Thank you so much to my wonderful husband Ryan for writing such a beautiful birth story. It is great to hear about the experience from his perspective. I have found it difficult to put something so profound into words, so this is where having a professional writer-husband really comes in handy. I keep remembering something my friend Mandy said when I told her I was finding it hard to express my feelings about the birth, she said: "So hard to describe and yet so cherished in your soul for forever." Exactly! It was an unbelievably positive experience for us. Though I can not say it was pain free, our Hypnobabies course went a long way in preparing us for a calm and confident childbirth experience. I would definitely recommend the classes and techniques for any expectant parents that are interested in natural childbirth.
Today is Ryan's first day back at work since the babe was born. It kind of feels like the first day of school, everything is so fresh and exciting. We have a whole new lifestyle to settle in to and figure out. Here are a few things that we have learned about Rylie so far:
- She sleeps very well at night, waking only to feed, which we praise her for every morning. During the day she is more fussy, making it challenging to get much done around the house, on the blog, in the studio, etc.
- She loves the sling and Baby Bjorn and spends much of her time in either of these two carriers. When put in the sling, she promptly falls fast asleep and sleeps very soundly. When she wakes, she is a happier and calmer baby.
- She has a tendency to overfeed and has become a bit of a spitter. I've had to pay really close attention to how much she is eating so that all of it does not come back up on herself, me, the couch, the pillows, etc.
- She loves to rock, bounce, jiggle. She definitely wants to keep it moving at all times.
She reveals herself to us more and more everyday and at the most unexpected times. Like last night on the changing table at 3:00 am she flashed me the most fantastic smile. It was a real deal smile, not just one of her many facial contortions that happened to look like a smile. She smiled because she was happy to be clean and dry. Over the course of the weekend, Ryan and I took her out on a few adventures like the grocery store and to a restaurant. It wasn't the smoothest of sailing, but we are learning and we can't stay on lock down in the house forever. We have maintained our sense of humor through it all and that has helped us immensely and makes things seem easier and builds our confidence too. Now, the next big skill I need to work on is breastfeeding discreetly in public, that seems impossible! It sure would make life easier if I could get good at it, though.
Hello! I'm Liz Scott - mama to two little ones, maker, and all around curiosity chaser. I live with my family in Los Angeles, where we seek to fill each day with adventure, joy and creativity. I write about it all here on the blog. Thank you for visiting.
