Reflections

It's hard to record what has happened over the past week. Everything gets jumbled together - things that felt like they took an eternity took only a few hours. Memories of events are probably unreliable - although the memories of the emotions are strong and unlikely to fade for a while.

Good news this afternoon - the hospital tests came back within normal range and we have been discharged to midwifery care. Hopefully now it is time to move from a sickness model of caring for Orla to a wellness model. We are still having to do things in a different way from how you treat a full-term newborn, but if she continues to gain weight we should be able to move gradually into normality.

The older two are doing well and love their new little sister. Isabelle had her first hold today.

Tonight is our first night with just the five of us here. Grandma and Grandad left today, although Grandma is returning Sunday night. Nana Pam comes tomorrow afternoon. It is wonderful to have family around to support us. In addition, we have been very lucky to have friends here who have already sent gifts and meal offers, all of which we are gratefully accepting.