then two became three.

blue lines

So I totally skipped our Wedding but will do that another time there was enough PDAs in the last post. I should also say that I actually wrote this a month ago, but I hadn't posted it because I wanted to finally add pictures. In true 'Hogben-Fob' style we had to go looking for a) the Hard drive and b) the USB cord and yes it did take a month to finally find it!

Sometime in March 2006 - 
I really wasn't feeling well, and I couldn't shake it, I felt off for a couple of weeks, a work colleague of mine, said she thought I was pregnant. I was not excited to hear that! She convinced me to take a pregnancy test with her! She even bought me one lol because I refused to get one.

So we're at work and we both did our thing and of course hers came up with only one blue line... and mine came up with a clear blue line and another kind of faded line. She squealed. I felt my heart sink!

Jim and I went to the drs and I took a blood test. We were told we would get a phone call the next day.
So the next day came along with a phone call.

phone calls

I answered my phone holding my breath abit

'Hi, can I please speak to Lisa Epa?' (It wasn't unusual for me to still be called Lisa Epa then... in fact I still get called it today lol )

"speaking"
'I'm calling from Lee Street Primary School, your nephew Jonathan is at school but isn't feeling well are you able to come and get him?'

hahahaha not the phone call I was expecting. Apparently they had called my mom who gave them my number. They tried Jonos house but no one was picking up. We were at least 40 minutes from his school but we went and got the little boy he was in prep! :) we found uncle Vinny out cold upstairs in his room!

Later that morning I got the phone call we were waiting for from the dr. 'Congratulations you're pregnant'. First reaction was erhmm scared, anxious, disappointed (I know how sad!) but I put on a brave voice and called my mom and text my siblings. Jim did the same. He was Happy :)

I spoke to his sister Fee who was excited for us, and I just couldn't hold back the tears by then. hahaha It feels really silly now that I look back on it, quite immature an maybe a little selfish! I had plans for that year, and it didn't include having a baby. I got over it though, and of course our baby is one of our greatest blessings to date.

only a lil' late.

My EDD (estimated due date) for our first baby boy was November 5th, 2006. We couldn't wait to find out his sex so much so we went had three ultrasounds (even his aunty Irra came to the first one!) to have it confirmed we were having a boy! :)

On Sunday 5th November, I said goodbye to my work colleagues! Yes, I worked up until my due date. Back then I was a Customer Service Supervisor for the Tram Attendants with Yarra. I was into my second year in the RPO job, when I was offered this role instead. I wouldn't say I "worked" hard, more babysitting people my mothers age and hanging out with the girls, who were my staff they were a few years older but awesome ladies to run amuck with. "run amuck" is what we did well. For the next few days (at least I thought) I just chilled at home waiting for this baby to pop out on his own accord.

Our son was born almost two weeks later. I guess that's why it's 'estimated' because in this case they were completely off! or my son was just too comfortable in my belly. He never really moved much, if he did it was usually really late at night, but for the whole day I wouldn't really feel him much.

taking the scenic route
 (Birth Story! thought I'd give you a heads up in case you want to pass on the next paragraphs!)

I was on the CTG all day Thursday and had to have it on throughout my entire labour.

Thursday 16th November - I was admitted into the Royal Womens (in Carlton - it's now closed) I was induced early in the morning, again late in the evening. Apparently I was having contractions but I didn't feel a thing!

Finally moving into the birthing suite for the third time?! 

Friday 17th November - Same thing, induced again in the morning. A couple hours after that we had some action! At about 5pm I had a quick internal, my waters were broken for me all that good stuff and I was 3cm dilated. A kind male Dr was so helpful and informed me that 'oh so your 3cm and we say it's about an hour per cm (for all you childless/single people the target is 10cm lol) so we'll probably be looking at 1-2am tomorrow morning for your bubs to arrive.' *LIAR!!*

For the first 12hours I was going ok! 

I should mention aunty Nelia had come to the hospital about midday (Friday) thinking she would meet her nephew but realised it wasn't going to happen and left sometime around midnight! Poor thing!

At 1-2am Saturday 18th November I was only 7cm!! and having contractions every 1-2 minutes. Up until this stage I had no pain relief I was going "ala-nat-u-ral." That was the plan, like seriously it was written in our 'Birth Plan'.

What's a birth plan? = A waste of time! Another one of those things you're recommended to do and being a first time mother you do it...only to realise very quickly it's nice to write things on paper because it's good in THEORY. Like most things in life, reality isn't always that simple. Anyways getting off topic here.



At about 2:30am contractions were less then 1 min apart and I was still only 8cm... Ridiculous!
I caved. Took the gas and asked for an Epidural. (I know weak! :P) By this stage I had been up since 5:00am the previous morning and I had technically been in labour since Thursday 10am and it was the wee hours of Saturday!

Having some Happy gas!
It really does make you laugh!
Actually I remember feeling ridiculous
sucking it in bc it felt like nothing.
It's all in the mind.

I was so tired and remember trying to keep still during a contraction while they gave me the needle in the back! I think Jim was more alarmed then me because he was watching her whilst he was helping me through an oncoming contraction. Anyways I had the epidural and I went from crazy woman still sucking on the gas to literally asleep within about 30minutes?! In my mind I was thinking "I should've had this done HOURS ago" lol.

Finally some shut eye.

They woke me up at about 6:30am ish the midwife said, 'well I hope your abit more rested because you were snoring!' LOL Oh dear! but really by that stage care factor had gone out the window!

He got ready! Only to be told to wait outside. He tells me his stress levels were high!

Anyways it all ended with an emergency caesarean apparently his fat head was never going to be able to fit, he was stuck... lol So i was topped up with more drugs, taken to theatre, felt them cut into me on the left side so was then put under 'General Anesthetic'. Jim got into his scrubs but ended up waiting outside because I had to go under a 'general' (they say usually bc when you go under a general, it looks like you're dead? So they ask partners to leave) and they tell me at 11:45am on Saturday 18th November, 2006 I gave birth to a healthy baby boy weighing in at 4.21kgs (9lbs6oz)!

My recovery was fine, but for the first 24hours I was just out of it from all the drugs! I could barely keep my eyes open and remember just telling all those who came to visit during that afternoon to take bubs to the Visitors lounge because I just wanted to sleep! Oh, but I was hungry and my sister in law (Fiona) asked if I could get some food but I had to wait, I think they gave me ice though or something!

My birth story wouldn't be complete without mentioning how great my husband was. He really was AMAZING! and the best SUPPORT person ever!(even though I know he would get a big head reading this, it's true.) During the whole experience he 'never' left our side or the room once in the 20 hours we were in the birthing suite, the midwives were so impressed with him, because he was pretty much going through each and every contraction with me literally, they hardly were in the room. When I finally was able to get some rest, he still stayed and lay on the floor, while I slept. He only went home after 4pm on Saturday when he was convinced baby and I were settled and ok. He'd been up easily over 24 hours. It was our first birthing experience together and I'm so grateful that I was able to have my husband by my side. Most mums hear my story and say 'Oh you should've had the baby earlier etc etc' but when it's you're first you don't know any better and I have to say that although towards the end it got abit intense I was comfortable the whole time, the midwives were lovely at the Womens Hospital.

So we had a boy whom we called Taumei James Matuauto Hogben from that day on our lives as we knew it would never be the same again.

First pictures taken of Taumei by his dad. (LH) Dad saw him first and got cuddles outside theatre. (RH) Once free, fingers were straight in his mouth!