Born 21st January 2017, 8 pounds 5 ounces!
Sorry I’ve been quiet on the recipe front lately — I have a very good reason. Our son, Benjamin James, arrived early on 21st January at 6:59am, weighing a healthy 8 pounds 5 ounces. We’re over the moon to have him home and are slowly finding a new routine around feeding, naps and lots of cuddles.
Before Benjamin’s birth, friends warned us that labour and its aftermath rarely go exactly to plan — and they were right. I was admitted on the Friday with suspected early membrane rupture and expected to be induced, but after my waters were properly broken I went into labour naturally. By the next morning our son had arrived.
What followed was unexpectedly eventful. We were prepared to go home the next day, when hospital staff discovered I had been given slightly more paracetamol than intended within 24 hours. Technically this was an overdose, so we were asked to stay another night for monitoring and tests. Although the extra dose was unlikely to cause serious harm, the precaution led to further observations and blood tests.
The tests showed some abnormalities in my liver function, though it wasn’t clear whether this was linked to the paracetamol. More worryingly, Benjamin began to look jaundiced. A routine blood test revealed very high bilirubin levels, and he was taken to the neonatal unit for treatment.
That initial alarm proved to be less serious than first feared, but he still needed phototherapy. Benjamin spent 24 hours under UV light to treat the jaundice, which made establishing breastfeeding more stressful than expected. During this time further tests suggested he had an infection. Despite appearing well apart from sleepiness associated with the jaundice, he underwent a lumbar puncture to rule out meningitis, and samples were sent off to identify the cause.
Benjamin was started on a five-day course of antibiotics while doctors investigated. We never received a definitive diagnosis of the infection — it’s possible it was related to the early membrane rupture, but we don’t know for sure. In hindsight, the extra monitoring prompted by the paracetamol error meant these issues were caught quickly, and for that we are oddly grateful.
Now at home, Benjamin is feeding well, and like most newborns is keeping us sleep-deprived and utterly smitten. People say he takes after his mum, though he has his dad’s cute dimples and a little side parting. He enjoys looking at the light and being held close, but bath time is definitely not his favourite.
To those who couldn’t care less about baby news, apologies — I’ll be back to recipes soon. After a week of hospital meals I’m more than ready to get back in the kitchen. I have several new recipes lined up and will share them as soon as I can.
If you’re looking for something sweet while you wait, here are two of my favourite cakes to celebrate Benjamin’s arrival:
Peanut butter, banana and chocolate chip cake
Chocolate orange cake
Mmmmm!