Thursday morning we went to the PMI to have a nurse looking at the progress of Théa's growth.
We are going to do this every week to be sure that she is following the expected progress.
The good news is that she is coming along very well, she had gained 130 grams the last week and was now at 2190 grams. She had also become 2 cm longer and was measured to be 46 cm.
She is eating every 3-4 hours and normally take about 20-50ml every time (both breast milk and "powder milk".

Here are some photo's from various moments:

Resting with daddy after eating...

Wide opened eyes and all awake!

A little smile in the warmth and safety of closeness to daddy (at hospital).

The whole new family (at hospital).

Théa compared to a magnum bottle of champagne... you´ll have to wait a couple of years to taste this one Théa !!!

Last Sunday we had a visit from Théa's cousins Carla and Jules, here together with their dad, Thierry.

A proud grandmother "Mami Danielle" with little Théa in her arms (at hospital).

And Théa's grandfather "Papi" Jean-Claude (also proud!)

Traducteur outil / Translation tool added !!!

Francais:

Aujourd'hui, j'ai fait quelques mises à jour sur la page et ajout d'un outil de traduction pour traduire cette page entre les différentes langues (français, afin que nos lecteurs puissent bénéficier d'une certaine façon ce qui est écrit de même)! Je ne m'attends pas à les faire fonctionner à 100%, mais aussi loin que j'ai vu ça fonctionne plutôt bien ...

Regardez dans la colonne de droite!


English:

Today I made some updates on the page and added a translation tool to translate this page between different languages (so that our French readers can benefit somehow of what is written as well)! I do not expect it to work 100% but as far as I have seen it works pretty well...

Look in the right column!

/Magnus

As I write this, two weeks and 1,5 hours has passed since Théa was born. She is really bringing joy to her parents every minute that passes. OK, I have to admit that I do not 100% adore when she is screaming in the night without any particular reason or changing dipers several times a day but the rest is wonderful. She always stops screaming when we lift her up or let her stay in our bed for some time, I guess Théa is in a great need of close contact to her parents!

Yesterday afternoon we were watching a movie and Théa had just been eating, she had her eyes closed and rested calmly in her mothers arm (she often get VERY tired after eating), when suddenly a GREAT smile appeared on her lips. It was the first time we saw a smile this BIG and it was very funny to see... I wonder what went through her mind at that point!?

BTW. She is eating like never before and almost always finish her bottle to the last drip (that is when not mummy feed her from the breast of course).

There is plenty of snow outside now, yesterday night the landscape changed completely... and it still snows every now and then although it's been melting a bit today since it is warmer outside now. It is forecasted to snow/rain for at least 5 more days so it was a good decision to leave the winther tires on. Last week i was eating outside on the backyard and the temperature was close to 20°C. I really look forward to spring and summer now!

Finally we want to thank for some more gifts that we got by post...

1st gift is some "Elephants on a string", for Théa to play with or to decorate her bed etc.

Merci á Eric Guglielmo & Violaine (Caro's cousin and girlfriend) !

2nd gift is a "Green Frog" used to put Théa's pyjama in and a little blanket for her to lay on or use as a cover.

Merci á Georges & Mireille Bertrand (Caro's Uncle and Aunt) !

Théa goes for a car ride!

Yesterday Théa went with us to Thoiry for a small shopping trip. This was Théas first trip in the car-chair that was lended to us by Caro's brother Thierry and his fiancé Stella (Thank you very much!). Here is Théa in her seat.

She is so small and with all the layers of clothes + the belt she can hardly move a millimeter.
She has been very calm while being in this seat, greatly appreciated by her father.

Théa also got another gift by Caro's work colleagues...

... a little chair that has an electrical motor that can swing the seat, it also plays some music from "the rainforest"... quite relaxing actually, daddy wants one for himself as well! :=)

We set the chair for the slowest swing but found it to move quite heavily anyway... daddy realised why... Théa is only 2 kilos and the motor was probably designed for kids with a little more weight. Well, it is going to improve by time!

Talking about weight, today we went to a place in GEX where a nurse can check the weight and length and where parents can ask questions if they are uncertain about things.
Théa measured 44cm and now had a weight of 2090 grams. This means she in the last 3 days gained about 23 grams/day. The nurse assured us that this was perfect in line with what to expect and that we did not need to worry... Théa is coming along just fine with her growth!
We will continue to do these checkups on a weekly basis.

Théa & Caro comes home!

GREAT NEWS!

Today I called Caro around 11.00 to listen how things were (I was just on my way to go to the hospital), Caro said that Théa had gained 50 grams since yesterday and that the doctor was positive and agreed that they could leave the hospital!
So at around 12:00 today I picked them up and we drove back home with all the baggage and little Théa. A little bit strange but at the same time a great feeling of joy! We are now a family!
Théa is now sleeping in her room and we are arranging things in the house.

It's good that I have 2 weeks of vacation, it will take some time before things start to run on a routine. All I hope for now is to be able to sleep a little in the night! ;)

Strawberry Théa

Hi,

So, yesterday I told you all that we received a gift by mail from Sweden... well here it is:

A knitted strawberry hat !!!

And it fits just fine... but somehow the photo-session made me tired and I suddenly felt the urge for a small nap. I dream so nicely when I have the hat on, thank you very much!

Théa has now grown another 10 grams and her weight is 1940 gram, doctor says he would like her to be 2000 grams before she leaves the hospital but I think that we can get her home a little bit earlier. All numbers point in a good direction and Théa is eating nicely every now and then.

It will be nice also fo Caro to come home since she has already spent 10 nights at the hospital now... daddy would be happy to not have to drive 40*2 minutes every day as well....

A small update

Hi,

Today I visited the hospital again to meet the beloved rest of what is now my family.
Théa was fine and sleeping when I arrived but was soon awakened to have a bath and her diper changed. This was my first bath of Théa and she was very calm although moving a lot while being nude on the changing table. She seemed to enjoy the water rinsing more than the soap and cleaning itself.
This night Théa did not gain or loose any weight and she is now at 1930 grams. She has understood what breastfeeding is all about now and eats without any mayor problems, she takes some pauses now and then but it is tiring to be a baby and suck the breast.

After eating she is often very tired and fall asleep very easily which is good. Being a baby is mostly about eating, sleeping and looking cute and she handles all these 3 topics with ease.

Today we had a visit from Thomas, Karen & Lina and we got a nice dress for Théa as well as a little cuddly "friend" - Thank you!
I have also received a package with the post today sent from my cousin in Sweden, I'll let you all know more tomorrow what it is! ;)

The last info we have from the hospital is that Théa has to stay until Monday at least before she can come home, I have taken 2 weeks of vacation now to be able to profit from being a daddy.

Finally a little movie shot today just after Théa had been eating, she got some hick-ups and lay in mums arms resting...

Wednesday, bathing & trying out clothes... life's good!

Hi,

This is my 1st Wednesday outside mummy's belly and today I got a bath, which made me cry a little but it also made me clean, mummy says it is better to be clean!

I also tried out the new dress that daddy bought me the same day I was born, he searched hard at Carrefour to find the smallest one they had but it turned out to be a little to big anyway.... duhhh daddy!!!

But daddy, don't worry, I have gained 40 grams since yesterday and since I eat every 3-4 hours it is soon gonna fit just fine!


Today mummy let me have her breast for as long as I wanted... I ate for about 20 minutes from this nice packaged milk container... it made me so relaxed that I fell asleep several times while eating but I was lucky to have daddy and mummy waking me up all the time!

PS. I have longer hair than daddy, and I am only 4 days old.... he is 38 YEARS!!!

After dinner it is nice with a nap, then I put on my bonnet so that I keep warm and cozy!

After I slept for a while I woke up and did something bizarre, grown-ups call it " to sneeze"... I wonder what it is good for?

What just happened ?

Thank you to everyone!

Hi all,

I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone that has called us, sent us mails, sms:es and chat messages to congratulate me and Caro for our new family member.
Special thank you go to people who have donated things, clothes etc. for Théa.
It really makes us warm in our hearts and we are happy to give something back through this blog!

Today Théa turned 3 days old and has left the incubator, she eats regularly from a little milk bottle and is continuing the breast training (she is not so eager on this since there is no milk to be had there yet). It is a very nice feeling to give her some milk and see her drink it with big appetite.

Here is my new bed, without a glass cover...

Tomorrow Caro will be able to leave the "Re-animation" recovering room and get an own room with shower, TV and telephone etc. She is still monitored for one more night but will then also be able to have Théa beside her during night (I think!?).

It is incredible how much time one can spend just sitting and watching the little beauty and play with her tiny hands... she is so fragile and dependent but also very calm and peaceful!

Quelle bonnheur!

Of course mummy enjoys these moments as much as daddy, but she will always be daddy's girl! ;)

Finally a little movie to end todays update!

M E R C I - A - T O U S ! ! !

Théa 1 day old!

Hi again,

Today I spent most of my day at the hospital to be with Caro and our new family member.
Théa had lost about 120gr since she was born, perfectly normal for a newborn child. The nurse said that if the kid looses more than 10% of their birth weight special actions are to be taken.
Today I had some really nice time with Théa as she slept on my chest comforted by my body heat. Then I got a chance to feed her with some milk, the usual 15ml.


Caro had a hard day as the morphine given to her for her pain from the Césarienne made her feel sick. She vomited 3 times and could not keep any food for the whole day. It was not until 19:00 this evening that she could eat and feel good about it.
She felt a bit bad about that she vomited all over herself just after being washed and finished her breakfast but it didn't stop there... the nurses cleaned her up once again and changed her bed clothing just to see her vomit again when they just had finished.

Who said that it was easy to be a nurse (or to give birth)?


In the afternoon Caro could spend a long time with our baby, and they really had a great time together (watch the movie below).

Caroline's blood pressure has gone down to 130/90 and she is not going to take any more morphine, she doesn't want to feel that sick again and it is not possible to breastfeed during such a treatment... pain is temporary, glory is forever!

On a plus side: Théa is keeping body temperature well, she breaths by herself without any problems, she is eating regularly, she sleeps a lot (whole night except when being fed), she is also quite active while being awake and blood sugar levels are also good.

Mum & dad are of course happy, and tomorrow mum and child will be placed in the same room even though Théa will still need to stay some more days in the incubator to see that everything is fine.

Time to sleep...

/Magnus

Théa makes her movie debut!

Here I demonstrate my heartbreaking cry...

Théa has arrived!

Finally!

We are very happy to announce that our little Théa made her entré into this world today!
A little bit quicker than expected but who care's? She is well and healthy and that is all that matters for now, Caro is fine as well (probably sleeping both of them as I write this.)

Théa arrived at 13.06 today at the Hospital St.Julien de Genèvois by a "Césarienne" and weighted in at 2080 grams and 42cm.

She is so tiny, I am afraid to break her everytime I hold her.

Théa has all you can expect of a newborn child... legs, arms, fingers, toes, some hair and a lot of charm! ;) She can scream in two levels, 1st level is so tiny and heartbreaking it leaves you with wet eyes and the 2nd is more like a normal baby scream.

This is my first picture of Théa, sleeping in the incubator that keeps her in an environment of about 37 degrees, she even wears a fashionable hat to help her keep the body heat.

The nurses have measured her temperature while being outside the incubator and it was 37.1°C (just right). Of course she needs some towels around her or to stay close to the skin of her mum or dad.

Above you have Théa in all her glory resting calmly in her Incubator, the proud dad stands outside taking photos to fill up the memory card!

Time for some quality time for mum and daughter, very much appreciated by both! Maybe this image can give a hint about her tiny-ness!

I love this place, makes me calm and I can safely fall asleep!

And the last photo I took before I left the hospital, Théa had just had all of her dinner and was placed into her little sleeping cabin.

15ml of milk, enough to fill her little stomach - GOOD GIRL!

Now we are really close!!!

Hi again,
A long period of silence has come to an end, time for some updates!

Yesterday we had two appointments at the hospital (St.Julien) about 40minutes from our home by car.
The first meeting (13:15) was to answer some questions/fill out a formulaire needed for anesthetics (epidural), this was a quick meeting and went. The nurse also checked the blood pressure and found it to be 13/9 (French value) corresponds to 130/90 (Sweden). Within limit but on the verge of being to high.

Secondly we had a meeting with a gynecolog at 16:15 and she had a second look at the blood pressure and now found it to be almost 16/9 or 160/90. On top of this she saw that Caroline had rather swollen feet/hands and face. (Caro has gained about 12kg since the beginning of the pregnancy). She also listened to the heartbeat of the baby but that sounded normal.

Because of the high blood pressure we needed to stay about 45 minutes longer to make a complementary test for the blood pressure but also to monitor the heart rate of the baby. For this test Caro was to lay down on a bed and was connected to 2 machines, one for her blood pressure wich recorded new values every 5 minutes and one for the baby where you could see heartrate and Caro's contractions.

I sat beside Caro during this monitoring and it was clear that Caro's blood pressure was high, normally you can be a bit stressed when you go for a visit like this but if you lie down and rest for a while the values should drop a bit.
In Caro's case they stayed at around 16/9 during all 45 minutes of measurement.
The baby was at sleep when the measurement started so after a while a nurse came and offered a fruit drink to Caro, the sugar would wake our baby from her sleep quickly she promised.
It did! It was quite interesting to see the effect of a small glass of orange juice. While the baby was asleep the heartrate was somewhat lower and very "straight lined" when looking at the heartrate printout. When the baby was awake the heartrate was between 130-150bpm depending on if it was moving or not. The number of contractions read between 12 and 21 (per minute I guess!???). In the end of the measurement the baby fell asleep again and curves where flatened once more.

Caro also gave some urine and blood samples to be analysed and when the results came they showed signs of "Albumin", I guess that is what we in Sweden call "Äggviteämnen" (Egg White substances?).
This is not a good sign!
Results indicated that Caro's kidneys where not doing their job fully...

The personnel at the hospital decided that they should keep Caro for the night to monitor her more closely and to do further analyses of blood/urine. At 19:20 Caro was beeing served some dinner in a room reserved to her and I went home to have something to eat to.

Today I read a bit on the web and found that Caro must have what we in Sweden call "Havandeskapsförgiftning" or "Pre-eclampsie" (french). This happends to about 5-10% of all pregnant women and is something to take seriously as the outcome can be lethal if not attended to. Normally this occurs in the 3 last months of pregnancy and more likely towards the end. Treatment is rest and medication to lower blood pressure can also be given by doctors orders.
It is also common that an earlier birth is forced to minimize the risks for both the mum/child.
When a woman has high blood pressure it is common that she delivers by "Kejsarsnitt" (Swe) or "Caesarian" (Eng/Fre).

Caro is still at the hospital and the latest information I have is that actions will be taken to provoke the birth "the normal way" on Sunday or by Caesarian if needed.

It looks like our princess is eager to come to this earth, and she is more than welcome! :=)

... to be followed!