As you probably guessed, from the lack of posts or reviews from me lately, we have had a busy week. Arran River (right spelling, although unusual to be named after a Scottish island) arrived last Friday, June 27th, at 10.35. He weighed 9 lbs 8 ounces, and they no longer measure babies, but he is very long - probably 22 inches.

The labour started at 5 a.m. - and I heard Andrea get up to the looand on the way back to bed give a sharp intake of breath - so I knew it was time to get up. She and I timed contractions until 7.00 when they were getting a bit stronger - so she woke her husband, Jeff and 5 year old daughter, Natasha - and Jeff took her off to the hospital at 7.30. We got Natasha organised and took her to school, and then drove to the hospital, getting there about 10, just in time, as I was her birthing partner. 

Andrea was just being moved into the delivery room - and started being told not to push a few minutes later. Hard though it was, she held back until she wes fully dilated, and after 2 big pushes, he arrived. She tore - which she hadn't done with Natasha - but it was certainly a much quicker process than last time where she pushed for 2 hours.

Anyway, poor baby arrived with his cord twice around his neck, and once around his body and then his wrist. But they managed to untangle him, and after a bit of massage with a towel, he eventually started breathing and his face and chest turned pink. The rest of him stayed blue for hours. It was scarey when he was born but not crying - but I could see what was going on - being in the prime position - and I knew that the midwife was well prepared. They knew from the time Andrea went in and onto the monitor that the baby was having problems - so the midwife had all the equipment there for resussitation and putting him into an incubator.

But although his score out of 10 when he was born was only 6 - after 10 minutes, they put him up to an 8. I held him for an hour or so while Andrea waited for her midwife to stitch her up, and while they waited for a room to be emptied in the maternity section. Hers was by far the biggest and only boy to be born that morning - of I think 6 births.

The midwife was exceptional, as was the case when Natasha was born. Jeff stayed in for the whole birthing process this time - but ducked up when it came time for the stitches. Andrea had only gas and air - no pain killers (ther than tens) or any other sort of assistance, except when they were stitching her up she had a local.

So Mother and baby went to their private room (£57 a night but without toilet and shower which were across the hall) about 1 - and Philip and Jeff went off to pick up Natasha to pick her up to come and see her brother. She was pretty upset when she found out it wasn't a girl, but when she got there and was allowed to hold him - she decided he was okay after all.

They left the hospital the next day about 1 (Saturday) and we decided to stay on until things settled down for them. He is an exceptionally good baby - sleeping 6 hours at night from the beginning - and having 4 hourly feeds most of the time in between. She is breast feeding - and he sucks well - so that is going fine. I got up each morning and took over as soon as he was fed so she could get a few more hours sleep.

Philip lagged the pipes, did the grocery shopping and all the cooking. Jeff weeded the garden, took down a desk from what will be the baby's room - and took a couple of loads to the tip. I just held the baby. That was my contribution - and walked Natasha to school, and helped her cope with the problem of having to share her parents with her brother. But she has been very good.

So our first grandson is here, and we are very pleased with him.