Saturday, 27 August 2016
Growing Around Grief
Earlier in the week my local Sands group chairwoman posted this picture:
It struck a chord with me; ringing true in our experience.
This time six years ago I couldn't have imagined life like it is today. I couldn't see beyond the rawest of grief, when even lifting my head off the pillow in the morning took such monumental effort. When even breathing took such monumental effort. Life back then was a haze and a daze. I've said before that there is very little from those first couple of months after Anabelle's death that I actually remember. I know things that happened, but I can't remember living them. I was in shock. This complete blank in time now represents how truly broken I was.
I had no idea how I was going to heal or grow. In all honesty, back then, and for a very long time afterwards, I didn't even want to heal. Accepting recovery invoked a tremendous amount of guilt. How could I be happy when my daughter was dead?
But slowly, slowly somehow, days seemed slightly brighter again. Somehow a life began to swell around our grief. Notably, our wonderful Alexander was born and saved me from the pit. Zachary joined him and now Lucas. My beautiful rainbows. My reason to keep challenging myself to heal. They keep saving me from myself.
There have been many ups and many downs - all of which have been extensively documented here. There have been many times when grief has been all consuming once more. A breakdown of epic proportions over her third birthday and struggling with family events in the year leading up to her fifth. Still, June is incredibly hard. June still feels stuck in a cycle of 2010. June I've accepted is likely to always be my sticking point regardless of how much healing there is.
It wasn't until the second half of last year, 2015, that I finally decided to proactively heal. To reflect on all that had passed. All the time taking small steps, giving myself permission to finally accept a happy extraordinary life (click to open) despite Anabelle's death. The Capture Your Grief workshop last autumn was good for me. Cathartic (click to open). Maybe I should do it again this year.
Anabelle's absence is ever felt. There is rarely a day that goes by without her name being mentioned in this household, there is never a day she is not thought about. But life has grown around her. I feel like I'm there on that third picture.
This picture reminded me of a post I wrote back in 2014 (click to open). . My world got bigger. Because of Anabelle my world got bigger, even when for a long while I didn't think it could. Our grief has never diminished, never got smaller, a little girl missing is pain beyond measure - but alongside that, around that, a wonderful life has swelled and grown too. This last few weeks our world has got so beautifully bigger again with her tiniest brothers' arrival.
Our wonderful boys are now one bigger. Alexander, Zachary and Lucas; even without anything else, they'll always be my reason to keep growing around our grief.
Permission to make memories. Permission to live. Permission to have a happy extraordinary life. Permission to grow around unimaginable grief.
Tuesday, 23 August 2016
Lucas @ 1 Month
Where has the last month gone? I’ve no idea how
Lucas is already a month old, changing already. We’ve had a wonderful five
weeks of getting to know our newest little boy and he is such a delight; utterly
adored by the whole family.
Lucas is a lovely content baby for the most
part. He cries to be fed, if he has a dirty nappy or wants to be cuddled to
sleep. Lucas loves a lot of cuddles, loves to be held and so it has been a
month of cuddles, breastfeeding and bonding.
Luc is getting used to the world around him and
us getting used to another small person needing our attention. As much as we’re
enjoying Lucas and our boys, there has been no doubt that adjusting to three
little boys has been overwhelming at times. It often feels like someone always
needs something and it has felt quite the challenge giving each of the boys the
attention they need and deserve. However I remember feeling just as overwhelmed
in the early days when Zac arrived, wondering how I was going to spread myself
thinly enough for them both – now there are three and we just need this bit of
time to find our new groove and routine again.
Alexander and Zachary are truly beautiful with
their baby brother - always telling him daily that they love Baby Luc and that
he is so cute. All Xander wants to do is help look after and hold his baby,
Zachy often introducing Luc to other people as “my baby”! They’ve had their adjustments too though; at
times these little boys have seemed unusually shattered, unusually
over-sensitive, there have been more tears than usual, more drama between them
than usual – they love Luc but we’re not underestimating how unsettled and
affected by change they have been feeling.
But we’re getting by, more than getting by. Any
moments of frustration and tiredness is more than outweighed by how much we’re
enjoying our beautiful Little baby.
Oh Little Lucas. As I
type this one handed, you are sleeping soundly in my other arm. You are already
a month old and your baby days are flying by far too quickly. Today, at five
weeks old you weigh 9lb 1oz, measure 53cm long and steadily in proportion following
the 25th percentile line. In the last week you have phased out of
your early baby clothes and into your newborn wardrobe. You are feeding well,
like I always knew you were. After your slow to gain start you are more than
making up for it now!
You’ve started to be a
little bit sicky after your feeds, but currently nowhere near as bad as your
brother’s were before you. While they constantly needed outfit changes, at the
moment you generally only require bib changes. You seem to posset more if you
do not burp after your feed but boy do you sometimes make us work to get any
wind up!
Most nights you sleep
well. Well, as well as you expect a newborn to sleep anyway! While there have
been a fair few nights where I have been up with you almost every hour through
the night, for the most part you average two wake-me-ups a night after midnight. Most nights you have been waking for a feed
around 11.00pm – so at this point we’ve been going up to bed, feeding you and settling
into your Moses basket. On a good night you wake sometime between 2.00-3.00am
and again around 5.00am. Some nights are better than others, some nights you
seem happy to be in your Moses, other nights you’ll only sleep soundly if you’re
in my arms – but I don’t mind – you’re my last tiny baby and I will spoil you,
knowing only too well just how quickly you will outgrow the need to be held so
constantly, and how much I will miss the tiny weight of you in my arms.
You’ve had a month of
firsts. Your first go in your pram, you’re first go in the sling. Your first
visits to so many places; Belle’s garden, St Fagan’s, the Farm, a guest at a
birthday party. We’ve been shopping, to restaurants. We’ve crossed that hurdle
of breastfeeding in public well and truly off our lists now. Although you can
still be a fusspot to latch sometimes we’re getting better at it together and
my confidence has grown again – or at least I care much less about ‘flashing’
in public with each baby I’ve had! With
Daddy having another week off next week to finish the summer you’ll have been
to a load of other exciting places very soon too. Already the social baby!
We’ve learnt so much
about you this month baby boy. We’ve learnt that you like to feel your body
wrapped tightly in a blanket but will go bananas if we try and swaddle your
arms. Instead you like to feel your arms and hands up near your face.
You like to sleep curled on your side – going against
everything in the rule book and making my anxieties twitch, even with the
breathing monitor mat. As a compromise we allow you to have a slight weight
shift more onto one side with your back mostly still facing the mattress. As
soon as you can intentionally roll I’m sure you’ll be a side sleeper.
You like you snug nest
chair, again preferring to almost curl up on your side in it when you doze
there. You like a bath now, but only if Mummy has got into the bath with you,
holding you and moving you through the warm water. I wonder if it reminds you
of being on the inside? You still do not like having your hair washed and like
getting out of the bath and getting dressed even less! You do however seem to
like the sound of the hairdryer, often stilling and silencing to the noise when
I am drying my hair.
You are beginning to
have more periods of awake time and short bursts of play on your mat. When you
are awake you are so alert, so switched on to your surroundings – nosy already
even! Already you seem so strong – on your first tummy time you were lifting
your head way off the floor and lifting your legs too, appearing to almost be
unintentionally trying to roll off your tummy.
You are so bright eyed
beautiful boy. Already you are trying to smile – we’ve been treated to half
smiles, nearly there smiles, but we’re still waiting for that properly
intentional beaming face. Both your brothers smiled at 6 weeks old so it won’t
be long I’m sure. Mummy is so looking forward to it, as is Xander who keeps
telling me that you’re nearly big enough to smile.
Oh how your brothers
love any interaction with you. Even though Zachy will often tell me that you’re
too noisy when you cry, he plants gentle
kisses on your cheek often throughout every day. Xander can’t get enough of
you, always wanting to be on hand to help with getting a nappy, or helping to
bath you or just wanting to know when it is his turn to cuddle Baby Luc. Baby
seems to have become the first part of your name, neither of your brothers
referring to you without the Baby prefix first!
You are so surrounded
by love Lucas. I cannot wait to see your relationship with your brothers grow
and change. Another few weeks and I’ll bet you’ll be fascinated by them, unable
to take your eyes off them, saving all your best smiles for them! My little
trio of lovely boys.
Precious lovely baby.
It feels like you’ve been here so long but no time at all. Already can hardly
remember life before you. I look at you and love that you are mine. I wish
slightly for time to slow down, for you to stay tiny for as long as possible,
my last baby. Equally I’m so excited for all the beautiful moments I know will
be coming. I wonder what you’ll discover before you’re two months old? A proper
beaming smile will be Mummy’s highlight, beautiful boy.
Loved beyond measure
Little.
Mummy and Daddy xxx
Thursday, 11 August 2016
The Image Of His Sister
I wasn't expecting Lucas to look like Anabelle. Not like he does.
I expected him to have some likeness to her of course, like I expected him to have some likeness to all of his siblings; they all have shared genes after all. But it was Zachary I was expecting him to be the image of, not Anabelle.
In the first few days I couldn't decide who he was most like. He looked like them all. But as the newly born puffiness started to disappear he started to look more and more like his sister.
I said in his one week update he looked like Anabelle. Now, at three weeks old and already changing a little again, if its possible, he looks even more like her.
At the moment, he looks surprisingly different somehow to his brothers as babies. They all have a likeness of siblings, the other boys had a resemblance of Anabelle at times too, but Lucas, Lucas is the image of his sister in a way the others were not. I hadn't prepared myself for a likeness to be so very very similar. Less like the boys and more like our girl. My beautiful delicate boy. It is beautiful and bittersweet all at the same time.
I've caught myself looking at him and a lump appearing in my throat and tears threatening to prick my eyes, because I can see 'her'. I've wondered if they would've shared their looks if she had opened her eyes too. I've wondered already, who he will look like as he grows. Will he start looking more like his brothers or will he look like Anabelle would've done? In a boy version at least. In reality I know we'll lose the ability to see the resemblance to his sister as he grows, because she did not. When he isn't a baby anymore we won't have an idea if their similarity would've remained.
It has been really lovely that so many people have mentioned on many of his photos, or in messages to me that they think he looks like Anabelle too. My Mum was saying it from day one. I love that other people can see her in him too. That through him she is being thought about and remembered.
We're always aware of her absence, but at the moment (whether it be new baby hormones, last baby hormones, the fact that the baby looks like her or something else) I'm feeling a heightened sense of 'one missing'. The other baby I can see in his face is missing.
Today at an afternoon out at the farm we had yet another reminder, as if we needed reminding, we're one short. At the playground Alexander started playing with a little girl. An Anabelle (or some other spelling variant that the little girl probably had). Watching him run around with her, shouting her name across the playground for her to follow him, watching them play their games and strike a friendship was like a little bolt. Another lump in the throat with threatening tears. Jon and I commented to eachother how difficult it was to hear. Not that there was another girl around us called Anabelle, but the sound of Alexander playing with the name of his sister - how it was supposed to be; if his sister had lived those would be the sounds of them playing together and him calling her name.
I didn't want to include all of this in Lucas's next update a week or so from now (how is he that close to a month old already?!), not wanting moments of grief to impinge on what a joyous wonderful baby he is. We're enjoying him so much, so utterly smitten with him; but there is no escaping he looks like his sister, and tonight I needed a space to say all of this.
If only we had you all.
Thursday, 28 July 2016
Lucas Elias Morgan
 |
| The day before you were born. |
Last Tuesday we arrived at the hospital not
knowing if Lucas was actually going to be born on that day at all anymore. Pre-Op
on the Monday revealed that there wasn’t a SCBU bed currently available and
that without one my c-section wouldn’t be able to go ahead, just in case a 36
week grown Luc needed a little more support. But bed situations can change
quickly and we were told to come in at 7.30am Tuesday morning anyway. So we
did, already nil-by-mouth (on the hottest day of the year so far!) not knowing
if it was really going to be the day after all.
It was a long day. But luck was in and at 11.30am
we were told a baby was being discharged on SCBU and a bed would be available for
Lucas at around 1.00pm so we would be taken to theatre at around 1.30pm. Then the wait got longer as an emergency
needed my slot. But finally, at 4.00pm we made it into theatre and Little’s
journey into the world began. The operation was smooth, and unlike last time
blood loss was normal and no drain or pressure bandages were needed to control
the situation. Phew!
 |
| A few hours after you were born. |
 |
| You at exactly a week old, to the minute! |
Fast forward a week and our new Little is already over a week old. 9 days old today. Time seems to speed by faster and faster with each baby I’ve had. Apart from currently being back in hospital (I came over very poorly Tuesday afternoon and was readmitted with probable infection, but feeling much better now after antibiotics and will be home again later today…), it has been a wonderful week; meeting our tiny little boy and getting to know him.
He is absolute perfection and we were totally
besotted from the moment we laid eyes on him. Isn’t it remarkable how much
hearts can grow with each baby that joins the family?! A family now bursting
with rainbows, I feel so lucky to have these three beautiful boys, my boys, and
brand new Lucas has definitely stolen the hearts of his Mummy, Daddy and big
brothers. I’ve been so proud of Big and Small. Both of them have been so loving
and gentle, so interested in their new baby brother. Both of them wanting to
hold him whenever they get the opportunity.
 |
| Three Little Rainbows |
Xander has so naturally cradled him in his arms
on the sofa, watching TV and gently caring and stroking his head while he’s
held him. He is so proud to be the biggest boy and able to look after his baby
brother.
Zac loves that Luc is ‘tickling him’ while he’s
holding him – Luc’s little arms waving around and catching Zac in the face, and
making him laugh. Zac has been less impressed with Luc’s cries though – telling
me he doesn’t like it.
And it is still hard to believe this little
baby is the last that will be mine. Already I want time to slow down, just a
little. So I can savour every moment of my last new-born days. Oh Little Lucas.
How you will be spoiled. My baby.
Lucas Elias Morgan,
you were born on Tuesday 19th July 2016, at 16.32, weighing a
surprising 7lb 6oz (initially anyway…) and 50cm long. The shortest and smallest
of all of you boys!
 |
| Only seconds old! |
You made a very
beautiful and noisy arrival, shouting and crying instantly and keeping it going
far longer than I remember your brother’s crying after birth. You cried all the
way through your check over with the baby doctor and didn’t really calm down
until you were wrapped up and back in my arms. You didn’t need that SCBU bed
they were reserving for you, just in case. You were just perfect and fine and
wonderful.
We spent a few days in
hospital, giving Mummy the chance to recover from the big operation, you a few
days to adjust to the world and us both the chance to learn how to feed
together. Then on Friday 22nd we were ready, and Daddy, Xander and
Zac all came to collect us from the hospital so we could take all of our
rainbow babies home together.
 |
| Going home with all of ours Rainbows |
Unfortunately, you
lost a lot of weight in those first few days, almost 12% and over the ‘acceptable’
loss limit. Meaning we were flagged straight away for extra midwife visits. But
we were still waiting for my milk to be properly in (which always has come in
later than most) and play catch up, but you haven’t gained really again since.
So at just over a week old you are a tiny little 6lb 9oz.
At the moment no-one
can really explain why you are not picking up the weight. It is probable that
your 7lb 6oz was slightly artificially high in the first place and you haven’t
really lost as much as it looks; Mummy was on a drip for a lot of the day
waiting to be taken to theatre with you and apparently it is surprising how
much of the fluid passes through to baby in a short space of time, making you
puffy and ounces heavier than you might’ve been that day otherwise.
Your latch and attachment
have been checked and are good, my milk supply has been checked and is
plentiful. All your cues and signs are spot on – you are alert and active,
bright eyed, lovely tone. You are flying through wet and dirty nappies. You are
well and happy, waking yourself two-three hourly to be fed. There is nothing to
suggest there is a problem. On the whole you are breastfeeding well and it is a
mystery why you’ve not gained when I’m being told we’re doing everything right.
Its so frustrating, and a bit disheartening, and daily weigh-ins are becoming a
little bit stressful.
It could be because you are slightly premature
and need a bit longer to catch up and get over this blip. But at the moment you’re
being topped up with 10ml of expressed milk after a feed. Which you hate, and
don’t want. But it is in effort for you to start a little weight gain. Maybe you will just naturally be a slow
gainer.
At a week old you are
wearing early baby up to 7lb size clothes comfortably, even quite roomy. You
feel so small when your brothers went straight into newborn up to 10lb clothes!
Although I expect as soon as you start gaining you will jump straight into the
next size!
At a week old your
favourite things are milk, Mummy and cuddles. You love to be tucked into my top
and sleep right against my chest. So far
you have made it pretty clear you are less than impressed with nappy changes
and absolutely hate the idea of a bath! We think you’re going to be a
thumb-sucker – already we’ve caught you sucking away lots of times and your
little hands are always up by your face; just like they were in nearly all of
my scans.
Night-times have been
variable, but more or less the expected kind of nights from a newborn. You’re
currently averaging around three get-me-ups between 11pm and 6am (and there
have been more too!) Not totally terrible at all, but I do feel pretty
exhausted after a week now! The trickiest part is settling you back into your
Moses after a feed. I’ll admit many a time there has been Mummy giving up on
the idea and letting you sleep where you feel safe and reassured instead.
In those first few
hours with you I kept seeing all of your siblings in you. Different looks,
different angles and flashes of all of your siblings are in you. You have such delicate
small features baby boy. I’m biased of course but you beautiful. Such a pretty
baby. You do indeed look very much like Zachy especially out of your brothers
when he was born. But even more so, you look like Belle. You look more like
Belle than either Xander or Zachy did. Others
have said the same to me. It has been quite breath-taking at times, and
incredibly emotional at others. You’ll learn lots about your big sister as you
grow.
You are our third rainbow baby, Lucas, I know
we pushed our luck to have you and you’re here safe and sound and I couldn’t be
more grateful. You’re so incredibly precious, and perfect and Mummy couldn’t be
more in love with you.
My darling tiny boy. You’ve
completed our rainbow family.
 |
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- Caz
- After Anabelle - Raising Rainbows. I'm Caz, Mummy to beautiful angel Belle and my wonderful rainbow boys, Xander, Zachy and Luc. Wife to Jon. Twitter @cazem Instagram @cazzyem
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