Yesterday, we had a baby. Today, we started living with baby. First of all, the pictures:
We’re still at the birthing center, but expect to leave in the morning. Some observations we’ve made along the way:
- Daddy has a superpower for calming a screaming Dashiell. However, this superpower only works while currently *holding* Dashiell, so it’s more or less useless for Daddy himself. NOTE: This message is being typed one-handed.
- Mommy came through all this with zero surgical procedures and no tearing of any kind, and only a mild painkiller (nubain) during delivery separated it from being an utterly natural birth.
- The Bradley Method fortunately turned out to be almost identical to guided meditation, which we already used previously, so all it took to get it down pat was to read a couple of books. We were actually *ready* for labor and delivery. This surprises no one more than us!
- Believe the birthing coaches you previously mocked for reporting how hard a job it is. It doesn’t hurt as much as the mommy’s job, but trust me, the daddy cried first!
- Watching your own child being born is simultaneously the most awe-inspiring and the most frightening thing in the universe.
- It’s a disturbing thing to realize that there is a human alive that actually weighs less than our miniature Dachshund.
- The scream of a five-pound infant is the the most alarming thing on the face of the planet! (At least to Mommy and Daddy, anyway. YMMV)
- A day old newborn has never eaten food, but comes pre-loaded with twelve diapers’ worth of the most bizzare effluvium I have ever observed. It’s like someone left licorice in the sun…
- Daddy has been informed by several staff that, should he choose to change careers, he has a bright future in the Doula and/or Midwife industries. Daddy would not do that job for any amount of money.
- Sleep is more important than you think. I know, because the trees in the wallpaper told me…
