Hello from the newborn baby bubble, where I’m typing this with one hand while feeding our little Rosie Hope Cunningham with the other.
All week I’ve been trying to find time at the computer ‘between feeds’, but the happy reality is we’re on Rosie time now! Between Zac and me (dad and mum!) we’re 24/7 feeding, changing and settling our baby girl, and we couldn’t be more grateful.
Rosie, nicknamed ‘HB’ for heartbeat the moment we saw her as a wriggly little dot on her first scan, was born at 8.29pm 22 June. Her birth weight was a strong 4.04kg (8lb 15oz) across a lanky 54cm frame and her head circumference was 35.5cm.
I like to think Rosie announced her own entry to the world as she filled Beaudesert Hospital with her beautiful, powerful cries before I’d even finished pushing her out. I hope she always uses her voice to tell us how she feels and to speak up in life.
We continue to receive amazing support from our midwife Lena Williams and everyone at our local maternity unit and Beaudesert Medical Centre.
It was a dream to birth Rosie at our local hospital, which holds a special place in my heart. As a young journalist at the old Beaudesert Times, I was able to actively give voice to the community’s push to reopen birthing services.
I remember the 2014 reopening like it was yesterday, as advocates celebrated a massive win in a 12 year battle to get services back.
Beauy’s award winning maternity unit is the envy of rural communities across the state for good reason, and from our personal experience I believe advocacy is still required to ensure it remains resourced to stay firing on all cylinders.
So, what has ‘What Susie Saw’ seen since Rosie came into the world?
Plenty of walks, thankfully! We started with that first walk out of Beauy Hospital to our car the night after she was born, then a little wander in the backyard, then a short stroll around the block. Now we just do whatever feels right beyond that, depending on the day.
Of course, life isn’t all carefree morning strolls and stunning sunrises.
We’ve been open about our sometimes-challenging journey to parenthood, paved with a run of bad luck including losses and even trauma (we’re forever grateful to local emergency services for getting me life-saving care when I needed it).
We respect those who have been through or are on a tough journey themselves. Life can be so heartbreaking.
Here’s to morning walks for helping us hold onto that powerful and vulnerable thing called hope through life’s challenges.
We feel so supported and everyone’s excitement has been infectious for our new arrival.
Thank you all for giving us a sense of community.
