‘Amazing and incredible’ – Anna-Kay Magnus
Anna-Kay Magnus, a 27-year-old consultant, has described her journey to motherhood as “amazing and incredible”. At the time of the first interview she was waiting to deliver “any moment now”, her due date being Saturday, May 13.
“I’ve been blessed,” she said. “I’m having a girl and that’s what
I wanted. I’ve been healthy except the baby wanted to come early, as I had contractions at 28 weeks, but then she changed her mind and now she does not want to come.”
But, now she’s here! Presenting Kayla Marie Ziza Watson!
Sunday, May 21
She is four-and-a-half days old and is already falling into her own little pattern. Today she allows her parents to sleep late.
She wakes up with soft murmurs, and when she is hungry, she sucks on all five fingers at a time. Ziza has a healthy appetite, feeding for two hours on breast milk. She has bath time with Daddy, feeds again for about 20 minutes and then goes off to sleep for the next three to four hours.
By evening, she cries again for food, which Mommy dreads as her nipples are so sore. She shares the breast with an ounce of formula, and then promptly goes back to sleep until about 7:00 pm when it’s time for more food, change of clothes, smiles, before bed again.
At 11:30 pm, she wakes again, gets
a 3oz bottle, is changed, and it’s back
to sleep.
Monday, May 22
By 4:00 am Kayla is hungry again. She gets another bottle, because Mummy’s nipples are still sore. But she stays awake for a while and a rumbling tummy says Kayla is about to do a number two. What a load! That gets her an early bath, she is fed again and as always after food, she poos. By 7:45 am she is up and the cycle begins.
Today she sleeps for much of the day, then feeds. Mommy’s breasts are now back to normal. She takes her rest as Kayla sleeps. Mommy checks to see if she is breathing. She can’t believe Kayla has slept for so long.
It seems she is always hungry. She is changed, more pooping and more food, looks around to see if Mommy and Daddy are at home, then satisfied, she sleeps.
Tuesday, May 23
Kayla is awake at 4:30am. Grandma gets a chance to feed her granddaughter. She gets a 3oz bottle, but doesn’t go right back to sleep, and Mummy knows it’s pooping time. She gets the Grandma’s touch, feeds again, and goes back to sleep.
She is up again at 8:00 am, is bathed by her Dad, cries as Mommy dresses her, wanting food and her clothes on.
More sleeping for Kayla, and some for Mommy too.
She wakes, is changed, feeds and promptly goes back to sleep. Feeding is repeated at 7:00 pm, 10:30 pm and she falls asleep around midnight,
until 4:00am.
Wednesday, May 24
More feeding, change of diapers, she eats and goes right back to bed. No pooping this time. She wakes at 8 o’clock, still no poop. She gets a bath from dad, gets a hair comb, feed, and is off to sleep by 10:30 am. She’s awake at 2:30pm, with wet diapers, and tears.
She’s fed, stays awake a little, is entertained by Mommy, until she wants more food and goes back to sleep. Later in the day, Mommy has a doctor’s appointment to remove her sutures. Dad and Kayla accompany her.
She is still asleep at 5:30pm when we put her in her car-seat and take her to the doctor’s office. She wakes on the drive down, crying because she is hungry.
It tugged at Mommy’s heart as she cried for a while.
Finally she gets to eat and at about 6:15pm Mommy gets to see the doctor. Mommy’s blood pressure is high, which explains the lethargy over the last few days. By 7:00pm everyone is on their way back home.
Kayla goes back to sleep, wakes up at
7:30 to eat, goes to sleep again and wakes
at midnight.
The routine starts all over again.
Thursday, May 25
She wakes, feeds – still no poop – and by 5:00pm she is sleeping once again, thanks
to Grandma.
She wakes at 8:30 am for food, Mommy nurses her and she goes back off to sleep before her bath.
She wakes at 10:00am, not her usual time, so Mommy knows something is wrong. Her tummy is rumbling. She cries and her facial expression says its hurts.
Wow! What a load! Just when you think she is done, there is more. There is a full diaper, so many wipes, and still she isn’t finished. Another diaper and 30 minutes later she is finished.
Daddy stopped by just in time to give her a well-needed bath! She cries as he bathes her, but stops at the sound of water running. The running pipe seems to soothe her. Daddy talks with her and she smiles with him watches.
Daddy stays for a while, plays with her until she drifts back off to sleep around 12:30pm. While she slept so did Mom. Both woke at 5:30pm. Kayla is hungry as usual and needs changing. Her parents play with her until it’s bath time. Then she goes to visit Uncle David for his birthday! She gets another bath and goes to sleep until almost 5:00am.
Friday, May 26
Kayla goes to her photo shoot at The Observer.
