I can't believe Ron is 1 week old today - the time is flying so quickly and my little baby boy was growing up so fast! We were visited by a midwife in the morning and a couple of friends who popped in later in the afternoon. Milestone: 1 week anniversary Medical Check: Heel prick test Experience: First plaster Gifts: A cute outfit selection Milestone: First eye contact Monday 8th OctoberMilestone: 1 week anniversary Ron was born last Monday, so today is Ron's 1 week anniversary "birthday". Yey! The day he was born seems like a distant memory at this point as our lives have pretty much returned back to normal: we were home and we were doing the same things we always did. . . "A distant memory" though - the biggest and most important day of my life was fading away, despite my efforts to recapture every little detail in my blog. I became very aware of just how quickly time was passing by, especially after my Nan sent us a message saying "he is now 8 days old, before you know it, he will be 8 years old!". That really scared me because I realised she was right. This is when I realised that I wanted to take a photograph every day. Many photos. Videos too. I want to write a daily memoir, a snippet of the emotion and precious time that we now have together. Me and my baby! I realise this "First Time Mum" blog has no commercial value because of this - it is my personal diary more than anything, but it is important to me and that's what ultimately matters. Medical Check: Heel prick test A midwife came to see us today to do a heel prick test. Noticing that the living space was pretty cold she asked if we could do the test somewhere warm as we needed to expose Ron's little foot from within his warm blankets into the cold outside world. We said that the bedroom was the best place for it - and we could also close the door so that the dogs didn't feel upset by what was about to happen. She asked me to hold the baby close and talk to him as the procedure was going to distress him a little bit. I have to say that once I heard that she was going to prick my baby's heel with a little needle, I couldn't even watch it - I was holding my baby, talking to him all the while looking away. It still hurt me a lot when he cried - but he didn't cry for long - he was such a champion and did so well! She looked at his fontanelles and said he was eating well as there were no signs of dehydration. I was very proud and pleased with that assessment! Experience: First plaster Once she was done with the test, she had put a little round plaster on his foot saying that this was his "first plaster". She then added that "this is a first of many, as he is a boy who lives on a rural island!". That made me smile and I was so happy, realising just how interesting, free and beautiful Ron's future is going to be. And sure, if freedom and beauty requires a couple of plasters along the way - bring it on, that's what living is all about! As the midwife was here I had a chance to ask if there was anything more we can do about Ron's sticky eye - she said keeping it clean with water or breast milk is the best thing to do as we wanted to avoid going down the medicated eye drop route just yet - we agreed and said that it was actually looking a lot better, but it was something we needed to stay on top of. I also mentioned that the baby was coughing, sneezing and sniffling so I was wondering if he may potentially have caught a cold. The midwife looked at Ron who was nice and settled and said that he looked well to her. However, as her visit progressed I heard him sniffle and said "there! that's it!". She had a listen and advised that it was simply some milk stuck in his nose - the nose and mouth are connected, after all, and milk gets trapped, casing blocked up nose moments, sniffles and sneezes. She said that if the baby was poorly, he would not settle and exhibit other symptoms, which made a lot of sense, but she measured the baby's temperature, just to be sure, and confirmed that Ron was indeed well. The midwife advised that keeping the baby upright after feeds is a good idea, to help clear the milk away from his nose area. Putting mattresses slightly upright is also a good idea, to further help with "the drainage" as she put it. She then had a poke of my belly and said that my uterus is back to pre-pregnancy state. I couldn't believe that a week was all it took for my body to get back to normal - how amazingly fast is that? Once the midwife had left I noticed that my breasts feel as if they'd been lit on fire. It was pretty bad - James even asked "should I call the midwife back or go find her?" but I didn't think that was necessary. I remember a midwife saying last week that ibuprofen helps reduce inflammation but I didn't feel like taking any drugs. Instead, I put an ice pack (we always keep a few in the freezer) in my bra and that seemed to help a lot! Feeding Ron was also helping, reaffirming my earlier though of us having a mutually beneficial relationship! Gifts: A cute outfit selection Later in the afternoon a couple of ladies who popped in to meet our little Ronnie, the newest Eday island resident. We had tea, coffee and a lovely long chat, which reminded me that people cared a lot about us, despite us not getting involved with the community that much. Having people over was good for my emotional well being too I really appreciated having adult conversations about various island goings on, which broke the pattern of talking mostly about "poops & burps". I made a point of standing up and changing positions often, to avoid clotting up blood again. The visitors brought us a lovely Winnie the Pooh outfit set, which included a onesie, a hat (Ron can never have enough hats!), a top and trousers set and a bib. Once they heard our birth story and learned that Ron came out weighing nearly 4kgThey were worried that the outfit might be on a slightly small side (he was meant to be a small baby, remember!) but it was actually a good fit! Milestone: First eye contact We spent the evening playing with the baby who was becoming more awake and alert. His dark grey eyes are open and looking around and his facial expressions always make us laugh. We talk to the baby, move him around, wave his arms, kiss him and, despite my disliking of it, James tickles the baby too! It was a fun evening!
We noticed that during all the playful loving activities Ron would gaze his little eyes all around and then suddenly would focus on our faces and then look into our eyes too. James was the first who noticed that but I soon confirmed this amazing milestone! Later James said that the baby would also grab and pull his beard. This is less of a milestone because Ron still has a strong grasping reflex in his hands, so he grabs anything and everything!
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