Being Nana
Without Prejudice
I was blessed the day Kyle was born all those 22 years ago. On the 15th November 1989 I became a Nana for the first time. Simon, Kyle's Dad was just 16 and he smashed eggs in my hair that night in celebration and I too chased him and smashed them in his hair.
We were ecstatic, Kyle two weeks overdue and finally arriving in such a rush. He was stubborn and refused to turn head downwards until the very end, when Roger Johnston our fabulous family doctor turned him. It was so painful Yvette said, the turning. And in the end we nearly lost him in the rush as the cord was tightly wound round his neck.
Yvette was brave at the birth, only about to turn 18, 4 days later. Lauren called me from the hospital at 2.30. Yvette was in pain and crying for her Mum, so I took one look at my hubby at the time and went, anyway. He was not happy she was pregnant, he hated Simon with a passion. But there was no need to hate his own daughter or the beautiful child she delivered.
I stayed by her head while she gave birth. Afterwards she would remember only my voice through the red hot fog of pain. My voice urging her on as the baby was going in to distress. She was maddened with pain and stopped breathing properly and began to panic. I urged Simon to tell her to breathe and he stood there gasping like a gold fish with no words coming out of his mouth.
I leaned forward and said,
"Yvette, I know you are hurting, but this baby has to come out, and NOW. PUSH like you never have before, yes it's going to hurt but it will be over then."
She pushed for her life and her babies and she screamed as the scalpel cut her perineum, the dreaded episiotomy but out Kyle slithered and the Doctor deftly slipped the cord (wound 3 times) from Kyle's neck. The next day Yvette was in tears as the grave Doctor told her how close they had come to losing Kyle. She said all she could remember was my voice, telling her to PUSH. PUSH.
He was fine after all that and I just fell in love immediately. Then Jade came via Alena. She was 19 at work when her waters broke and ironically we were all as a family at Kyles' 5th birthday party. McDonalds in Glen Waverley. Christmas that year heralded the arrival of Jade, a pink and white porcelain doll of great beauty. Another baby welcomed with love. And within 3 weeks of Christmas that year Zachary was born, brother to Kyle and second son to Yvette.
Babies began to abound. Ashleigh Hood coming 2 weeks before Brock, the year my Dad died. Ashleigh's birth was dramatic and we nearly lost her but she was strong and a fighter. Brock was born in an hour. Yvette telling me she thought she was in labour. I was at work and contemplating asking the boss for the day off so I could be at his birth. Yvette rang back within the hour, Brock had arrived in a rush and it was all over. I couldn't believe how quick he was.
I took him in to work as Yvette was out of hospital the next day. People said they had never seen such a Freshy, and he was perfect. Handsome, placid and Yvette's 3 rd son. Debbie we had not expected to have a baby for a while, as she was a career girl and loved her job. But Ashleigh came a long and they were delighted, Debbie and Andrew.
The weirdest thing had happened the year before. As a family we sat at a restaurant table, The Golden Orchid in Chinatown a favourite haunt of ours. Debbie was holding Jade on her lap and suddenly I saw a tiny picture next to her head. Apropos of nothing I announced to the table,
"Deb I have just seen you holding a new born baby'
The table was shocked in to silence.
"Where did that come from Mum?, she asked.
"I don't know" I replied, but I had known I had to say it out loud even if I was subjected to ridicule.
Every one present knew Deb was a career girl, her and Andrew were upwardly mobiles at that time, saving for a house, working their butts off.
Three weeks later I received a call from Deb,
"Guess what?"
"What?"
"I'm pregnant"
And then Ashleigh Hood came into being and apart from serious complications at the birth she turned into a solemn, brown eyed beauty. A mini me of her Mother. Tall, dignified and regal, with a funny bone that tends towards the ridiculous and I love that humour about her. Deb's funny too in her own way and so is Yvette and Alena, maybe they got that from my Dad, as he always acted as my Mum called it, ''The giddy goat"
Then came Jai, an absolute delight of a baby, forever smiling and forever cheeky and bright, he could add by the time he was 2, and reason and now he's a little genius of 13. Just like my nephew Jamie, he is a "Big Brain". He can tell you the history of the 2nd World War and his brothers thump him if he gets too knowledgeable and "I Know".
That year much to our delight a delightful little black curly haired baby, Tegan came along for Alena and Dean, by the time she was 2 fat black ringlets fell all around her head, she was gorgeous. A stunner.
In the year of 2000 I had a bumper crop of babies. Mara my Foster daughter gave birth to Bailey, and two years later to Trae, another boy. Debbie gave birth to Georgia Lauren and Alena, gave birth to Tiana, all born within 4 months of each other before the winter set in. It was a great year. A plethora of babies. Excellent for me .
Then a 4th son came to Yvette, Kyan out of nowhere and five weeks prem. He was sent to Monash within 2 days of his premmie birth and had to have an operation. We prayed like we had never prayed before for his recovery. He was 4 and a half pounds. And seriously ill and in intensive care for a few days but he rallied and is a shy sensitive boy now. A morsel of delight with his 3 freckles on his nose and his way of saying'
He's a wittle boy wost ! " Yvette's son number 5.
Out of the blue after we thought the babies were done for a while, Alena was trying for a 4th child. She had 3 girls but wanted a 4th and was at work one day and suffered a miscarriage when she hadn't realised she was pregnant. Alena had poly cystic ovaries and was 27. The doctor had said with the scarring on her ovaries it was a wonder she had had the 3 girls at all.
Alena tried fertility treatment which was nasty, and gave up, went to work, bang was pregnant but had lost it. I was in Queensland and she rang me crying. She had had a miscarriage at work and was going for the Ultra sound to see what had to be removed the following day. Yvette went with her and Yvette after a while put a cautious thumb up to Alena. Yvette had seen a heartbeat even before The Doctor had.
The baby was still intact and part of the uterine wall had given way but baby in it's own little amniotic sac had survived. And that little bubble of life became Dylan, Alena and Deans first boy, meant to be here and is a four year old handsome chatty little man. The mini me of his handsome father and born into Maori heritage.
Then there were more surprises in store when Acer came along and Cruz, the 6th and 7th sons of Yvette. Sired by another Father than Simon, who has serious issues now. Peter Yvette's new partner is young, happy go lucky and has now two beautiful boys, the blond haired Acer, who is 3 and the placid and wonderful baby Cruz. He is a delight of a baby, ever smiling and hugging and learning about life already at 15 months.
He has joined our family together, Cruz, like no other baby. We all without compunction adore him and that is as it should be. He is worth adoring, as they all are and every day I give thanks to God for my wonderful family. I would not be here without them love and support and I am grateful everyday I have them all in my life.
Love Janette
I was blessed the day Kyle was born all those 22 years ago. On the 15th November 1989 I became a Nana for the first time. Simon, Kyle's Dad was just 16 and he smashed eggs in my hair that night in celebration and I too chased him and smashed them in his hair.
We were ecstatic, Kyle two weeks overdue and finally arriving in such a rush. He was stubborn and refused to turn head downwards until the very end, when Roger Johnston our fabulous family doctor turned him. It was so painful Yvette said, the turning. And in the end we nearly lost him in the rush as the cord was tightly wound round his neck.
Yvette was brave at the birth, only about to turn 18, 4 days later. Lauren called me from the hospital at 2.30. Yvette was in pain and crying for her Mum, so I took one look at my hubby at the time and went, anyway. He was not happy she was pregnant, he hated Simon with a passion. But there was no need to hate his own daughter or the beautiful child she delivered.
I stayed by her head while she gave birth. Afterwards she would remember only my voice through the red hot fog of pain. My voice urging her on as the baby was going in to distress. She was maddened with pain and stopped breathing properly and began to panic. I urged Simon to tell her to breathe and he stood there gasping like a gold fish with no words coming out of his mouth.
I leaned forward and said,
"Yvette, I know you are hurting, but this baby has to come out, and NOW. PUSH like you never have before, yes it's going to hurt but it will be over then."
She pushed for her life and her babies and she screamed as the scalpel cut her perineum, the dreaded episiotomy but out Kyle slithered and the Doctor deftly slipped the cord (wound 3 times) from Kyle's neck. The next day Yvette was in tears as the grave Doctor told her how close they had come to losing Kyle. She said all she could remember was my voice, telling her to PUSH. PUSH.
He was fine after all that and I just fell in love immediately. Then Jade came via Alena. She was 19 at work when her waters broke and ironically we were all as a family at Kyles' 5th birthday party. McDonalds in Glen Waverley. Christmas that year heralded the arrival of Jade, a pink and white porcelain doll of great beauty. Another baby welcomed with love. And within 3 weeks of Christmas that year Zachary was born, brother to Kyle and second son to Yvette.
Babies began to abound. Ashleigh Hood coming 2 weeks before Brock, the year my Dad died. Ashleigh's birth was dramatic and we nearly lost her but she was strong and a fighter. Brock was born in an hour. Yvette telling me she thought she was in labour. I was at work and contemplating asking the boss for the day off so I could be at his birth. Yvette rang back within the hour, Brock had arrived in a rush and it was all over. I couldn't believe how quick he was.
I took him in to work as Yvette was out of hospital the next day. People said they had never seen such a Freshy, and he was perfect. Handsome, placid and Yvette's 3 rd son. Debbie we had not expected to have a baby for a while, as she was a career girl and loved her job. But Ashleigh came a long and they were delighted, Debbie and Andrew.
The weirdest thing had happened the year before. As a family we sat at a restaurant table, The Golden Orchid in Chinatown a favourite haunt of ours. Debbie was holding Jade on her lap and suddenly I saw a tiny picture next to her head. Apropos of nothing I announced to the table,
"Deb I have just seen you holding a new born baby'
The table was shocked in to silence.
"Where did that come from Mum?, she asked.
"I don't know" I replied, but I had known I had to say it out loud even if I was subjected to ridicule.
Every one present knew Deb was a career girl, her and Andrew were upwardly mobiles at that time, saving for a house, working their butts off.
Three weeks later I received a call from Deb,
"Guess what?"
"What?"
"I'm pregnant"
And then Ashleigh Hood came into being and apart from serious complications at the birth she turned into a solemn, brown eyed beauty. A mini me of her Mother. Tall, dignified and regal, with a funny bone that tends towards the ridiculous and I love that humour about her. Deb's funny too in her own way and so is Yvette and Alena, maybe they got that from my Dad, as he always acted as my Mum called it, ''The giddy goat"
Then came Jai, an absolute delight of a baby, forever smiling and forever cheeky and bright, he could add by the time he was 2, and reason and now he's a little genius of 13. Just like my nephew Jamie, he is a "Big Brain". He can tell you the history of the 2nd World War and his brothers thump him if he gets too knowledgeable and "I Know".
That year much to our delight a delightful little black curly haired baby, Tegan came along for Alena and Dean, by the time she was 2 fat black ringlets fell all around her head, she was gorgeous. A stunner.
In the year of 2000 I had a bumper crop of babies. Mara my Foster daughter gave birth to Bailey, and two years later to Trae, another boy. Debbie gave birth to Georgia Lauren and Alena, gave birth to Tiana, all born within 4 months of each other before the winter set in. It was a great year. A plethora of babies. Excellent for me .
Then a 4th son came to Yvette, Kyan out of nowhere and five weeks prem. He was sent to Monash within 2 days of his premmie birth and had to have an operation. We prayed like we had never prayed before for his recovery. He was 4 and a half pounds. And seriously ill and in intensive care for a few days but he rallied and is a shy sensitive boy now. A morsel of delight with his 3 freckles on his nose and his way of saying'
He's a wittle boy wost ! " Yvette's son number 5.
Out of the blue after we thought the babies were done for a while, Alena was trying for a 4th child. She had 3 girls but wanted a 4th and was at work one day and suffered a miscarriage when she hadn't realised she was pregnant. Alena had poly cystic ovaries and was 27. The doctor had said with the scarring on her ovaries it was a wonder she had had the 3 girls at all.
Alena tried fertility treatment which was nasty, and gave up, went to work, bang was pregnant but had lost it. I was in Queensland and she rang me crying. She had had a miscarriage at work and was going for the Ultra sound to see what had to be removed the following day. Yvette went with her and Yvette after a while put a cautious thumb up to Alena. Yvette had seen a heartbeat even before The Doctor had.
The baby was still intact and part of the uterine wall had given way but baby in it's own little amniotic sac had survived. And that little bubble of life became Dylan, Alena and Deans first boy, meant to be here and is a four year old handsome chatty little man. The mini me of his handsome father and born into Maori heritage.
Then there were more surprises in store when Acer came along and Cruz, the 6th and 7th sons of Yvette. Sired by another Father than Simon, who has serious issues now. Peter Yvette's new partner is young, happy go lucky and has now two beautiful boys, the blond haired Acer, who is 3 and the placid and wonderful baby Cruz. He is a delight of a baby, ever smiling and hugging and learning about life already at 15 months.
He has joined our family together, Cruz, like no other baby. We all without compunction adore him and that is as it should be. He is worth adoring, as they all are and every day I give thanks to God for my wonderful family. I would not be here without them love and support and I am grateful everyday I have them all in my life.
Love Janette
