...and then there were 4!
It's been a few weeks since my last blog and there is a very good reason for this...I've only gone and had a baby! Yes, a little girl took her place in our world just over 4 weeks ago.
It's an amazing feeling. This is not your first and you wonder how they can compare to those before her. The house is a mess, the fridge is empty and there is a concave mould of your butt on the sofa, but you look at her knowing how she'll change your world and you are instantly in love with...the new cleaner! Yay! Ok Ok, don't judge me. But with her in my life I can immerse myself in the world of my new baby girl who I completely and utterly adore, as does hubby and the kids. She has fitted in as if we've always been waiting for her...and she smells yummy! (Which is more than I can say for my other three on a P.E day in the summer!)
The birth was good. A water birth as I'd hoped for. Everyone kept joking that fourth time around "You'll cough it out!", "You'll sneeze it out!", "Don't make her laugh, she'll go into labour!". I hadn't prepared myself for the baby (who if you've read previous blogs has a history of spinning around in my bump) decided to turn back to back at last minute, and that is how she entered the world. If you're like me and have never had or known much about a 'back to back' baby, then this information would gain a response along the lines of "Oh, cool!". However when you do know, the response is more "Holy c*@p, that's crazy painful!" to which you respond..."Yes. Yes it was!"...and it really was! I couldn't work out why fourth time around I was in so much pain. The midwife didn't refer to it afterwards so I just figured I'd become a total wuss bag. It was only when chatting to other Mums and midwifes at their visits post birth, that it was confirmed that I had every right to be thinking I would never do that again!
Anyway, moving on. As a general rule I find people mostly talk about the rough side of being a parent. The painful, long labour, the sleepless nights, colic etc. If you're lucky and experiencing only one or none of these things to any notable degree, you are best served to just say nothing and listen whist tilting your head with asympathetic/empathetic look on your face. (You know, the look where people can't decipher if you're thinking 'I understand as I too am suffering' or 'I have no idea what that feels like but I pity you')
As I won't be able to see the looks of resentment on your faces, I'm going to take this opportunity to tell you the following... my kid sleeps! Yes she sleeps, sleeps like a dream! Sleeps in the day, sleeps at night, sleeps in the car. In between lovingly gazing into my eyes and eating well she (here it comes) sleeps! I've never made one like it! Don't get me wrong, I've done this enough times now to know this could change at any minute. But for as long as I am living the dream (and getting to dream lots during all the sleep I'm getting), I'm just going to lap it up! Go on, hate me! I won't know much about it as I'll probably be sleeping!
There is no rule to say penance must be paid for having a baby that sleeps well, but I have received an invoice. The cost has been an undiagnosed tongue-tie (despite asking for them to check it 2 days after she was born and being told she was fine) which was cut at 2 weeks. As a result of feeding a tongue tie baby for 2 weeks, I had the bleeding boobs that went with that followed by nipple thrush (That's right men. Whilst you're standing up peeing and not having periods each month, you can add a never having fungus nipple to the reasons you love being a man!) Then of course followed the almost inevitable dose of Mastitis. Such fun! I sense that you don't begrudge me my sleep as much now.
Anyhoo, we're pretty much back on track now. I'm multi-tasking on a level I have never previously known (which basically means I'm doing lots of things badly at the same time), including typing this blog one handed whilst feeding. (Easy up there kid, it's not a chew toy!) I actually started writing this 6 days ago, so if I start the next one straight away I should have it with you by Christmas.
Big congrats to anyone else who has welcomed their own little monkey chops into the world.
Writing this was exhausting...we're going for a sleep! ;-)