAs\/s1600\/124A9281%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"533\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-eGlbXXLqZ_s\/WUsnwTvpS9I\/AAAAAAAAFqk\/WkCD5acsuZ0ncdwr0H1PD0E5V-m7nltxACLcBGAs\/s1600\/124A9281%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003ESo the truth is, I've always wanted to have a play with Holi Powder. But the reality was even better! We decided to use some Holi Powder to do the Gender Reveal for our latest little baby! Our last \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/2014\/10\/gender-reveal.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e06666;\"\u003EGender Reveal\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E was really fun, and it involved the whole family with a dart game!! But it was also quite rushed as we had only JUST found out the gender ourselves and did the party within the next couple hours, rushing around. It was still really really special, but this time, we just wanted it to be the three of us. And we found out the Gender the week before, so we had time to let it sink in a little and just enjoy it.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI honestly can't believe we are already up to this point. I am now over half way through this pregnancy, and I'm not entirely sure where it's gone!! I have spent the majority of it feeling really really sick and nauseous, which is so different to how I was with Isla. But luckily, that has mostly gone away now, and I'm feeling pretty good!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"\u003EBack to the Reveal..!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EJoe came home from work, and then we quickly planned what we wanted to do. He dashed down to the shops to pick up some plain white t-shirts for all of us, including the baby! I got things ready at home, and ready to pop in the car. When he got home we all got dressed in the white t-shirts and some blue jeans (I can not tell you how happy this made me. Ever since childhood I've had this thing for matching clothes, it's the BEST!!) Then I quickly printed up some words for the\u0026nbsp;baby's t-shirt, and we jumped in the car.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EWe talked about it and said that we'd just set up the camera, and have some fun together, and if it didn't work out, we wouldn't stress\u0026nbsp;about it! We could always come do it again later, there was no rush. So we drove down to the lake where Joe \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/2012\/10\/the-proposal.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e06666;\"\u003Eproposed\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E to me. (You know.. when he built me that fairy-lit raft and popped\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;question in the middle of the lake?! Goodness I'm a lucky girl.) The lake is mostly dried up right now which is perfect for what we wanted to do!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EHave a peek at the video below! Turn your sound up.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"360\" mozallowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/222445622\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"640\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EWe are SOOOOO happy!! We were really sure this one was a boy, because\u0026nbsp;everything's been so different to last time! In fact, at the 20 week scan, they finished up and said 'okay, it's a girl!' and we were shocked! I actually made them put more gel on and check again!!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003ETruth is, we've both loved having Isla so much, that we really want another little miss running around making us smile! We\u0026nbsp;were prepared for a boy, and of course we would have loved having a boy too!! But we couldn't be happier\u0026nbsp;right\u0026nbsp;now\u0026nbsp;knowing that we're blessed with another little girl!!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EUsing Holi Powder for the Reveal was also just so much fun and messy!! I want to get more, and use it all the time. We got ours from \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/holipowder.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e06666;\"\u003Ehere\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EWell, I'll keep it nice and short! Here's some final snaps.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"\u003EI feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be blessed with my little family. I love my husband and my two little girls more than I could ever put into words.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"\u003EGod is good.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WduwgKuc6BE\/WUsnxE7oF5I\/AAAAAAAAFqo\/8Sj6M2dNsbkNiq4ItJarvVF4rv4JP-s-gCLcBGAs\/s1600\/ColourPowder%2B2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"450\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-WduwgKuc6BE\/WUsnxE7oF5I\/AAAAAAAAFqo\/8Sj6M2dNsbkNiq4ItJarvVF4rv4JP-s-gCLcBGAs\/s1600\/ColourPowder%2B2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-FAqEDC7_DNk\/WUsnvCG5X6I\/AAAAAAAAFqc\/BRF4V_AHODgkHQd0maQ20rbTRarPxTnEwCLcBGAs\/s1600\/124A9287%2Bcopy.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"533\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-FAqEDC7_DNk\/WUsnvCG5X6I\/AAAAAAAAFqc\/BRF4V_AHODgkHQd0maQ20rbTRarPxTnEwCLcBGAs\/s1600\/124A9287%2Bcopy.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-_2tjdQzcbmY\/WUsnvfhJjaI\/AAAAAAAAFqg\/Pc6Z0eUPRJ8qBmflkAVO-ej3MI5UPVL9QCLcBGAs\/s1600\/ColourPowder%2B1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" data-original-height=\"450\" data-original-width=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-_2tjdQzcbmY\/WUsnvfhJjaI\/AAAAAAAAFqg\/Pc6Z0eUPRJ8qBmflkAVO-ej3MI5UPVL9QCLcBGAs\/s1600\/ColourPowder%2B1.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EHave a colourful love-filled day!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E- A M Y \u0026nbsp;D A V I S\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/feeds\/1841787493789218832\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/2017\/06\/holi-powder-gender-reveal.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3129807201012209093\/posts\/default\/1841787493789218832"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3129807201012209093\/posts\/default\/1841787493789218832"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/2017\/06\/holi-powder-gender-reveal.html","title":"Holi Powder Gender Reveal!!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-eGlbXXLqZ_s\/WUsnwTvpS9I\/AAAAAAAAFqk\/WkCD5acsuZ0ncdwr0H1PD0E5V-m7nltxACLcBGAs\/s72-c\/124A9281%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3129807201012209093.post-2809897286522786077"},"published":{"$t":"2015-12-04T14:36:00.000+08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-08-15T10:34:58.514+08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"baby"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"holiday"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love story"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"summer"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Holiday Snaps"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-W_TbW2DdF5w\/VmBW5fnhhQI\/AAAAAAAAFWE\/4WweXioS-Tg\/s1600\/124A2359%2Bcopy%2B3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-W_TbW2DdF5w\/VmBW5fnhhQI\/AAAAAAAAFWE\/4WweXioS-Tg\/s1600\/124A2359%2Bcopy%2B3.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EEvery now and again it's so nice to be able to get away and take a little holiday. Unfortunately, it had been a long time since Joe and I had done that! So we decided to rectify this and go on our very first little family holiday, just with the three of us. We wanted to go somewhere just far enough away that it felt like a holiday, but no too far that it would be overly stressful. That led us to a little beach shack, right on the coast of Busselton.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EIsla slept almost the whole way there (on the way home, it was another story!!) and when we arrived, it was like stepping into a summery dream with a catchy beach theme song.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EFor the entire time, we totally relaxed, played in the sun, showed Isla the beach and the water multiple times each day, and the best part - made no 'plans' whatsoever! We just did what we wanted, when we wanted. It was so lovely.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI really really really loved just being able to spend time together and have some much needed quality time with each other. When we are old and grey, these are the moments we'll look back on and remember. Moments like when Isla splashes the water, she then tries to catch the bubbles! She has the sweetest heart.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-copbYXl1grU\/VmBW70mFeuI\/AAAAAAAAFWM\/xzGE7pdPKjs\/s1600\/124A2447%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-copbYXl1grU\/VmBW70mFeuI\/AAAAAAAAFWM\/xzGE7pdPKjs\/s1600\/124A2447%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-4r1QjtekmbY\/VmBXBb9TAeI\/AAAAAAAAFWo\/1XkwJ7Pv7A0\/s1600\/combined%2B2.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-4r1QjtekmbY\/VmBXBb9TAeI\/AAAAAAAAFWo\/1XkwJ7Pv7A0\/s1600\/combined%2B2.JPG\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-QScPhLvfBsA\/VmBW0v0oO7I\/AAAAAAAAFVs\/_BmYNQlxB04\/s1600\/124A2264%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-QScPhLvfBsA\/VmBW0v0oO7I\/AAAAAAAAFVs\/_BmYNQlxB04\/s1600\/124A2264%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-SU2UJDEsFNY\/VmBW1M8XTFI\/AAAAAAAAFV0\/Gr53IEfgOjg\/s1600\/124A2245%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-SU2UJDEsFNY\/VmBW1M8XTFI\/AAAAAAAAFV0\/Gr53IEfgOjg\/s1600\/124A2245%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-8YcE2cllVVw\/VmBXCmVh95I\/AAAAAAAAFW0\/VwDCcjWuJZw\/s1600\/combined%2B3.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-8YcE2cllVVw\/VmBXCmVh95I\/AAAAAAAAFW0\/VwDCcjWuJZw\/s1600\/combined%2B3.JPG\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-q3_xfyuXCWg\/VmBW0q7JnWI\/AAAAAAAAFVw\/e4tZNNRdQ4A\/s1600\/124A2197%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-q3_xfyuXCWg\/VmBW0q7JnWI\/AAAAAAAAFVw\/e4tZNNRdQ4A\/s1600\/124A2197%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-TZRwyA_6XEw\/VmBW9s0x5WI\/AAAAAAAAFWU\/-amhskVTQJ8\/s1600\/124A2338%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-TZRwyA_6XEw\/VmBW9s0x5WI\/AAAAAAAAFWU\/-amhskVTQJ8\/s1600\/124A2338%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-h1D1btjEd2A\/VmBW-am2rsI\/AAAAAAAAFWY\/3avBlIOTR2E\/s1600\/124A2560%2Bcopy%2B3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-h1D1btjEd2A\/VmBW-am2rsI\/AAAAAAAAFWY\/3avBlIOTR2E\/s1600\/124A2560%2Bcopy%2B3.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4VOnnPa6oT0\/VmBXDtTnz9I\/AAAAAAAAFW8\/M_DNF4A8Vzs\/s1600\/combined.JPG\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-4VOnnPa6oT0\/VmBXDtTnz9I\/AAAAAAAAFW8\/M_DNF4A8Vzs\/s1600\/combined.JPG\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-T61OjmDmJds\/VmBXA-9WHoI\/AAAAAAAAFWk\/JbZyv3MkW6w\/s1600\/124A2594%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-T61OjmDmJds\/VmBXA-9WHoI\/AAAAAAAAFWk\/JbZyv3MkW6w\/s1600\/124A2594%2Bcopy%2B2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI have to say a special thanks to BBG, (Kayla's Bikini Body Guide) as it quite literally got me into a bikini while we were away, pretty much for the first time ever. I'm feeling more and more like myself again, and although I still have a long way to go, I've never felt so confident and proud of what I've achieved! It's been such a huge and challenging journey for me, and one that's changed my life. Forever!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EEven though I was surrounded by junk food and take-out for 4 days, I didn't feel tempted to have any at all! In fact, I even took my blender with me so I could continue doing a smoothie a day, and kept up with healthy eating. I loved it! I didn't want to let myself go and then feel crap when I got home, and like I had ruined all the progress I had made. And you know what? I didn't feel like I was missing out at all, and I felt so good about it the whole holiday! I also kept up with all my BBG workouts and made time for them daily, and still to this day have not missed a single workout. I've never been able to stick to a workout program before, but somehow this one, and this time is different. I feel like I've broken through a barrier, and now there's no stopping me! I've seen what I can achieve when I put my mind to it, and I've decided to take control of my life. *Watch this space!* Because good things are happening!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003ETo top off the amazing holiday we had and family time we got to spend together, when we got back home, I did my weekly records of my weight and measurements, and found that I weighed my lowest weight so far, and I'd lost even further cm's from around my waist, belly button line and thighs! Usually it's the other way around, but this just motivates me more! I am feeling stronger and stronger every day, and feel like I am slowly becoming a better role model for my little girl.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003ETo our knowledge, you only live once. You may as well give it everything you've got!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EHave a beautiful day,\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E- A M Y \u0026nbsp;D A V I S\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cbr \/\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/feeds\/2809897286522786077\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/2015\/12\/holiday-snaps.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3129807201012209093\/posts\/default\/2809897286522786077"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3129807201012209093\/posts\/default\/2809897286522786077"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/2015\/12\/holiday-snaps.html","title":"Holiday Snaps"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-W_TbW2DdF5w\/VmBW5fnhhQI\/AAAAAAAAFWE\/4WweXioS-Tg\/s72-c\/124A2359%2Bcopy%2B3.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3129807201012209093.post-5442775904973184906"},"published":{"$t":"2015-09-04T10:18:00.003+08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-08-15T10:49:34.027+08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"baby"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Isla"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love story"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Welcoming Isla Mae"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aFeRVO4qmcQ\/VecNH1s0sXI\/AAAAAAAAFJk\/LvVSNaDGirk\/s1600\/1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aFeRVO4qmcQ\/VecNH1s0sXI\/AAAAAAAAFJk\/LvVSNaDGirk\/s1600\/1.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003ETuesday morning rolled around like any other morning. The sun was shining and birds were chirping. \u0026nbsp;As I ate breakfast, I looked over at the bags next to the door. And it dawned on me that this Tuesday, was going to be very different from any other Tuesday I had ever woken up to. Different, in fact, from any other day in my whole life. We would be leaving the house soon, and not returning until we were holding our baby girl!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EIt was kind of a crazy thought.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI had been hoping that Isla would decide to arrive a little early, because due to having\u0026nbsp;Gestational Diabetes, the doctor had booked me in to be induced the day before my due date. I wasn't too keen on the idea, and would have much\u0026nbsp;preferred to let it all just happen naturally. But as it turned out, Isla was quite comfortable and had no intention whatsoever of arriving early to the party!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EAs the time passed throughout the morning, we gradually got ready. I didn't want to think too much about what was going to happen. As this was my first birth, I was a little apprehensive, and wasn't really sure what to expect, especially with being induced. We put last minute things in our bags, and I had a few 'good luck' calls from close friends and family. Then of course, Joe and I played a bit of soccer together outside (you know, as you do when you're about to have a baby!!) I couldn't run too well, but I could still take him. ;) Pfft.\u0026nbsp;Who am I\u0026nbsp;kidding?! Joe is frustratingly good with a soccer ball (at most things actually). Did you know that's how we met?? On a soccer court.. and on opposite teams. I'm a bit\u0026nbsp;competitive.. he seemed to like it!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EOur appointment was at 3:30pm, but we left the house around lunch time so we could make a couple stops first. So with hospital bags in the car, we went and had our last pre-baby lunch date together at Nandos. Delicious! I do remember thinking how I'll be happy not to have to\u0026nbsp;give it all my effort to get out of a car, and squish my belly passed parked cars anymore. Sometimes it's incredibly awkward! After Nandos, we continued down the road and\u0026nbsp;arrived at the coast. We had a cool drink at our special date spot, and reminisced together. Life was about to totally change!\u0026nbsp;This was it. Joe took a final bump picture of me, and we were getting pretty excited (and nervous) to\u0026nbsp;meet the little lady behind the bump!\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EWith a final breath of fresh and salty beach air, we headed back to the car, and off to hospital.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EAfter we arrived at the hospital, we were directed to a ward. The doctor came in shortly after and went over the general process of being induced. Then we were just told to wait about half an hour or so and then they would start the process. Waiting there felt so strange! We could hear babies crying in nearby rooms, and it made it feel that much more real. That would be us so very soon! I held my belly and wished that I could somehow warn our little girl about what was about to happen, but honestly, I didn't know what was going happen! However, I knew this was going to be such a big day for her, everything she had ever known was about to change! She was about to be pulled from her warm, dark, cosy home and I was dreading that for her. But I was really happy to know that afterwards, I would be able to comfort her, and let her find her new home - in my arms.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EBirths are very unpredictable, so I didn't have a strict 'birth plan' because I didn't want to be really stressed or upset about things not going exactly to the plan. Instead, I had a general idea of what I'd like to do, and had a general plan for pain management. But Joe and I had also decided that what ever the doctors were to\u0026nbsp;recommend, we should\u0026nbsp;really listen to. After all, they know what they're doing, and let's be honest.. we didn't! So I was prepared for pretty\u0026nbsp;much anything to happen. Or so I had thought.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EThe doctor came in to put a tube and plug into my hand, so that when I needed to start the\u0026nbsp;Oxytocin\u0026nbsp;drip it would all be ready to go. I laid on the bed and he slowly popped the needle into my hand. My leg shot into the air, as it does sometimes when I'm trying to distract myself from pain. Oh my gosh I thought.. this is just a needle. How on earth am I going to push out a baby?! After a minute or so of the doctor holding my hand tightly, he told me that he had actually missed the vein, so he would have to do it on the other hand. Needless to say, I wasn't too impressed! He repeated on the other hand, and luckily\u0026nbsp;got it that time. Then we just had to wait again until they were ready to start the induction.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EWe we're taken to the birthing suite and the nurses introduced themselves.\u0026nbsp;They helped me up onto the bed and they strapped a CTG up to me so they could monitor Isla closely. I didn't\u0026nbsp;really want to spread my legs to\u0026nbsp;complete strangers, but believe it or not, spreading your legs is just something that you have to do when having a baby. Honestly, after you've had a baby, you really have no shame\u0026nbsp;anymore! I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing. So with legs spread, they started the induction. In went the clamps, and opened me up. There is no other way to describe it other than saying it felt like they were jacking me up like a car with a flat tire. Not my favourite experience, that's for sure. There were some student nurses there, and they were all having a good look. They seemed to be having some issues getting the Foley Catheter to stay inside though. They used various tools and unfortunately cut me a little. Joe was not impressed seeing the clamps coming out covered in blood. After some confusion, the nurses went and got a doctor. He asked straight away had they checked if I was already\u0026nbsp;dilated. Which they hadn't! So he checked, and found I was already 3cm dilated, which is the whole point of the Foley Catheter, making it completely\u0026nbsp;useless. So instead, they inserted some Induction Gel to help bring on contractions. I was told this could take a while, and I might need another lot of Gel later on. So it was back to the ward for us to play the waiting game.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003ENight came, and unfortunately, Joe was made to leave. I was told to get as much rest and sleep as I could, but call for a nurse if any pain started. So I tried to do just that. Have you ever tried to sleep in a hospital? All I could hear were babies crying, phones ringing, nurses talking, and my own thoughts about how I was about to become a Mother.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI woke at 1:30am with some cramping. I called the nurse in, and she strapped a CTG back up to me so she could monitor Isla. She confirmed that I was having contractions, but they were quite irregular, so we\u0026nbsp;just needed to wait some more. She would come back to check on me in a little while.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EIt didn't take long for them to get somewhat stronger, and more often. At about 4am she said we could go back down to the birthing suite, where I would be able to start having some Gas and Air to help with the pain if I would like. Yes please! So she helped me waddle back to the birthing suite, and they got me set up on the bed. You're not allowed visitors overnight in the ward, but they can be in the birthing suite with you at any hour, so I was told I could call Joe when I was ready and he could come back. They said that there was no more moving around, I was now in the birthing suite until the baby arrives! Honestly, my heart skipped a beat! It was all happening, and I couldn't believe I was going to meet my little girl so soon!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI took the Gas and Air when I needed, but only started using it a lot after another hours time. \u0026nbsp;I was still a long way off being 10cm dilated, so I didn't text Joe until 6am, and I let him know what was happening. I asked him to head back to hospital soon, and that he may as well grab a McDonalds breakfast for himself on the way! He seemed pretty happy about that.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EJoe arrived to find me sucking away on the Gas and Air in quite a bit of pain!\u0026nbsp;Interestingly, I found that while your having a contraction, it doesn't actually take away any of the pain. It does however make you feel\u0026nbsp;pretty drunk straight after the contraction, which helps in forgetting about the pain quickly.. until the next contraction arrives! Plus it gave me something to focus on and do.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EBy the time I had gotten to 6cm dilated, I felt like I was\u0026nbsp;pretty much at my\u0026nbsp;limit. Being induced forces your body to do something it's not ready to do. It forces you to contract, and it brings it all on pretty fast! I've read that contractions are more painful following an induction, as opposed to letting your body naturally get there. I've got no previous experience, so I can't say that it's true, but in any case, I couldn't take much more of it so I decided to ask about having an Epidural.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EAhh. Bliss. That was the best decision. It was great! After another 2 contractions, I could no longer feel any pain. The CTG was showing that I was having big contraction, and I was just smiling away. The midwife suggested that we get some rest, and I was pretty exhausted so that sounded good to me! Joe popped on some peaceful music, and we both fell asleep. I woke for them to check how far\u0026nbsp;dilated I was. They were guessing I would be around 8cm, so I got a bit of a shock when they said I was 10cm\u0026nbsp;dilated and ready to go! I needed to let the Epidural wear off a little before I could push, so they told me I had one hour and then it would be show time!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EThat particular hour felt like 5 minutes. It was time. This was the moment that the last 9 months had been\u0026nbsp;leading up to. It was exciting and terrifying at the same time. In a matter of minutes though, all fear had been pushed aside. I had a job to do, and a pretty important one! I was ready to focus and do exactly what I was told to do. I was ready to bring my baby girl into this world.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-U1TLNhOe4aE\/VecNFdgKwCI\/AAAAAAAAFJc\/xLcQsEmcp-0\/s1600\/2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-U1TLNhOe4aE\/VecNFdgKwCI\/AAAAAAAAFJc\/xLcQsEmcp-0\/s1600\/2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI pushed when they said to, and I rested when they said to. I pushed as hard as I possibly could. My eyes felt like they were going to pop out, and all the veins in my neck felt like they were going to burst. It really is hard work, but I did everything I was told to do.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EAfter 40 minutes of pushing, there wasn't much progress so the midwife went to talk to a doctor. A few minutes later, the room filled with people. I knew then that something was wrong, and my heart sank. A couple of doctors came over and told us that Isla's heart rate had\u0026nbsp;escalated, and she was in distress. Something wasn't working. They said she was a decent size baby, and they said that I could probably get her head out\u0026nbsp;eventually, but as her torso was bigger than her head, they couldn't\u0026nbsp;guarantee they could get her out without breaking her collarbone. They also said that once her head was out, she would have 7 minutes of oxygen, and then she could end up with brain damage. The doctors said\u0026nbsp;that they 100%\u0026nbsp;recommended an emergency c-section and it needed to happen right now, as they didn't even know if she was getting oxygen. However, it was up to us to decide how to proceed.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EThey let Joe and I have a moment to decide. But it wasn't even a question. There was no way we were letting her have her collarbone broken, and obviously no way we were risking her life.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EAs soon as we said yes to the\u0026nbsp;emergency c-section, the atmosphere completely changed. Everyone rushed around quickly, and questions were being thrown at me. They\u0026nbsp;wanted to know when I had last eaten, what drugs and pain relief I had had, and what time I had had them. I was so overwhelmed. They turned the Epidural back on, and injected me with some other drug. Honestly, I don't know exactly what was going on, everything was happening so fast. Joe was given scrubs to throw on so he could come down to the theatre with me, and I was quickly carried over to another bed. I had a nurse trying to take my nail polish off, because they have to be able to see the colour of your nails when you have a c-section. But then another nurse was telling\u0026nbsp;her to forget about it, there was no time!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI don't know what drugs they pumped into me, but things quickly got very foggy. Next thing I knew, I was laying on a bed being wheeled down a hall. I didn't even remember being wheeled out of the room. The lights on the roof above me were so bright, and I was looking up at so many faces I didn't know. I\u0026nbsp;couldn't keep my eyes open for more than a couple seconds. My body felt like it was trying to shut down, and I kept trying to fight it. I opened my eyes and saw Joe, then my eyes shut. I opened them again and saw a nurse on my left side, she was saying something to me, but I couldn't understand her and my eyes shut again. I tried to tell her that I couldn't keep my eyes open, but I gave up pretty quickly. I don't think I was making much sense. I opened my eyes again and we were entering a brightly lit room with lots of people wearing blue scrubs. I was unable to move anything from my waist down, and so again they lifted me from that bed, onto the operating table. I felt so drugged. I had no control over anything at this point, I was totally in other peoples hands. I was so out of it that I didn't even care. After a few minutes, I slowly started being able to keep my eyes\u0026nbsp;open for longer periods of time, and I tried to figure out what was happening. A nurse started to prick me with a pin in the\u0026nbsp;center of my chest and slowly moved it up towards my neck to make sure I was numb, I couldn't feel a thing until she reached just below my collarbone. Once everyone was satisfied with the numbness, they put up a screen up in front of me. Joe sat next to me and held my hand. I thought, okay, they'll let me know any minute now that they're going to start. But that wasn't exactly the case! Within seconds of the screen going up, I saw\u0026nbsp;blood splatter across it, and I realised that it was happening right now.\u0026nbsp;Then there was a lot of tugging and pulling. I couldn't feel any pain, but it was extremely rough. A lot more rough than I had thought it would be. I felt like my body was playing a game of 'Tug of War'. It took less than 3 minutes, and then Joe and I heard a cry. We looked at each other. Then the doctors held up a baby above the screen so we could see. I was so confused. I didn't\u0026nbsp;actually think that it was our baby. I 100% thought it must be someone\u0026nbsp;else's baby, because that was so quick. It took a good few minutes for it to hit me, and by that stage, Joe was cutting her cord, and they were checking her over and giving her a quick wipe down. I still felt very drugged, so that part is a little blurry for me. But then Joe brought her over to me, all wrapped up, and lay her across my chest so I could meet her.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EAnd there she was. Our little Isla Mae Davis.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EBorn at 1:50pm, weighing\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 18px;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E3.69kg (\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E8.14 pounds)\u0026nbsp;and measuring 50cm long.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EShe was so perfect, and so tiny. 9 whole months of waiting, and she was finally here, and the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Duo4bjlyzjQ\/VecNHR5sHII\/AAAAAAAAFJo\/EKek1U4IIfo\/s1600\/3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Duo4bjlyzjQ\/VecNHR5sHII\/AAAAAAAAFJo\/EKek1U4IIfo\/s1600\/3.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vKIfVo5VxO8\/VecNJhVJxfI\/AAAAAAAAFJ8\/ZX8ENEJtGmw\/s1600\/5.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-vKIfVo5VxO8\/VecNJhVJxfI\/AAAAAAAAFJ8\/ZX8ENEJtGmw\/s1600\/5.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ied0qhTArNs\/VecNIXE2vWI\/AAAAAAAAFJ0\/K_0aMg8QUPE\/s1600\/4.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Ied0qhTArNs\/VecNIXE2vWI\/AAAAAAAAFJ0\/K_0aMg8QUPE\/s1600\/4.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI tried to keep the bright light out of her eyes. Our poor little girl had been ripped from her comfortable dark space to this extremely bright theatre room, so she gave a few little cries as expected. I just couldn't get over how little she was. Such a tiny nose, and beautiful lips.. instantly Joe and I loved her more than anything in the world.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EUnfortunately, after about a minute or two of being with her I started to feel really strange. I told Joe to hold her again, and I tried to tell a nurse that something didn't feel right. All of a sudden I couldn't swallow properly, or talk properly. And I felt like I couldn't breathe. After a bit of investigation, the nurse said that I had been given a little too much\u0026nbsp;anaesthetic, resulting in what they call a 'High Block'. I had no feeling up to my jawline. It all came on pretty\u0026nbsp;fast, and I felt really panicky. Every time that I had to swallow, I would grasp at something, because I felt like I was going to choke.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI would say it was the scariest moment of my life. I had no idea what was happening, and I actually thought I was going to die. 100%. I still felt a little drugged up, and I had no control whatsoever over anything at this point. I couldn't move my body, and I felt completely out of breath. I thought, 'well, this is it. Isla is safely here, my job is done'. I was wheeled away from Joe and Isla, and in my mind, that was the last time I was going to see them.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003ELuckily, it wasn't! I was taken to recovery, and a nurse stayed by my side for the following 30 minutes, helping me. During this time, Joe had skin to skin with Isla.\u0026nbsp;Then they both came down to me, because I needed me to feed Isla as soon as possible. I fed her for the first time, and she was just the cutest little thing!! I also got to hold her properly in my arms for the first time, and I couldn't take my eyes off her.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EShe was mine. I had dreamed about her countless nights, but she was so much more than I had dreamed of.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EAfter another 30 minutes, I started to feel a lot better. I was wheeled back up to the ward, and Joe and I just got to be with our little girl. There's no\u0026nbsp;other way to describe it but magical. We didn't know we could love someone so much. She totally completed us.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-1osFqocZj6A\/VecNT4a4aiI\/AAAAAAAAFKU\/mm0i5DOtths\/s1600\/6.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-1osFqocZj6A\/VecNT4a4aiI\/AAAAAAAAFKU\/mm0i5DOtths\/s1600\/6.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-AjtIB9Z4AAo\/VecNPmzBPhI\/AAAAAAAAFKI\/1bVUqZaPwMs\/s1600\/7.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-AjtIB9Z4AAo\/VecNPmzBPhI\/AAAAAAAAFKI\/1bVUqZaPwMs\/s1600\/7.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DG-yX22-0N0\/VecNQTdk74I\/AAAAAAAAFKM\/CTN5Sb-1M4M\/s1600\/8.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-DG-yX22-0N0\/VecNQTdk74I\/AAAAAAAAFKM\/CTN5Sb-1M4M\/s1600\/8.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EIt took a good few months for me to be okay about the way everything happened. I couldn't talk about it for a long time without getting teary. I had thought I was prepared for anything when it came to the birth, but it hadn't even occurred to me that having an emergency c-section could be a possibility. I wasn't prepared for that, and I was pretty shattered about it. It felt like I had failed doing what my body was meant to do. The time had come, and it didn't perform. When what should be such a beautiful, emotional and intimate moment is torn away from you and you're thrown into a situation that you have no control over, it's really devastating. I'm still not happy about it, but I have accepted it now. I realise that without the emergency c-section, it could have ended pretty badly for both of us. So for that, I am so grateful.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003ELife was amazing before, but it's just a million times better now. It's now been almost 6 months since she arrived, and I can't even remember life before her.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EShe is our everything, and I just hope that one day she will be proud to have us as parents. I want to show her the world, make her laugh at least 100 times a day, shower her with happiness and show her all the love in the world. She is such an amazing little girl!! She is so happy, and so clever. I love watching her grow, and watching her learn new things.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EI feel so blessed to have been given the\u0026nbsp;opportunity to be a Mum. It's such a gift. Even though she was a little surprise, she is the best thing we've ever done. I really hope she knows how much we love her.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u0026nbsp;We'll spend our lives showing her.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EJust. So. Happy.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E- A M Y \u0026nbsp;D A V I S\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/feeds\/5442775904973184906\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/2015\/09\/birth-story.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3129807201012209093\/posts\/default\/5442775904973184906"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3129807201012209093\/posts\/default\/5442775904973184906"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/2015\/09\/birth-story.html","title":"Welcoming Isla Mae"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-aFeRVO4qmcQ\/VecNH1s0sXI\/AAAAAAAAFJk\/LvVSNaDGirk\/s72-c\/1.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3129807201012209093.post-5267762361414753007"},"published":{"$t":"2015-07-09T18:38:00.000+08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-08-15T11:00:17.150+08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"baby"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love story"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Final Bump"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EIt's pretty crazy to think that just 16 weeks ago, we hadn't yet had the privilege to properly meet our little Isla Mae. We hadn't been lucky enough to see her eyes smile, or hear her laugh. She is such a character, such a joy, and such a blessing.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EBefore my belly burst, we had the incredible Anita of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.mayflyphotography.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e06666;\"\u003EMayfly Photography\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E snap some photos of us down by the beach. It feels like a lifetime ago, but at the same time I remember it like it was yesterday. Thank you lovely Anita, we will treasure them always. Such precious memories!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-UWKHZAIIsXI\/VZ1EEYS6tsI\/AAAAAAAAE_w\/k625FwB-Y-A\/s1600\/1.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-UWKHZAIIsXI\/VZ1EEYS6tsI\/AAAAAAAAE_w\/k625FwB-Y-A\/s1600\/1.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QBH5_vSF-ZE\/VZ1EGn8wcCI\/AAAAAAAAFAA\/N9K0dLWZ_hY\/s1600\/2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-QBH5_vSF-ZE\/VZ1EGn8wcCI\/AAAAAAAAFAA\/N9K0dLWZ_hY\/s1600\/2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-dobIEeqQOOo\/VZ1EEgaQT2I\/AAAAAAAAE_0\/qI6jUnJn0Zc\/s1600\/3.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-dobIEeqQOOo\/VZ1EEgaQT2I\/AAAAAAAAE_0\/qI6jUnJn0Zc\/s1600\/3.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-x_q9v2SXYQ4\/VZ1EK0gd63I\/AAAAAAAAFAI\/voOjb2JU5n8\/s1600\/4.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-x_q9v2SXYQ4\/VZ1EK0gd63I\/AAAAAAAAFAI\/voOjb2JU5n8\/s1600\/4.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gPdujWERNXQ\/VZ1EMkF4XMI\/AAAAAAAAFAU\/8DuYz83IYHY\/s1600\/5.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-gPdujWERNXQ\/VZ1EMkF4XMI\/AAAAAAAAFAU\/8DuYz83IYHY\/s1600\/5.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-VbV_bX80LO8\/VZ1EMMAmegI\/AAAAAAAAFAQ\/O8SYKvuwHaQ\/s1600\/6.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-VbV_bX80LO8\/VZ1EMMAmegI\/AAAAAAAAFAQ\/O8SYKvuwHaQ\/s1600\/6.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Yrt9XPAYToM\/VZ1ENlpxHQI\/AAAAAAAAFAg\/-OcnDZ5LQZ8\/s1600\/7.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-Yrt9XPAYToM\/VZ1ENlpxHQI\/AAAAAAAAFAg\/-OcnDZ5LQZ8\/s1600\/7.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EWe had no idea what we were getting ourselves in to! Parenthood is quite the adventure. So many learning curves, so many new experiences! You are suddenly, and quite literally, holding someone's life in your hands. It's completely life changing. But amongst the worry and the lack of sleep, comes a joy that I've never experienced. A happiness that I didn't know I had in me, and a feeling of satisfaction over my whole life. It's as if this is what I was put on this earth for. To be my little girl's Mum. To make her happy, and to give her all my love.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EWith my husband standing next to me, and my little girl in my arms, I am completely whole. I can't ask for much more than that.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E- A M Y \u0026nbsp;D A V I S\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/feeds\/5267762361414753007\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/2015\/07\/the-final-bump.html#comment-form","title":"1 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3129807201012209093\/posts\/default\/5267762361414753007"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3129807201012209093\/posts\/default\/5267762361414753007"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/2015\/07\/the-final-bump.html","title":"The Final Bump"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-UWKHZAIIsXI\/VZ1EEYS6tsI\/AAAAAAAAE_w\/k625FwB-Y-A\/s72-c\/1.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"1"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3129807201012209093.post-2071539201751235042"},"published":{"$t":"2015-04-02T15:23:00.000+08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-08-15T11:03:11.628+08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"baby"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"love story"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Three of Us"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-wgPEfq6ulRE\/VRvl_NcJIhI\/AAAAAAAAE4Q\/slao51dzX3E\/s1600\/4%2Bcopy.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-wgPEfq6ulRE\/VRvl_NcJIhI\/AAAAAAAAE4Q\/slao51dzX3E\/s1600\/4%2Bcopy.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EIntroducing our little Isla Mae Davis into the world!\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EBorn March 11th, 2015 at 1:50pm, and weighing 3.69kg (8.14 pounds).\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003E\n\u003Cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EShe is so delicious, and more amazing than we ever dreamed about! Birth Story coming soon.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-jwcfTOPGir8\/VRvl_uhDIpI\/AAAAAAAAE4U\/_LXv2TAD7Uo\/s1600\/7%2Bcopy.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-jwcfTOPGir8\/VRvl_uhDIpI\/AAAAAAAAE4U\/_LXv2TAD7Uo\/s1600\/7%2Bcopy.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-dW3yQTZ21bg\/VRvmB7odaJI\/AAAAAAAAE4w\/_pKLGwHmhO0\/s1600\/combined.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-dW3yQTZ21bg\/VRvmB7odaJI\/AAAAAAAAE4w\/_pKLGwHmhO0\/s1600\/combined.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-G7jeiiGksvI\/VRvmAJzFvxI\/AAAAAAAAE4c\/KpcOlcs8DL8\/s1600\/9%2Bcopy.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-G7jeiiGksvI\/VRvmAJzFvxI\/AAAAAAAAE4c\/KpcOlcs8DL8\/s1600\/9%2Bcopy.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-CDZ6wVoMpIg\/VRvl85t1DVI\/AAAAAAAAE30\/nzuaHvSawF8\/s1600\/13%2Bcopy.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-CDZ6wVoMpIg\/VRvl85t1DVI\/AAAAAAAAE30\/nzuaHvSawF8\/s1600\/13%2Bcopy.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-LNvbUgS4rfE\/VRvmAi1WhoI\/AAAAAAAAE4g\/Cn8wrj-Pfh0\/s1600\/combined%2B2.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-LNvbUgS4rfE\/VRvmAi1WhoI\/AAAAAAAAE4g\/Cn8wrj-Pfh0\/s1600\/combined%2B2.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-m-zUVM1PuT0\/VRvl7xuYODI\/AAAAAAAAE3o\/r2mLJl4nzIc\/s1600\/10%2Bcopy.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-m-zUVM1PuT0\/VRvl7xuYODI\/AAAAAAAAE3o\/r2mLJl4nzIc\/s1600\/10%2Bcopy.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-yI_lBj6uYbM\/VRvl-JAUrGI\/AAAAAAAAE4E\/Vwi_KGnY9_0\/s1600\/23%2Bcopy.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-yI_lBj6uYbM\/VRvl-JAUrGI\/AAAAAAAAE4E\/Vwi_KGnY9_0\/s1600\/23%2Bcopy.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-8LMw-OpbLC4\/VRvl8tACfKI\/AAAAAAAAE3s\/e12ma5YAP4Q\/s1600\/18%2Bcopy.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-8LMw-OpbLC4\/VRvl8tACfKI\/AAAAAAAAE3s\/e12ma5YAP4Q\/s1600\/18%2Bcopy.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-xbrfFt7WKj4\/VRvl9QQf4tI\/AAAAAAAAE4I\/7VkPhzKYzik\/s1600\/20%2Bcopy.jpg\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003E\u003Cimg border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/-xbrfFt7WKj4\/VRvl9QQf4tI\/AAAAAAAAE4I\/7VkPhzKYzik\/s1600\/20%2Bcopy.jpg\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EThank you to Anita of \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.mayflyphotography.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"color: #e06666;\"\u003EMayfly Photography\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E for capturing these photos just two days after she was born! We'll treasure them always.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EWe are so in love with our little girl. She is so peaceful and happy, and I can believe we actually made her! That whole time I had a giant belly, and felt kicking and punching, there was actually a real tiny human inside of me just waiting to come out to be snuggled and kissed. Isla Mae is just so precious, and Joe and I have never loved anyone so much.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EHow lucky can two people be? Life has changed forever, in a very big way! And we couldn't be happier about it. We were made to love this little girl, and we'll spend our lives doing just that.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003EHave a beautiful day,\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cdiv class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: justify;\"\u003E\n\u003Cspan style=\"font-family: \u0026quot;arial\u0026quot; , \u0026quot;helvetica\u0026quot; , sans-serif;\"\u003E- A M Y \u0026nbsp;D A V I S\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/feeds\/2071539201751235042\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/2015\/04\/the-three-of-us.html#comment-form","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3129807201012209093\/posts\/default\/2071539201751235042"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/3129807201012209093\/posts\/default\/2071539201751235042"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.smudgeblog.com\/2015\/04\/the-three-of-us.html","title":"The Three of Us"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-wgPEfq6ulRE\/VRvl_NcJIhI\/AAAAAAAAE4Q\/slao51dzX3E\/s72-c\/4%2Bcopy.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}}]}});