Life With a Newborn

Well, first of all, I have to say that I did not expect to see so much change in a newborn in such a short space of time. When ever I heard someone say that babies grow so fast, I really did not think it would be like this. Zoé is no longer a teeny tiny 2.98kg newborn, she has already grown to a 3.4kg baby. I am, of course, proud of her and I for all the hard work with the feeding but I already miss her skinny arms and legs  and pocket-size hands and feet. Day by day I see a change in her, which is awesome, but a little part of me pines for day 1 again.

Zoé seems to be a very happy and content little baby. She wakes up everyday hungry and raring to get the day started. She eats and then she wants a nice little play for a couple of hours before passing out. Most late afternoons and evenings she is up and enjoying family time, which includes bath and food and a little playing. For a week now, she sleeps from 10 pm to 1 am feeds for an hour and then goes back to sleep until 5 or 6 am. This has been a welcome surprise and hasn’t been as tough as I was expecting.

There have been very few screaming and crying episodes from Zoé. There have been a couple of times when she cried  during or after having a bath and after her morning feed when I am having my breakfast. This morning, we had our first hysterical incident, which I managed to calm down with swaddling. I was more than surprised that after 2 hours of on/off crying I wrapped her up and within in 2 minutes she was settled. I am not jumping for joy just yet, it could be a fluke or just luck, but it did work this morning and swaddling will be the first thing I turn to when it happens again.

It has been extremely uncomfortable trying to do anything in the heat. I think it is unusually hot, temperatures reaching 40 degrees celsius, and for a newborn it really is not the best. Last week we managed to go out during the day, but this week we are just staying inside during the day. It is terrifying when I see her little red face from the heat or hold her sweaty little head. So, our Air Con is blasting out cold air 24/7, we even camped out in the living room one night, as this room is the coolest. But, she seems quite happy and if she wasn’t I am sure she would be crying to let us know that she was uncomfortable. However, almost everyday we go outside in the evening to get some fresh air and see the world.

I am not sure what Zoe feels about me taking all these pictures of her. But I just can’t help myself. Naturally, I think she is the most beautiful baby and the perfect baby. I also want to treasure ever moment of her life and to document her growth. I do know that the silly little posing pictures I take are more for me than for her and just for fun. I just love dressing her up and putting her into those cute little positions.

As for me, I have already lost 9 kg with one and a half to go. I don’t think I will lose that 1 kilo when I am breastfeeding as I think that it is probably milk. I have been amazed at how quickly my stomach has gone down. My body is not back to where it was, but my stomach is gone. It actually looks like a deflated balloon, which really is not pretty and something I cannot wait to sort out.  I am back in my normal clothes again, which is making me feel more like myself again, so no more black and blues for awhile. I have been walking everyday, a few power walking trips with Nelson or going out in the evenings with Zoe. I have also been doing some light stomach exercises, not crunches, just some pelvic floor exercises combined with abdominal muscle “joining” (not sure what to call them) exercises. I cannot do much more at this point until my stitches come out and I have been given the green light from the doctor.

I thought I would be more tired than I am right now. Zoe is a really great sleeper and I manage to get 3 hours straight before her first feed in the night and then another 3 or 4 hours before we wake up in the morning. So, it is quite OK for the moment. One thing I have had to change is my morning routine. I must change and feed her before I can think about myself. So, that means I am not ready for the day before 10 am, which is quite a big difference from my normal 5 am routine. We are embracing all these changes and loving every minute.