So, Mum and Dad opted for a cesarean.
This was scary for them... the last time Mum had a cesarean, I was born.
There were so many things that went wrong, and I scared them so much, that Mum and Dad were a bit afraid.
When I was born, I was rushed away. Mum only saw a flash of purple, and didn't see me for eight hours. She heard only the faintest cry, and everything happened in a hurry. It was scary.
My sister's cesarean brought those fears back to the front of their minds.
The doctors did have to use forceps to bring Kaisa out of Mum. She has a bruise on each side of her head, and one of her ears is bruised. Otherwise, she is ok.
She needed a moment of oxygen, right at the start, which a lot of cesarean born babies need.
She was doing well... but even before she came out of Mum, Mum's blood pressure and heart rate dropped enough to worry the medical staff. They had to watch Mum for a while, and make sure she was ok.
Mum did get to hold my sister, and see her and fall in love with her, right away. There was no eight hour wait, this time. There was no plastic cage, this time.
It was much better.
And this time, while Mum was being looked after, my littlest sister was taken away.. not by running nurses, but by Dad. They spent the first hour together, just them, bonding and falling in love. Mum loves that.
Because of the lowered blood pressure, Mum couldn't have the strong pain medication. She had to wait for a doctor to be consulted, and then, they gave her panadol. Mum was in a lot of pain.
So now, she was feeling better, and we could start to really enjoy Kaisa.
Kaisa is the only one of uswho was able to sleep beside Mum, every night, and not have to go to the neo-natal intensive care unit.
But, that evening, Kaisa choked on some fluids. She was trying to cough up the goobies inside her, from being inside Mum.
Because she was born by cesarean, the goobies were not pushed out of her during the birth. She struggled a bit, and scared herself and held her breath. Her little body stiffened, and Mum ran her to the nurses.
As soon as Mum picked her up, Kaisa cried, and Mum knew she was ok, again.
For many Mums, that would not be very scary.
'The baby is ok again, everything is fine.'
But Mum and Dad... they have too much knowledge. They have seen too much and experienced too much. They have seen me being resuscitated, and have helped me breathe, when I forgot to do it myself.
Mum and Dad know that a lack of oxygen can lead to severe cerebral palsy, and they know how difficult that can be. They know exactly what that means.
For Mum and Dad, it is too easy to jump straight to worst-case scenario... not because they are worriers, but because they know what can go wrong.
After Mum and Dad comforted each other again, they both gave my sister a big cuddle. By then, she was sleeping again, and playing innocent!
A pediatrician came in, to study my sister. Mum and Dad held their breath, watching everything he did, with intense scrutiny. When the doctor asked whether there was a family history of hip problems, they couldn't help but think of me, and my hip dysplasia. That's what my surgery is for! But, that hip problem is a result of my cerebral palsy, not a family related problem. When the doctor said Kaisa's hips were fine, everyone breathed out, again.
The doctor said Kaisa was fine. That made Mum and Dad feel so much happier.
I had severe reflux. I had it so badly, I kept nothing down for two years.
Bowen therapy and my second birthday happened at about the same time...
and that is when my reflux stopped.
Hopefully, my sister will have only mild reflux, and will grow out of it much faster than I did.
Kaisa is lucky she is such a cutie!
She has very long toes and long fingers. Her nails are long, already. She has my sister's mouth and my nose.
She seems a little more like me, in terms of colouring, but her eyelashes and eye brows are so light! Maybe she will end up with red hair, after all.
She has wise little eyes, and seems to have my quiet, strong nature.
When we cuddled, she licked me and I really kissed her. I loved her, straight away. I'm so glad she is here, and can't wait to have her home with me, every day.
You probably won't guess...
It was my Julie! Julie is my favourite Kids' Ward nurse! Julie is currently acting as the Nursing Unit Manager. She has known me for three years, now and has watched me grow up. She used to check my blood and flush my chemo cords, during my cancer days. She always checks up on me, during my hospital stays, and she teases Dad. I love her. And, Julie was the very first person to cuddle my littlest sister. We like that.
Thank you, everyone, for the beautiful congratulations and wishes you have given us. It makes Mum and Dad very proud, to feel that love for my little sister.