Now that I'm a Mum, one of the things that I crave are stories from my Mum about her early days as a Mum. Did she breastfeed? Did we sleep through the night? Did she have much help? etc. And, as it goes, these early days often get forgotten or overtaken by the truckload of memories that build up over the years. So, I'm writing most of this stuff so that one day, when my daughters are grown (hopefully a LOT grown, like over 25), and are having families of their own, they can look back on this and see what is was like for us.
This one is for Sophie.
You were born on a Sunday, and the story goes that this makes you bonny and blithe, and good and gay; and so far, at just seven weeks old, it is true. You were about a week overdue. I'm pretty sure that, like your sister is pretty much a honeymoon baby, you are a Valentine baby. Once we decided that it was time to try for another baby, we got pregnant with you straight away. We've been so lucky with that. And, like your sister, the pregnancy was a breeze. No morning sickness or unusual cravings; it was life as usual just with an ever-expanding girth and an exciting date marked in our calendar. There were two times for concern - you had to have your 12 week scan redone as the hospital was worried that you were measuring too small (I think it was all the stress with Coco dying and giving up my job). And towards the end, I had protein in my urine, but everything was fine. Other than that, you were spot on with your measurements throughout the rest of the pregnancy - at 20 weeks, the belly measured 20cm; at 38 weeks it measured 38 cm, etc. This is one of those amazing facts of mother nature. You moved a lot, at all times of the day, and your kick was ferocious. My ribs are still recovering. You also got the hiccups a lot - typically the minute I decided to go to bed.
I was fairly sure that you were so comfy in your warm little womb that you would only come out under pressure; I definitely did not want to be induced again. And, I needed you to come early or on time, as your Dad had back surgery and your Grandma had come over to help, but only for a limited time. At two days overdue, I tried acupuncture to bring on the labour. I had a few pains, but another two days passed before I convinced the midwife to do a sweep - she was extremely thorough, and it was extremely uncomfortable. But, it must have worked, because a day later, the contractions started, at about 7am on the Saturday morning.
More later, feeding time at the zoo is about to commence.
