2011-09-10 05:05 is a very special point in time. This is the exact time when Ellinor decided to show her beautiful face and I became a father. The road up to this point was mere preparations. From now on it’s serious. I have a baby daughter.
I will never forget the long day and night that led up to this.
When she finally came it was total joy! I was over tired but that didn’t matter at all. First time I held her I just knew this is great.
Now a few days in, I’m more and more amazed about how she is and how much one can learn from a baby.
So she was born early Saturday morning, a few hours in we were transferred to a family room at the hospital where we could stay until the breastfeeding started and some checks were made. This was good. We had to feed her with a cup every 3 hours due to Susanna’s diabetes. That was hard. Both on us and on her, we all wanted to sleep.
On the Sunday we tried to start the breastfeeding, but that didn’t really work out in the beginning. First on Monday did we get help so that we felt that things start towork out and Ellinor did get the food she so badly wanted.
Tuesday morning we were released, actually it was more like lunch, but by now our daily schedule had become somewhat strange. We were happy to finally get home. Starting to organise our place to the new circumstances. We had left in kind ofa hurry, since we thought that she would come a few days later.
In the evening my parents came over. They brought pizza! They are really happy to have agranddaughter. Ask them and they will brag more than I do.
Back tonow:
Some nights we sleep. Some we try to get Ellinor to sleep. I’m amazed how Susanna is coping with only feeding and sleeping. But I think just sitting with Ellinor in her lap is such a great thing.
Yesterday I tried the baby sling for the first time. She really liked it. I could walk aroundwith her for a few hours (between two feeding-occasions) and she was calm and seemed happy. Then I tried it again this morning, when she didn’t really want to rest. The best thing is that she is so close; it feels much closer than when she is in my arms or on my lap. And if she starts to get unrestful I just walk around a bit and she is calm again.
Learning to understand her signs is tricky. I thought that I had learned how she acts when she is hungry, but realised that it also could mean that she wanted closeness.
I’m so happy I can be home these first days, there are so many things that have to come in place and this way I can help out in all the ways that are necessary.
Thanks to all of you that congratulated us, on facebook, via mail and phone. We really appreciate it even if we haven’t had the time to thank you all personally.
Such a beautiful account of your daughter's first days! Thank you so much for sharing, I look forward to meeting her 🙂