You can read all the books you want, and go to all the
neonatal classes, and take all the helpful advices in the world, but
nothing really prepares you for your own little baby and a life who
depends on you for existence.
Samuel and Jennifer Gibson are the proud new parents
of baby Rosa. Samuel is determined to be an active, hands-on dad,
and that includes changing nappies.
Right from the get-go, when I first met Sam, he's always said
there's a way to do everything, and may not be
the conventional way, it may take a while to figure it out,
but there's always a way.
[crying baby]
Samuel was born with osteogenesis imperfecta,
or brittle bone disease.
It's just a defect in the collagen. Collagen is the fiber which
makes up your bone or gives it its strength.
When I was born the midwife who delivered me
promptly tipped me upside-down and patted me on the back
and, doing that, she broke my femur, so I guess I had a little bit of
a rough start in life, and then from then on, when I was very young,
my bones were very, very fragile. Fortunately, all is in a condition
which does almost settle down. Our bones did become stronger
as I got older, so I'm as strong now as I've ever been.
Having a child of his own has given Samuel a new perspective
on his disability.
I guess it's given me more of an understanding of what
my parents went through when I was a baby. It must have been
very, very hard.
[motorcycle engines]
Attitudes first met Samuel and Jennifer two years ago,
when the couple were busy enjoying the outdoors together,
and only dreaming of starting a family. Now that Rosa's arrived,
they're hoping to find their pleasures closer to home.
They're both real foodies and can cook.
Rather than the long dinner that take 2 or 3 hours to prepare,
it's more of a step to give up fresh pasta or something like that.
It still works for us. Yep. [baby crying]
Hi, guys. Can we have a look?
This is going great. It's all going great. We're just loving it.
Samuel enjoys being weekend chef, and Rosa's
keen on a tucker too.
It's always been a good little feeder. But yet, it's quite
consuming, all-consuming, isn't it?
That's right. We are both probably more sleep-deprived
than we've ever been, but I certainly can't complain.
Having children has been on their agenda since they were married
six years ago.
The first 12 weeks of our pregnancy, we kept it to ourselves,
as you do, and they were very special time when it's only us
that knows what's happening. And then it was great to be able
to tell the family that we were going to have a baby. But that's all.
That was okay.
Yeah. Didn't go exactly as planned, but that's okay.
You can't plan these things. Got a safe baby and a safe mum.
So that's what's the important thing.
Rosa's birth ended up being a Caesarean.
It wasn't too scarring.
Not for you. I got a little bit of a scar. [laughter]
It was good. It was very exciting, and just that first bellow
that she gave, I'll never ever forget it.
In my family I'm the only one with osteogenesis imperfecta.
Brittle bones is a genetic disorder, so there was lots of things
we need to learn and to know before we started a family,
and here we are with a healthy, happy little girl.
Rosa doesn't carry a gene.
The two of them met backpacking on the Mekong Delta.
It's a spark about him that I, good wit, good sense of humor,
and just the way he handles himself, really.
Samuel's brittle bones weren't a hurdle for her.
I think it was, I love this man, and it was a complete package.
Moving to New Zealand was probably the biggest thing,
and probably the biggest thing for my family.
But her parents did have some concerns when she first told them
about Samuel.
You always want what's best for your daughter and imagine her
being cared for by an able-bodied person. You wouldn't envision
Samuel right off, but once Samuel came to Canada and
spent time with my family, they fell in love with him, and
very quickly, you don't see his wheelchair anymore, and you just
see him for who he is. [baby crying]
One thing that does grate on me a little is people,
learning Jen is a nurse, think "oh, well that's lovely"
"that you've married someone who can look after you."
I don't get any nursing at home. I don't get any special
looking after. Alright, Jenny, ready for some dinner?
[crying baby]
Rosa's got plenty to say for herself. She's slept through the night
again. Samuel's ability to be an active father relies on the
versatility of his wheelchair. He developed this chair with a
mechanical engineer friend after finding regular models too restrictive.
It's now manufactured by a Swedish wheelchair company
and sold worldwide.
A little bit hungry, sweetie?
[baby crying]
Getting right to the floor is very key. That's a key feature for me.
I can lie on the ground and play with my little girl.
I guess the one thing I can't do, and I have to be very careful,
is I can't lift the baby. I wouldn't, just because I would
hate for anything to happen.
You left the door open.
How many times have you told me?
Their midwife has arrived for her last visit.
Can I have a look at you first?
Yeah, I'm just going to get dressed and I'll come back out.
Alright, you go and get dressed.
Look at that little one.
Time to check Rosa's progress.
I think there's a few, just a few.
Aw, Rosa. I wouldn't lean down to that.
She just reached 5 kilo. What you been feeding her?
-[laughter] -Yeah, let her sleep past the night.
The midwife's verdict: Rosa and her parents
are doing everything just right.
Good way of getting to sleep, her to sleep through the night.