THE FIRST THREE WEEKS

The past three weeks have been the most amazing weeks of my life.

Three weeks ago my husband and I welcomed our first child into the world - a beautiful baby girl.

Neither of us had any idea just how much our hearts would explode once we saw her. It was incredible.

Every day since just gets better and better.

Of course though, it has not been easy ... being a first time mum is very tough at times. Very tough.

My husband and I don't have any family that live near by, but thankfully my parents were able to visit us for the first week after we left hospital. Thank goodness - without them I honestly don't know how we would have got through without breaking down. It was just so reassuring to have them there to help us when we didn't understand a certain cry, or when we desperately needed coffee at 4am.

I'm currently writing this blog post while standing, rocking my daughter in her sling/carrier.
So I've decided to briefly share my top 3 (good and bad).

Sleep Deprivation - Cracked Nipples - And NO Routine 

Sleep Deprivation

I thought I knew what this was. I didn't. No one knows what sleep deprivation is until they have a baby. I used to be a moody cow if I had any less than 7 hours sleep per night. Wow! What I would give for 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep these days. But it is amazing how my body has responded ... I can achieve so much after only 2 hours - thank you hormones!

Cracked Nipples

Breastfeeding is NOT easy. In fact I found it to be utterly excruciating. I cried so much in the first 2.5 weeks because it hurt so much. Thankfully after reaching out to other mums I realised I wasn't alone and I just needed to hang in there ... now at three weeks it no longer hurts. But this is one area where new mums need a LOT of support. There is so much pressure to breastfeed, and although I am able to successfully breastfeed my daughter - some mothers simply cannot, no matter how hard they try and how desperately they want it to work .... society needs to lay off with the negative judgements towards these mothers.

NO Routine

I used to be a perfectionist. I lived by routine and structure (characteristics I developed as an athlete). I had schedules and made plans well in advance ... Well all of that has completely gone out the window. The other day we had planned to leave the house at 9am .... three hours later we finally did. Newborns do not follow a routine - sure they may only sleep and eat ... but there is no order or structured time line for any of this.

Lanolin

Lanolin - Sling/Carrier - Coffee .. AKA Lifesavers! The only thing to help soothe the initial pain of breastfeeding. It's awesome. Available at chemists - but ask the hospital before you leave, as they may have samples you can have.

Sling/Carrier

My lifesaver - My Wild Bird Sling - for obvious reasons I am slightly more restricted than other people, if I'm holding my baby in my arms I can't do anything else. This sling enables me to keep her close to me while also giving me the freedom to move my one and only hand ... this is crucial for the next item ...

Coffee

Again for obvious reasons this is a lifesaver - I usually make an instant coffee at about 5am each morning, then by 10am I get around to drinking it. If anyone wants to visit the only thing I ask is that you bring me a decent coffee!

Lastly .... the lack of sleep, and sore boobs - totally worth it!