9 days old - Not quite there yet..

It's Wayne's first day back on the job. We did hope he could take longer off, but it's spring which is a manic time for any landscaper, and as he's planning on selling the business this year, it's not a good idea to have a slow time on the books in your busiest season!

Poor guy - it's suddenly 26 degrees after a couple of weeks of cool weather. It's gone from blustery to blistery, and he's suddenly thrust out into it. Erk!

So this of course means it's my first day alone with my baby. Naturally we've had our share of hiccups to celebrate this. Firstly, his majesty decided not to be so good about feeding/sleeping, so we've only had one decent sleeping stint (but thankfully, that was a time I grabbed two extra hours of kip so I'm not too far behind). Then when he was having his lunchtime feed, he went right off the boob, a little trick he pulls from time to time. Normally I express the rest and feed him that, plus a bottle to top up (the kid's a piglet, what can I say!) but Wayne cleaned and disembled the breastpump, and being mechanically challenged, I can't get the damn thing working right.

So nothing for it but extra, extra formula. Which Braeden then spectactularly projectile vomited clear across the lounge.

Startled the hell out of the dog, that did.

Kid takes after me too much!

Bubs' problem is that he pigs out, then barfs. It's a bit of a tightrope keeping him stimulated enough so that he stays awake to feed, without forgetting to burp him regularly enough to forestall the chuckies. Thing is, he loves being burped and it's the one position guaranteed to send him off to sleep!

(Two positions actually - the against-the-shoulder method, and the cupped-around-Mum's-palm method. Both are good for easy go-ni-nights)

I've just now got him off to sleep, but not in his cot unfortunately. Braeden does not like to sleep on his back, and it's much easier to get him to sleep if on his side, or on your chest in an upright position.

Thing is, the only way these are possible (safely) is when Mum or Dad are awake and watching. And if he's not in his cot, then the sound/movement monitor isn't forewarning me of any breathing problems, so I have to be vigilant.

SIDS is a major fear of mine, particularly with this kid wanting to upchuck so easily, and sleep apnoea running right through my side of the family. Wayne's picking me up some Karicare (antivomit) jelly on the way home, and let's hope that helps.

If I could just shift this headache, I'd be a happier chappy.

Anyhoo, some random musings that occurred over the last week that I forgot to mention earlier:

Wayne reckons that the main reason they didn't get on to a caesarian when the labour went to hell in a handcart was the fact that there were three already happening back to back, and there simply wasn't the facility to give me one ahead of what must have been considered more urgent deliveries. Makes sense - no one would schedule a caesar at midnight, so they must have been emergency ones. Wish they'd told me this at the time instead of dangling the carrot, though. No doubt our midwife also wasn't told because she kept going and finding someone else for a second, third and umpteenth opinion. Now we're just guessing here, but it seems logical, eh!

One lesson I learned while in hospital is that you have to be proactive, ie WHINGE! I suffered the piddles of the damned for four whole days before a nurse caught me coming out of the loo gasping greenly, and asked "Does it hurt to pee?" When I nodded, she came to light with the Ural sachets which have made all the difference in the world. Now it seems ridiculous that you would need to ask for help when everyone on the staff knows of your complications and what you're likely to be feeling, but hey, that's our medical system. Be a wimp - moan your ass off. Being staunch and brave just makes you a martyr and no one is going to give you a medal.

Be extra nice to the cleaners and the catering staff. Having earned my stripes doing that kind of work in my teenage years, I always said thank you and cleaned all the rubbish off my tray and wiped the surfaces down behind me. As a result, all my visitors were mysteriously allowed cups of coffee/tea when the tea trolley came past.. amazing! (They even got biscuits sometimes)

If you don't have a sound AND movement monitor for your baby, go out and get one now. I would not be able to sleep a wink if I wasn't sure I would not wake to find a cold dead baby. It also means while bubs is sleeping, you can run the vaccuum cleaner, washing machine, and hey, even the small lawnmowing tractor (or Dad can) without having to check constantly if baby has woken and is sobbing his wee heart out unheard. There's something incredibly reassuring in the pitch black of night to watch the signal light tick over in time with baby's breath. You can't see your baby in the darkness, but you know he's sleeping safely. You can't put a price on that peace of mind.

Pull the Young Wives Trick of writing on the back of the card what the gift was that accompanied it. If you're blessed with generous friends/family, the gifts will come in so hard and fast that in a day or three you won't remember who gave what, which makes writing the thank you notes a bit tricky. We did ask for Braeden's heart rate printouts (there were enough to go right round a large room) to use on the thank you cards, but they got chucked out. Pity.

Damn.. the head ache isn't backing off, and it's so very hot that I bet that's why bubs doesn't want to be in his bed. It must be cooler on Mum's desk with a muslin sheet over you, I suppose. Of course where he really wants to be is on my chest, but it's far too hot for his mother to contemplate that.

Still and all.. I've got to get off this tailbone, and get these flippers elevated before they split, so I suppose I'll have to sacrifice my thermostat to keep my child asleep and my body healing.