Hi all

Just wanted to share with you our wonderful news that on 9 July 2009 our beautiful little girl Taylah Louise entered the world. She was 7 pound 1 ounce and 49.5 cms long. I was 6 days over and they induced me. All is well, she is a gorgeous little thing - yes I am biased of course! Such a surprise for me because I swore I was having another boy!

My son is a doting big brother and loves her to bits, we are just finding the middle ground at the moment with mummy having to share her time with both of them. Overall he has been really good but some days are a bit of a power-play struggle!

Ugghh I have to admit I have had enough. I want this baby out, I want the constant nausea and the vomiting to stop and most importantly I want to meet this special gift that has made me spend the last 35 weeks of my life with my head stuck in the toilet!

Unfortunately two weeks ago the maternity ward in Bourke closed indefinitely so I am about 400kms away in Dubbo playing the waiting game with my very active 3 year old while my husband has stayed home to work. The mental preparation for this hasn't been great. I know it is about safely having our baby delivered but I really just wish I was home with my hubby. I am very luck that my mum lives close to Dubbo so I at least I have some support and some where to stay as many others don't have that luxury and have to stick out the final days in a cramped motel room.

So the countdown is well and truly on, See the Dr again on Wednesday and I hope that they will agree to induce me on Friday or Monday if the baby hasn't arrived. I am physically and emotionally exhausted right now and at least by being induced I can make sure my hubby will be here to witness our second child come into the world. :-) Hope you will all hear from me soon!

Firstly let me say I do not know this family or this little girl, nor do I know anyone who knows them. I am simply an Australian Parent who since yesterday morning has been sitting in utter disbelief truly not wanting to believe the news reports that were being beamed around the nation. I honestly just went numb.

Well it is a day later since that horrific tragedy that occurred in Melbourne yesterday morning. I still sit and listen to the news reports in utter disbelief. The heartbreak I feel for this childs mother and brothers is incredible. As a parent I was in tears not knowing why or understanding what could make someone do this to their own daughter let alone any innocent child.

When I got home from work yesterday I just wanted to hold my son so close to me and I felt so grateful for such a wonderful treasure in my life. This poor mother won't have this chance again with her little girl. I can only hope those little boys did not actually see their sister be thrown, for them to deal with such an occurence in their lives is heartbreaking. This poor family has such a long road ahead of them, it will be long, dark, haunting and extremely difficult. They are in so many peoples prayers and thoughts. The torture of asking the question why did this happen, how could someone do this will no doubt be circling around and around as it is in my own head. Sadly I do not believe that a true answer will ever be provided.

I'm sorry to bring up such a sad sad sad thing but I am sure there are those of you on here who are feeling the same as I am. It is so hard to describe the way I am feeling. The innocence of a child, the beauty of a child, the treasure that a child is, I really question why some people become parents....

The following article was in the Daily Telegraph today:

Doctor flies in the face of health bosses Article from:

EXCLUSIVE by Kate Sikora

January 16, 2009 12:00am

A SURGEON flew his own plane to treat patients in a remote outback town yesterday after health officials turned down his offer to work free.

The 3000-strong town of Bourke was treated to a general surgeon for the first time in four years when Neil Meulman spent $1000 of his own money to make the trip.

Despite a newly-built hospital, locals are usually forced to travel 400km to Dubbo - an eight-hour return journey - for minor surgery.

But for the past 18 months, Dr Meulman has been wanting to provide an outreach service in Bourke.

Despite initially accepting his offer, the problem-plagued Greater Western Area Health Service this week refused his offer to fly in once a month for six months, free of charge.

"It's a lose-lose situation," he said. "I am offering my services free of charge and they are obstructing me."

About 30 patients queued outside Bourke's medical practice to see Dr Meulman. He has been denied access to the hospital and instead is filling out admission forms, preparing a waiting list of people who need surgical procedures such as vasectomies, lumpectomies and tumours and varicose veins removed.

Grandmother Christine Campbell, 62, will spend $400 every month for the year travelling to Sydney for follow-up procedures to an operation she had in December.

"If there was a surgeon here or Neil could stay then I wouldn't have to spend that much money and leave my family," she said. "The AHS is cutting its nose off to spite its face."

Before becoming a surgeon 14 years ago, Dr Meulman, who lives in Bathurst with his wife and three children, wanted to do humanitarian work. But he realised there was a greater need in his own backyard.

In a letter to Dr Meulman, area chief executive Claire Blizard said: "As previously advised a separate surgical service is not currently planned for Bourke.

"Until a decision is taken at Bourke, the AHS is unable to consider your offer of a free service."

Source: The Daily Telegraph 

My response was:

Thank you Dr Meulman! Our services in Bourke are declining rapidly. In Bourke we no longer are able to get our ultrasounds done here, our maternity ward is currently closed resulting in mums from Brewarrina, Cobar and Bourke travelling to Dubbo to have babies and pay $160 for an ultrasound that we could get on medicare.

 

BourkeHospital have previously turned down an offer from a local fundraising committee for a dialysis machine DONATED to them, this would not have occurred if we still had a Hospital Board.

 

We have a new hospital which has a theatre that is virtually unused due to lack of staff and now GWAHS' obvious lack of forsight or caring for the locals of the area. Here is an offer from a wonderful man to assist our Community which would surely benefit the hospital in turn but due to bureaucracy from "those who supposedly know best about Communities" like ours or is it just sheer stupidity.

 

Surely it is time for the CEO to actually wake up to herself and take a look beyond the hill leading out of Dubbo. Also the NSW Government - there are places further than the confines of Sydney that require assistance.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.