It’s Daniel’s 5th Birthday today, I can’t believe how quickly it seems to have gone.  He’s been getting very excited over the last few days, as he pretty much knew he was getting a lightsaber, something he’s been asking for for about 2 years.  We’re not having a party for him, but he’s having one of his friends come home with us after school today.  Then mum and dad are coming round for a Chinese takeaway.

I can still remember his birth very well (do you ever forget?).  I was in hospital, in labour, for two days.  Needless to say I was completely exhausted by the time he was delivered and needed some help.  He was born at 8:36pm weighing 6lb 4oz, with a great big lump on his head thanks to the ventouse.

I stayed in hospital for another couple of nights trying to get the hang of breastfeeding, eventually they decided he was feeding and let me out.  We brought him home on bonfire night, with fireworks going off all around.

Unfortunately we were back in the hospital a week later, as he had severe jaundice, and needed to be put under the special lights.  He looked so tiny in the incubator, I barely stopped crying.  He was in for 2 nights, and I stayed with him most of the time, even though there was no bed, and I was still perserveering with the breastfeeding.  I was so relieved when they said he was well enough to go home again, although we had to go back another few times to have his bilirubin levels checked.  We also changed to bottle feeding a few days later, I was completely exhausted and hating every feed.  I was never convinced he was getting milk.  I since found out that the bruising left from ventouse can make jaundice worse, and the best thing you can do is to get fluids into him.  So if I’d bottle fed from the start, his jaundice may never have got to such a severe point, but of course no one told me that at the time, as midwives and health visitors have to promote breastfeeding.  There’s an article here about jaundice in newborns for anyone who’s interested.

Anyway Daniel is now a lovely, healthy, little boy of five.  Happy Birthday!