My baby seemed so distressed as she was wiped and weighed. What could I do to calm her? I shushed her, softly called her name. No joy.
Maybe a familiar song that she’d heard daily in the womb? It helped. But surrounded by medical professionals in the Chelsea operating theatre, I did feel self-conscious singing, 'Good old Arsenal…'
Monday, January 28, 2008
Publication - [1 month old]
A baby magazine asked me to write a sixty-word response to their question, WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST EMOTIONS AND THOUGHTS UPON SEEING YOUR NEWBORN BABY? Here's what was published:
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Sunday morning [2 weeks old]
I think Scarlett laughed for the first time today, just now, in her sleep. I know babies aren't supposed to smile or laugh this young, and that it's probably something else, but that's certainly what it looked like. Biggest smile she's ever done, combined with a 'heh-heh-heh'.
Sunday morning 830 and Scarlett and I are sitting on the couch. Scarlett's asleep on the superpillow mother bought us. AW's just gone to bed after being up all night with her from about 230am. This tends to be the case - that we take it in shifts in the lounge. Scarlett will happily sleep in the cot in our bedroom when she's definitely asleep and swaddled, but often one of us lets the other get deep sleep while Scarlett and the nominated one hangs out with the TV and the internet in the lounge.
Right now both my girls are in full sleep, in different rooms, both with their arms and hands fully extended, as if embracing sleep.
Can you tell we have a newborn? All my paragraphs so far have talked about sleep! I could give a longer discourse about Scarlett's digestive system and the liquid contents of her nappies if you want, but let's draw a veil, shall we?
I'm sitting here with a headache from my latest diet. Haven't yet had my Cabbage Soup . . .
On Tuesday I went to work for most of the day, and my girls seemed to do fine without me.
On Thursday met up with my Aussie mate in Starbucks in Notting Hill. It took longer for me and Scarlett to get ready and take the stroller a quarter mile up the road, than for him and his three-month-old (whose middle name is London!) to jump on the bus and travel here from Central London! Being 'men with babies' and therefore safe, got quite a few smiles from women.
On Friday (her two-weeks anniversary) we met up with some of the women and their newborns from out NCT antenatal classes. It was interesting enough to hear stories of the births, although I was the only bloke there, and the conversation was a little stilted on occasion. Not necessarily because of my presence. On that trip there was plenty of breastfeeding in the car, which went well, and Scarlett certainly seems to be lulled to sleep by the car sounds. She slept for the two hours up there and the two hours back.
AW absolutely loves Scarlett and is constantly absorbed by her every movement. She also loves being in the flat and NOT AT WORK. Her lowest point came last night when she had to deal with some of our paperwork regarding some US insurance.
Today we are likely to look for fireplaces, as AW's generous gift from her grandmother will go some way to letting us renovate the flat in the way we would like it. This will remove a couple of hard corners in the flat, and enable us to put down carpet, both of which should make it a little safer for the baby, as well as being more aesthetically pleasing.
Sunday morning 830 and Scarlett and I are sitting on the couch. Scarlett's asleep on the superpillow mother bought us. AW's just gone to bed after being up all night with her from about 230am. This tends to be the case - that we take it in shifts in the lounge. Scarlett will happily sleep in the cot in our bedroom when she's definitely asleep and swaddled, but often one of us lets the other get deep sleep while Scarlett and the nominated one hangs out with the TV and the internet in the lounge.
Right now both my girls are in full sleep, in different rooms, both with their arms and hands fully extended, as if embracing sleep.
Can you tell we have a newborn? All my paragraphs so far have talked about sleep! I could give a longer discourse about Scarlett's digestive system and the liquid contents of her nappies if you want, but let's draw a veil, shall we?
I'm sitting here with a headache from my latest diet. Haven't yet had my Cabbage Soup . . .
On Tuesday I went to work for most of the day, and my girls seemed to do fine without me.
On Thursday met up with my Aussie mate in Starbucks in Notting Hill. It took longer for me and Scarlett to get ready and take the stroller a quarter mile up the road, than for him and his three-month-old (whose middle name is London!) to jump on the bus and travel here from Central London! Being 'men with babies' and therefore safe, got quite a few smiles from women.
On Friday (her two-weeks anniversary) we met up with some of the women and their newborns from out NCT antenatal classes. It was interesting enough to hear stories of the births, although I was the only bloke there, and the conversation was a little stilted on occasion. Not necessarily because of my presence. On that trip there was plenty of breastfeeding in the car, which went well, and Scarlett certainly seems to be lulled to sleep by the car sounds. She slept for the two hours up there and the two hours back.
AW absolutely loves Scarlett and is constantly absorbed by her every movement. She also loves being in the flat and NOT AT WORK. Her lowest point came last night when she had to deal with some of our paperwork regarding some US insurance.
Today we are likely to look for fireplaces, as AW's generous gift from her grandmother will go some way to letting us renovate the flat in the way we would like it. This will remove a couple of hard corners in the flat, and enable us to put down carpet, both of which should make it a little safer for the baby, as well as being more aesthetically pleasing.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
It's Been, One Week - [1 week, 1 day old]
830am Saturday morning and the construction hammering below us has begun. Scarlett is sleeping on the sofa next to me. She's swaddled, but has got one hand free to put behind her head in her modelling pose. I woke up at 5 to take over from American Woman, as I have been doing at 4am for the last few days. Scarlett always sleeps at this time, so it's an easy gig to give AW a few uninterrupted hours of sleep in our bedroom while I try to sleep but end up surfing the net.
Yesterday our midwife Juliet visited again and weighed Scarlett. She has put on weight (they always drop after the birth, but now she's well above her birthweight). The midwife also talked us through how to use the breast-pump Maria has lent us.
Yesterday afternoon Patrick and Kathryn came over for a visit, bringing with them a gift for Scarlett from their trip to Nepal. It is a thick cloth jacket, lined with yak hair (!), for when she's 6-18 months (at a guess . . . ). AW was a little embarrassed that the breast pump was still on display, effectively a milking machine in our lounge.
Previous to their arrival was the messiest explosion in (and around) her nappy ever, necessitating a hurried (and unwelcome) dunking in her bath. The stuff was orange and very runny. I know Chicken Tikka Masala is Britain's favourite dish but there's no need for an impersonation.
Our NCT group of new parents are trying to arrange a meet-up in in the countryside on Friday. I suspect that 'Friday' means the women and kids only, as most of the men will be at work. Only one of us has yet to deliver. I very much doubt we'll go.
910am and she's waking up now. I will change her nappy and then wake AW as she'll cry during the change and then want feeding.
Yesterday our midwife Juliet visited again and weighed Scarlett. She has put on weight (they always drop after the birth, but now she's well above her birthweight). The midwife also talked us through how to use the breast-pump Maria has lent us.
Yesterday afternoon Patrick and Kathryn came over for a visit, bringing with them a gift for Scarlett from their trip to Nepal. It is a thick cloth jacket, lined with yak hair (!), for when she's 6-18 months (at a guess . . . ). AW was a little embarrassed that the breast pump was still on display, effectively a milking machine in our lounge.
Previous to their arrival was the messiest explosion in (and around) her nappy ever, necessitating a hurried (and unwelcome) dunking in her bath. The stuff was orange and very runny. I know Chicken Tikka Masala is Britain's favourite dish but there's no need for an impersonation.
Our NCT group of new parents are trying to arrange a meet-up in in the countryside on Friday. I suspect that 'Friday' means the women and kids only, as most of the men will be at work. Only one of us has yet to deliver. I very much doubt we'll go.
910am and she's waking up now. I will change her nappy and then wake AW as she'll cry during the change and then want feeding.
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