Prudence Bibo

Tell me a bit about yourself?

My name is Pru and I’m 26 years old and have lived in Canberra my whole life and don’t see myself moving anytime soon. I’m a mum to my baby boy who is 16 weeks old.

What were you doing before babies?

I was working in the apprenticeship sector but working on getting back into the Aviation Industry but COVID had other plans so I’ve had to shift my focus on other career options.

How did you come to be a mum?

I could go on and on about my experience but in short my little baby boy was born in May and my birth experience was absolutely amazing but it was after the birth that really tested my resilience! We had gone into the hospital for some monitoring for reduced movement at 39+5 and they mentioned induction because I was so close to my due date but bub seemed relatively happy and to come back tomorrow to double check. We went back the next day and waited pretty much ALL day for the OB to come and see us after hours and hours on the CTG. They suggested let’s just induce today. I wanted to go back home to make a birthday cake but they said probably not a great idea and started the induction process that night. I was so excited that I was going to have a due date bub but that did not happen. After a very very long 35 hours bub was born via emergency c section. I had to be out under general anaesthetic which was very scary at the time. Once I got out of recovery they told me it was a boy and took me straight to the SCN where I met my little munchkin who was on a whole lot of cords and monitors as he wasn’t doing too well. He was in SCN because he was having a little bit of trouble breathing and has suspected sepsis. I got a quick little cuddle before they transported him to the NICU at TCH. Bub was in the NICU for 2 weeks. We now know that bub’s issues at birth were caused by a condition that affects his muscles and has low muscle tone which is why he wasn’t wiggling around in there towards the end. It will be a long road and we will have to constantly work on building his strength and meeting the usual milestones. It was so nice when we were finally able to bring him home. I would not wish a NICU experience onto my worst enemy.

What has your feeding journey been like?

Due to his condition our feeding journey has been a struggle. He has a nasogastric feeding tube as his condition makes his suck a little weaker than your average bub. I exclusively pumped for 4 months with short breastfeeds everyday but still having to top him up via the NG tube. Exclusively pumping is a full time job on top of the full time job of being a mother. It’s taken us a while but we are getting better and better at breastfeeding and bottle feeding. It has taken me a lot of work to keep my supply.

What has sleep been like in your household?

I would say the one and only benefit of an NG tube is how rigid the feeding schedule is. We feed every 3 hours during the day and every 4 hours during the night. Because it’s not just up to me to feed, I can share the night feeds with my partner. We’ve actually been lucky enough to be the ones who have to wake bub to feed at night. I hear all these mums complaining about being up every hour and I’m quietly sitting in the corner with a baby that sleeps through.

The hardest bits….

NICU sucks. It’s so hard not being able to take your baby home. Spending hours and hours on end at hospital seeing your baby so sick is the hardest thing I have ever done and what I will probably ever do. Not knowing how his condition will affect him in the future is hard but we are taking each day as it comes. The constant questions from other mothers saying “has your baby rolled yet?” Or “when is his tube coming out?” are hard to hear because I honestly don’t have those answers.

The best bits…

Seeing how he has improved massively since his time in hospital and seeing how he is constantly improving. We are hoping to have his tube out in the next couple of months which makes me so happy because it just shows how far he has come. Just seeing him smile and laugh and stare at you in absolute adoration is absolutely everything.

How do you make time for you?

I am lucky enough to have a very supportive partner and family that allow me to make time for me whether it be a massage, gym or just an extra long shower.

What’s next for you and your family?

We are focusing on bub’s development at the moment and hopefully once this lockdown ends we will be able to take our little munchkin on our first family holiday we so badly deserve.