The First Week

This post, as expected, is incredibly late and I apologise. I also apologise for the fact that these posts may not always flow right – I’m currently writing a lot of posts on my phone using the WordPress app whilst T is feeding/sleeping on me. It’s not great (the app, not the feeding), but it’s what I have to do if I want to continue writing – which I do.

So the first week was intense. We were still in shock that we were finally parents, not to mention actually getting to grips with the parenting thing. We were loving it – even the 3:00am feeds! The first week was also a rollercoaster of emotions. I still had a bucket load of hormones running through me, so pretty much anything could set me off crying; ranging from T’s sweet cot mobile that plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, to forgetting to pick up my bottle of water before a feed. It was frustrating at times as I didn’t even know why I was crying sometimes. Thankfully, this has subsided now and I’m back to normal. I still get emotional, but now when I’m genuinely happy/sad.

The tiredness also didn’t really kick in until Day 4. I think we were still running on adrenaline from the birth and the general “We have a baby!” high, however even now I’m not really tired during the day, it’s only around 7:00pm that I start to drop.

We also had a couple of visits from community midwives. I really enjoyed these visits as they were quick sanity checks. Almost every day I wondered whether T was getting enough milk, whether his poo was normal, even whether him sleeping longer than other days was normal. Deep down we already knew the answers, but this was new to me so having these visits really helped – I really didn’t like Dr. Google.

Dr. Google can be your saviour, but it can also be your enemy. Depending on how you word the question will depend on what your answer will be… Use. With. Caution. If in doubt, speak to an actual human.

We also got ourselves out quite a bit, which made me happy, it also cleared my head that was starting to get a tad stuffy. By Day 2 we took ourselves out to the local shops, and on Day 4 we went into Brighton by car. It was great!! I loved watching S push the buggy around.

I didn’t think much of getting out as the weather was glorious, and I would always try and make the most of it anyway before T arrived – especially in England – but when I saw a work colleague at the supermarket they were shocked that we were had already left the house?! Did we do something out of the ordinary? I didn’t think so. I can see where you could easily lose a week when getting into the swing of things, and trying to get out took a surprising amount of time to get ready, which could be off putting, but I needed to get out to make the most out of our time.

Of course, no first week would be complete without the visitors. I’d heard horror stories about family and friends visiting early on and stressing everyone out by making themselves at home whilst you’re still remembering what boob you fed from last, but our experience was perfect – everyone was amazing. Apart from lovely messages, gifts, etc, we were left alone. It was very relaxing. By the end of Week 2, T had met his grandmas, auntie, uncles, cousins, grandad and further nominated aunties and uncles (you know, those special friends who are allowed to tell your kids off when they’re playing up), but it was at our own pace. It was perfect.

Not that we had to tell anyone to back off, but at the same time don’t be afraid to stand your ground. The first week is naturally chaotic, the last thing you need is family bouldering in. Of course they want to meet the new addition to the family but your sanity is more important. You want to remember your first few days being about baby and not entertaining guests. I would perhaps recommend setting the groundwork before the baby arrives by dropping hints re visits, etc, but if all else fails stand your ground and don’t be afraid to say no.

So that was our first week. I’m sure there was more to it but it went so fast I honestly can’t remember everything. How was your first week home with the baby?

K