I am the proud Auntie of a beautiful baby girl called Abigail Louise Shaw, she was born this morning (05/09/08) at 7.15am weighing 7lb 8 and a half! She was born by emergency c-section which was a bit traumatic for Mum, Dad and Baby but all are doing well. I met her for the first time this afternoon, she had her eyes open and was so alert!
Theres some pics on Facebook, if you want to see, click here and here.
I'm the smiliest person tonight...wishing Fiona a speedy recovery x x x
PS - op went ok, It took an hour, 4 balloons and a stent, it was very painful but it's not feeling too bad tonight.
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Friday, 5 September 2008
Wednesday, 3 September 2008
Just a quick blog...
Still no sign of baby, Fiona went in to be induced yesterday but nothing has happened yet! Will keep you updated...
All this baby stuff is sort of keeping my mind off the procedure on my arm that is happening tomorrow (am a little bit nervous,) I'm hoping I'll be well enough to visit my neice if she is born, I am determined I will be... even if my arm is dropping off, I'll be there! x
Still no sign of baby, Fiona went in to be induced yesterday but nothing has happened yet! Will keep you updated...
All this baby stuff is sort of keeping my mind off the procedure on my arm that is happening tomorrow (am a little bit nervous,) I'm hoping I'll be well enough to visit my neice if she is born, I am determined I will be... even if my arm is dropping off, I'll be there! x
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Ok, so first things first... No baby news!!!! She is going for a routine hospital appointment tomorrow (she will be a week overdue then) so hopefully we'll know more then, maybe they will keep her in and induce her, who knows.
Seem to have had a busy few weeks really, can't pin point on things I have actually done. Met up with some friends and did some crafting (in anticipation of baby pictures.)
I also caught up with a friend I used to dialyse with Steph (who received her transplant a year ago) and one I still dialyse with, we went for a burger at Frankie and Bennys it was lovely!
On the dialysis front, nothing new really, had a few off days last week, vomitting and sickness but I'm lucky really, my really bad days are getting less and less as I get more and more used to dialysis I suppose. I have been good recently at taking my new tablets (Alucaps) and had my blood tests last night so hopefully it will show in them. I'm also counting down to my procedure on my arm (which is hurting today, for some reason!), the stent will be insterted under Local Anesthetic next Thursday and hopefully I'll be out within a few hours!
Thats it really, hopefully I'll be officially an Auntie soon and I will be able to announce the baby's name, which as yet no-one knows apart from Andy and Fiona!
I've decided that I have started talking more about family and friends rather than dialysis, so I'm going to take some pictures of the unit and talk you through my dialysis routine in my next post.... watch this space....
Seem to have had a busy few weeks really, can't pin point on things I have actually done. Met up with some friends and did some crafting (in anticipation of baby pictures.)
I also caught up with a friend I used to dialyse with Steph (who received her transplant a year ago) and one I still dialyse with, we went for a burger at Frankie and Bennys it was lovely!
On the dialysis front, nothing new really, had a few off days last week, vomitting and sickness but I'm lucky really, my really bad days are getting less and less as I get more and more used to dialysis I suppose. I have been good recently at taking my new tablets (Alucaps) and had my blood tests last night so hopefully it will show in them. I'm also counting down to my procedure on my arm (which is hurting today, for some reason!), the stent will be insterted under Local Anesthetic next Thursday and hopefully I'll be out within a few hours!
Thats it really, hopefully I'll be officially an Auntie soon and I will be able to announce the baby's name, which as yet no-one knows apart from Andy and Fiona!
I've decided that I have started talking more about family and friends rather than dialysis, so I'm going to take some pictures of the unit and talk you through my dialysis routine in my next post.... watch this space....
Monday, 11 August 2008
Hi, sorry I've been lazy in updating, thats because not much has happened in the world of Holly this week!
Me and the folks took Fiona out for lunch a couple of times to keep her occupied while we wait for the little bubs to make an appearance, think she is getting fed up waiting now, then again I think we all are. We also went out with her family for a meal together before the little one is born, this was a great laugh and I got to wear my new dress, YAY! I also them my final baby present which was a bib with "If you think I'm cute you should see my Auntie Holly!" written on it!
I've also been busy this week making scrapbooks to put pics of the baby in, they are coming along well and will be a great way of preserving memories for years to come!
I also ordered myself a new dell laptop in pink (obviously) so thats due to arrive on the 28th, well in time for my final year of uni!
On the dialysis front, nothing new really, I felt sick a couple of times during dialysis but I think this was due to me having a large lunch before my session, this seems to be a problem because I have to weigh myself before dialysis to calculate how much fluid I need to loose, this is done by taking my weight and then calculating the difference between that and my dry weight. So if I go in today and my weight is 68.9kg I would need to loose 2.4l (2400ml) as my dry weight is 67 and then an extra 500mls for the washback through the machine at then end of dialsys. However if I have had a big lunch the scales can't calculate what is food and what is fluid and so I may take off more fluid than necessary and obviously feel ill, may get cramps and have trouble getting my blood pressure at the end of the session.
However my latest bloods weren't too bad, my potassium had come down to 4point something, it needs to be under 5 as to much can cause heart problems. My clearence has gone up from 71% to 73% which is good news, as if it was decreasing I may need to put up the time I spend on dialysis! ( I'm one of 2 people in the unit that only do 3 hours)
The only problem with my blood is my phosphates (again) I like these Alucap tablets a lot more than other tabs and I have no probs in taking them, I just cant seem to remember to take them "every" time I eat!!! Also my calcium is still a tad high due to those other tablets I was on so hopefully by the next bloods this will have reduced.
So today I am off out for lunch with my folks, Fiona and Mum's friend who is over from Ireland (not decided if I'm going to eat yet, as I don't want to feel sick again on the machine later on.) I may still go along though as I don't want to miss out on any gossip!
Me and the folks took Fiona out for lunch a couple of times to keep her occupied while we wait for the little bubs to make an appearance, think she is getting fed up waiting now, then again I think we all are. We also went out with her family for a meal together before the little one is born, this was a great laugh and I got to wear my new dress, YAY! I also them my final baby present which was a bib with "If you think I'm cute you should see my Auntie Holly!" written on it!
I've also been busy this week making scrapbooks to put pics of the baby in, they are coming along well and will be a great way of preserving memories for years to come!
I also ordered myself a new dell laptop in pink (obviously) so thats due to arrive on the 28th, well in time for my final year of uni!
On the dialysis front, nothing new really, I felt sick a couple of times during dialysis but I think this was due to me having a large lunch before my session, this seems to be a problem because I have to weigh myself before dialysis to calculate how much fluid I need to loose, this is done by taking my weight and then calculating the difference between that and my dry weight. So if I go in today and my weight is 68.9kg I would need to loose 2.4l (2400ml) as my dry weight is 67 and then an extra 500mls for the washback through the machine at then end of dialsys. However if I have had a big lunch the scales can't calculate what is food and what is fluid and so I may take off more fluid than necessary and obviously feel ill, may get cramps and have trouble getting my blood pressure at the end of the session.
However my latest bloods weren't too bad, my potassium had come down to 4point something, it needs to be under 5 as to much can cause heart problems. My clearence has gone up from 71% to 73% which is good news, as if it was decreasing I may need to put up the time I spend on dialysis! ( I'm one of 2 people in the unit that only do 3 hours)
The only problem with my blood is my phosphates (again) I like these Alucap tablets a lot more than other tabs and I have no probs in taking them, I just cant seem to remember to take them "every" time I eat!!! Also my calcium is still a tad high due to those other tablets I was on so hopefully by the next bloods this will have reduced.
So today I am off out for lunch with my folks, Fiona and Mum's friend who is over from Ireland (not decided if I'm going to eat yet, as I don't want to feel sick again on the machine later on.) I may still go along though as I don't want to miss out on any gossip!
Thursday, 31 July 2008
I got the date for my procedure on my arm... wait for it... 4th September!!! Aggggeeees away so no need to get nervous yet! At least I know now when it is though, I hate not knowing, which is ironic as I don't know when or if I'll receive a transplant, it's just a waiting game! I'm an impatient person and my sister-in-laws pregnancy seems to have gone on forever!
Only 20 days to go till I'm an Auntie! I'm getting really excited now and can't wait to meet the little one! I even felt her kick the other day which was amazing, although it did freak me out a little bit, especially when I actually saw Fiona's tummy move!
Yesterday afternoon I decided to treat my Mum and Dad and take them to the cinema to see Mama Mia! It was fantastic, I loved it, I could have watched it again straight away (sad I know) it's not everyone's cup of tea but hey it was certainly mine and my Mum's (and even my dad's although he won't admit it out loud!)
Had a busy day today babysitting Peter (my mum's friends son) who is 2 now, we spent the day running round and playing with "choo choo" trains! Fiona then came round and we all went out for a pub lunch to our local, which had a bouncy castle for the kids to go on (although I may have made my way on there, only to encourage Peter obviously!) We came home to play some more and as Fiona was leaving Mum decided to tell Peter there was a baby inside Fiona's tummy to which he looked a little confused but started stroking it and saying "baby"! He then lifted her t-shirt up to see if he could see it but looked more confused when he couldn't. Next he moved on to dad and tapped his stomach and said "baby" to which all three of us were in stitches! Kids say the funniest things as they say!
As Peter left we said that he would soon have a little baby friend to play with, no doubt he is impatient, but lets face it he isn't the only one!
Only 20 days to go till I'm an Auntie! I'm getting really excited now and can't wait to meet the little one! I even felt her kick the other day which was amazing, although it did freak me out a little bit, especially when I actually saw Fiona's tummy move!
Yesterday afternoon I decided to treat my Mum and Dad and take them to the cinema to see Mama Mia! It was fantastic, I loved it, I could have watched it again straight away (sad I know) it's not everyone's cup of tea but hey it was certainly mine and my Mum's (and even my dad's although he won't admit it out loud!)
Had a busy day today babysitting Peter (my mum's friends son) who is 2 now, we spent the day running round and playing with "choo choo" trains! Fiona then came round and we all went out for a pub lunch to our local, which had a bouncy castle for the kids to go on (although I may have made my way on there, only to encourage Peter obviously!) We came home to play some more and as Fiona was leaving Mum decided to tell Peter there was a baby inside Fiona's tummy to which he looked a little confused but started stroking it and saying "baby"! He then lifted her t-shirt up to see if he could see it but looked more confused when he couldn't. Next he moved on to dad and tapped his stomach and said "baby" to which all three of us were in stitches! Kids say the funniest things as they say!
As Peter left we said that he would soon have a little baby friend to play with, no doubt he is impatient, but lets face it he isn't the only one!
Saturday, 26 July 2008
Had a really busy week again this week but kind of feel like I haven't done anything productive!
Had a few lunches out, one with my friend of 12years Helen (gosh I feel old), It's great to catch up now that she has graduated from uni (congrats hun) she is moving up here again to study at Law School, so it will be great to have her close again. I have been on a few shopping trips this week too and bought a lovely dress today, I have no idea when I'm going to wear it, but it looks nice so I couldn't help myself.
Today my mum rang an old school friend and told her to come and check out my blog (hello Una if you're reading this) mum told her to google me, and so I was intrigued and decided to see what would happen if I googled myself (sad I know)! Turns out all the old newspaper and online articles are there including some that I had no idea about, although all publicity about organ donation can only be a good thing. If ya want a nosey the articles are here and here.
Thats all the news with me, not very exciting I know, dialysis has been fine, BP and weight seem to be stable and new tablets (Alucaps) seem to be fine! I haven't heard off the Royal about the procedure on my arm yet, I hope I do soon as the arrival of my neice isn't too far away and I don't want it to conincide with that! Only 25 days to go.....
Had a few lunches out, one with my friend of 12years Helen (gosh I feel old), It's great to catch up now that she has graduated from uni (congrats hun) she is moving up here again to study at Law School, so it will be great to have her close again. I have been on a few shopping trips this week too and bought a lovely dress today, I have no idea when I'm going to wear it, but it looks nice so I couldn't help myself.
Today my mum rang an old school friend and told her to come and check out my blog (hello Una if you're reading this) mum told her to google me, and so I was intrigued and decided to see what would happen if I googled myself (sad I know)! Turns out all the old newspaper and online articles are there including some that I had no idea about, although all publicity about organ donation can only be a good thing. If ya want a nosey the articles are here and here.
Thats all the news with me, not very exciting I know, dialysis has been fine, BP and weight seem to be stable and new tablets (Alucaps) seem to be fine! I haven't heard off the Royal about the procedure on my arm yet, I hope I do soon as the arrival of my neice isn't too far away and I don't want it to conincide with that! Only 25 days to go.....
Saturday, 24 May 2008
So after the shock of Wednesday's scan I've accepted that theres nothing I can do about it and the procedure is for my own good! Not that I was going to refuse it, its just that I haven't been in hospital since February 2006, I can't stand the place and feel like its one step back having to go! However the Fistula is my lifeline, it keeps me alive and if that gave up, well I would be b***ered!!!
The radiographer and consultant explained that the aneurysm in my arm is causing the big bulge in my arm (which I hate) or as the nurse said "your arms a bit chunky isn't it!"- charming! They said the bulge will just keep getting bigger if I don't have the procedure, which obviously I don't want as it already looks odd at the minute, I don't want to draw anymore attention to it if possible! The kids are still fascinated at my work placement, I haven't plucked up the courage to tell them the "whole" truth yet, after all they are only 6/7, although I haven't been covering my arm up which is a step forward and if any of them ask I just say I've had an injection and it bruised a bit! To which they respond "ewww gross" haha! I can't disagree though, it's not a pretty sight!
I'm a bit worried about how I'm going to cope with my work placement if I get called in for the op, as I need a specific amount of hours undertaken to pass! I have 2 weeks off for half term now so hopefully the procedure will be done before I go back and if not I'll have to squeeze the hours in or Uni will just have to like it or lump it, my health is more important!
So today I have spent the day relaxing and doing some uni work at my bro's house while my mum, dad, bro and his wife decorated the nursery, pink of course, much to my brothers disappointment! Then I spent an hour waiting for my niece to wake up so I could have a feel of her kicking but no joy, I can tell shes going to take after my bro and love her afternoon naps!
Just watching the Eurovision (can't believe I've just admitted that) some of the entries are horrendous!!!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend...
The radiographer and consultant explained that the aneurysm in my arm is causing the big bulge in my arm (which I hate) or as the nurse said "your arms a bit chunky isn't it!"- charming! They said the bulge will just keep getting bigger if I don't have the procedure, which obviously I don't want as it already looks odd at the minute, I don't want to draw anymore attention to it if possible! The kids are still fascinated at my work placement, I haven't plucked up the courage to tell them the "whole" truth yet, after all they are only 6/7, although I haven't been covering my arm up which is a step forward and if any of them ask I just say I've had an injection and it bruised a bit! To which they respond "ewww gross" haha! I can't disagree though, it's not a pretty sight!
I'm a bit worried about how I'm going to cope with my work placement if I get called in for the op, as I need a specific amount of hours undertaken to pass! I have 2 weeks off for half term now so hopefully the procedure will be done before I go back and if not I'll have to squeeze the hours in or Uni will just have to like it or lump it, my health is more important!
So today I have spent the day relaxing and doing some uni work at my bro's house while my mum, dad, bro and his wife decorated the nursery, pink of course, much to my brothers disappointment! Then I spent an hour waiting for my niece to wake up so I could have a feel of her kicking but no joy, I can tell shes going to take after my bro and love her afternoon naps!
Just watching the Eurovision (can't believe I've just admitted that) some of the entries are horrendous!!!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend...
Saturday, 17 May 2008
Had another really busy week this week, with working, looking after Peter and baby shopping!
I worked all day Monday and then went straight to the hospital for dialysis.All was going well until the machine started pumping my blood around. The needles were in but I must have moved my arm slightly and the pain was excruciating. My fistula had blown which means the needle had gone out the other side of my vein resulting in a swelling on my arm which the nurse kindly went and got some ice for. It also meant the next day there was a huge bruise to match the other one the nurse had given me the previous Monday! So my arm is dark purple at the moment and quite sore but hey these things happen. The nurse has advised me to go for a scan of my fistula to make sure its still working ok. My mum is going to ring up on Monday morning to see if there is any chance I can go on Wednesday as I am already heading up to the Royal Liverpool Hospital to see my transplant surgeon! So will keep you posted.
This is my arm below (not a great photo as I took it myself with my left hand) ... the top bruise is the most recent from last Monday and the bottom bruise is from the Monday before, it's still a bit swollen and quite hard to the touch, so not a pretty sight really... hopefully it will clear up soon!
I Tuesday looking after the little boy Peter again, mum and I took him to Tumble Tots were he ran round like a mad man yet again! We then met my dad at a local park called Walton Gardens, were we had a picnic, played on the park, went round the little zoo and had a ride on a little train, much fun was had by all!
On Wednesday the class I am working with went on a trip Pond Dipping, I kindly offered up my mum and myself as volunteers, we had a great time, the weather was gorgeous and the kids enjoyed getting stuck in finding all sorts of disgusting creatures in the pond! Mum asked my supervisor how I was doing and if I was getting on with the kids ok, my supervisor said I was doing well and had got the balance right, not being too friendly with the kids. However Mum called me by my first name in front of the kids and so they spent the rest of the day calling me Holly and Miss Holly instead of their usual Miss Shaw! So the overfriendly thing had gone down the pan! I worked the Thursday morning including my first experience of watching the class doing P.E, which was fun!
So by Friday I was wiped out, so treated myself to a long lie in!
Today I have been baby shopping with my Mum and my brothers wife Fiona for things for the nursery. We went to a carpet shop to choose a carpet and then went on to Babies R Us to get bedding, curtains, blankets, and lots of other exciting things! Fiona is looking really well and the bump is growing by the week! (I had a sneaky feel today!)
No plans for tomorrow, just relaxing before another weeks work. It's tiring but I'm thoroughly enjoying every minute and I'm really pleased I've not had any time off sick! Fingers crossed it stays that way...
PS. I have added some photo's to some of my previous posts and also a few new links to the right hand side if you fancy taking a look :o)
I worked all day Monday and then went straight to the hospital for dialysis.All was going well until the machine started pumping my blood around. The needles were in but I must have moved my arm slightly and the pain was excruciating. My fistula had blown which means the needle had gone out the other side of my vein resulting in a swelling on my arm which the nurse kindly went and got some ice for. It also meant the next day there was a huge bruise to match the other one the nurse had given me the previous Monday! So my arm is dark purple at the moment and quite sore but hey these things happen. The nurse has advised me to go for a scan of my fistula to make sure its still working ok. My mum is going to ring up on Monday morning to see if there is any chance I can go on Wednesday as I am already heading up to the Royal Liverpool Hospital to see my transplant surgeon! So will keep you posted.
This is my arm below (not a great photo as I took it myself with my left hand) ... the top bruise is the most recent from last Monday and the bottom bruise is from the Monday before, it's still a bit swollen and quite hard to the touch, so not a pretty sight really... hopefully it will clear up soon!
I Tuesday looking after the little boy Peter again, mum and I took him to Tumble Tots were he ran round like a mad man yet again! We then met my dad at a local park called Walton Gardens, were we had a picnic, played on the park, went round the little zoo and had a ride on a little train, much fun was had by all!
On Wednesday the class I am working with went on a trip Pond Dipping, I kindly offered up my mum and myself as volunteers, we had a great time, the weather was gorgeous and the kids enjoyed getting stuck in finding all sorts of disgusting creatures in the pond! Mum asked my supervisor how I was doing and if I was getting on with the kids ok, my supervisor said I was doing well and had got the balance right, not being too friendly with the kids. However Mum called me by my first name in front of the kids and so they spent the rest of the day calling me Holly and Miss Holly instead of their usual Miss Shaw! So the overfriendly thing had gone down the pan! I worked the Thursday morning including my first experience of watching the class doing P.E, which was fun!
So by Friday I was wiped out, so treated myself to a long lie in!
Today I have been baby shopping with my Mum and my brothers wife Fiona for things for the nursery. We went to a carpet shop to choose a carpet and then went on to Babies R Us to get bedding, curtains, blankets, and lots of other exciting things! Fiona is looking really well and the bump is growing by the week! (I had a sneaky feel today!)
No plans for tomorrow, just relaxing before another weeks work. It's tiring but I'm thoroughly enjoying every minute and I'm really pleased I've not had any time off sick! Fingers crossed it stays that way...
PS. I have added some photo's to some of my previous posts and also a few new links to the right hand side if you fancy taking a look :o)
Sunday, 11 May 2008
Saturday, 10 May 2008
Last night I went to a wedding reception straight from dialysis, Mum had been to the wedding in the day but I was working all day so I couldn't go. It was a lovely night, the weather was so nice we were able to sit out in the garden of the pub! It wasn't a late one, we were home by 10.30 as we had an early start this morning!
The picture below is of me (looking a bit dopey after dialysis) and the bride!
We had to get up early because me and my parents had been invited to go to a 3d scan of my niece! It was absolutely amazing, so clear and detailed, you could see all her tiny fingers and toes, it even looked like she was smiling at one point! We saw he heart and heard it beating too! I paid for the scan, DVD and pictures as a pre-baby present for my bro and his wife. I can't wait for her to arrive, only 102 days to go...
In other news, I received an email from the charity Transplants In Mind telling me that I feature in this months edition of their newsletter! Not too keen on the picture but hey if it gets one more person to sign the organ donor register than thats fine by me! To read the news letter click here, I appear on page 4!
The picture below is of me (looking a bit dopey after dialysis) and the bride!
We had to get up early because me and my parents had been invited to go to a 3d scan of my niece! It was absolutely amazing, so clear and detailed, you could see all her tiny fingers and toes, it even looked like she was smiling at one point! We saw he heart and heard it beating too! I paid for the scan, DVD and pictures as a pre-baby present for my bro and his wife. I can't wait for her to arrive, only 102 days to go...
In other news, I received an email from the charity Transplants In Mind telling me that I feature in this months edition of their newsletter! Not too keen on the picture but hey if it gets one more person to sign the organ donor register than thats fine by me! To read the news letter click here, I appear on page 4!
Friday, 11 April 2008
It's a....
Girl!
I'm going to be an Auntie to a baby girl... I'm soooo excited.... only 131 days to wait!
I'm going to be an Auntie to a baby girl... I'm soooo excited.... only 131 days to wait!
Thursday, 3 April 2008
It's a....
Well.... we don't know the sex of the baby yet! It was a bit of an anti-climax, the baby was being awkward and wasn't in a position to be able to tell if it was a boy or girl! The radiographer said she thought it "might" be a girl but she wasn't 100% sure so we have to wait till 11th April to find out!
Nothing else significant to tell you, Uni work coming along nicely and dialysis has been going ok!
Have an appointment with my consultant next week, so will see how I am doing! Will let you know what he says!
Nothing else significant to tell you, Uni work coming along nicely and dialysis has been going ok!
Have an appointment with my consultant next week, so will see how I am doing! Will let you know what he says!
Thursday, 27 March 2008
Easter...
Hello everyone, sorry for the lack of updates hope you had a Happy Easter!
My Auntie came over from
So back to Easter, I had a lovely Easter Sunday, I spent the afternoon with my uni friends which was lovely, I’d not seen them in a couple of weeks because we’ve not been in uni. So we all went round to our friend Hanne’s she had started hiding the eggs for the Easter hunt, which was meant to be for her daughter Ellie but we were all just as excited! There were little arrows pointing to where the eggs were and we even had a little egg and spoon race then spent the rest of the afternoon chatting! Then I came home and had a lovely Sunday roast with the family
No other news really my arm is still sore and the bruise seems to be getting bigger and darker each day also the uni article is coming along well, not quite finished yet though! Got three more assignments due in on the next 3 Wednesdays so I better get my bum in gear and get some work done!
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
So not much to blog about really, had dialysis last night and a nurse that hadn't been in for a while needled my fistula, she didn't know which way the blood flowed in my arm and didn't ask me before she started! Eventually when she realised she wasn't getting any blood in the syringe she asked me which way the needle usually goes in (I don't usually look so she is lucky I knew the answer) turns out she was going in the completely wrong direction, the result being a very sore arm today! Ah well at least she'll know next time!
Me and my mum went to get our hair cut and coloured today, I’ve gone for a change and had a red/brown colour put on mum went for her usual wacky purple streaks!
I had an exciting invite yesterday; my bro and his wife Fiona have asked if me and my mum want to come along to a 3D scan they’re going to have of the baby! This will be on the 10th May and by that time Fiona will be 25 weeks gone, and will have had her 20week scan so we’ll know what sex the baby is!
The whole family are really excited and my bro even bought a bottle sterilizer the other day on his own!!!
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