These days are filled with busyness, joy and love. And dirty diapers, feeding baby and holding baby. And play-doh, cartoons and coloring.
When we were at the doctor earlier this week for Patrice’s check up, the doctor gave us that little sheet about baby’s development. One of the things it said to do was get to know your baby. And that is what we are doing. Here is some of what we have learned:
Patrice likes to be held. She doesn’t sleep much otherwise. She likes the baby wearing wrap.
Patrice likes to eat, and eat and eat and eat. We’ve never had a baby who liked to eat at this young of an age. Our older two slept most of their first weeks, getting them to eat was a challenge with a capital C!
Patrice gains weight. At 6 days old she was within one ounce of her birth weight. Sue was still losing at that age, Caitlyn was just starting to think about gaining. At 10 days old, Patrice was 7 ounces over her birth weight. I am amazed. She is doing so well, we do not have to go back to the doctor until she is 2 months old. Both the doctor and I commented how we have never been set loose this early. We have always been in every week or so until about 3 months old to check weight gain, particularly with Sue.
What I have learned about myself:
I can handle 3 kids, and enjoy it, a lot!!!!!! Today is the first day I thought I might go crazy but that feeling has passed. Thank you Mr. Play-doh, Mr. Sidewalk Chalk and Mr. Coloring Books. You are providing much needed distraction for the older kids.
I feel very accomplished for doing cloth diapers with Patrice. Does it make me a better mom? No way. Is it something I thought about doing with Caitlyn and Sue, but wimped out on, yes. But thanks to a dear friend I feel less clueless this time and have a great set of supplies. The earth and my wallet thank her.
I love my littlest girls’ name more and more every day, especially her middle name. Thank you honey for indulging me in naming her after our midwife. Actually, I adore the names of all my girls, and each of them, their middle name, holds extra significance. Caitlyn is the combination of names from three special ladies from my high school years that were great encouragement to me in my Christian walk. Sue is my mom’s name (and my middle name). And then there is Patrice.
Now, maybe most would not think to name their daughter after their midwife, but my midwife has given me a great deal. She gave me the opportunity to learn my body could handle and do a lot. With my history of MS, I got told a lot I could not do this or that, enter any number of things, but when I first approached my midwife, who I found through an internet search, she saw me as a person and simply acknowledged the MS existed, giving it no more importance than it needed. She helped even my neurologist see it did not have to hold me back. She has encouraged me along the way when I struggled with some postpartum depression with my oldest, and when Sue was not gaining weight she helped me brainstorm ideas on how to help our little one. She has answered so many e-mails, too many to count really. She also helped us find solutions for Patrice’s breech position, never giving up and saying we would have to have a c-section. And she invests herself in the mom’s who are privileged to know her. She has, in short, become a friend. And that does not even begin to touch her role in our birth story (which I am almost done getting written).
I know there is much more to learn about Patrice and about ourselves as we do the family dance, but there are some glimpses in our first 12 days.
Survive til you Thrive!
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