Just a nice quiet Sunday, trying to stay warm and spending time with the baby. Oh, and doing some internet shopping too, because . . . well, because hats and blankets! Parenting: Sleep feeding Lesson Learned: Presume nothing, always check (again) Sunday 7th OctoberThe co-sleeping was proving to be a real success - the baby was sleeping soundly through the night, only waking up for a quick nappy change and a feed once or twice. Safety was of paramount importance to me, so I was tucking all blankets under my arm to keep the baby's face exposed at all times. I also moved all pillows nice and high, away from the baby, so there was sufficient space for little Ronnie without anything falling onto him or trapping him underneath. . . I had also adapted a very specific way of laying down, keeping him in close to my chest and cradling him with my arms and knees bent. My sleep wasn't of the best quality - I was sleeping with one eye open (I can't help but sing that Metallica song every time I say this!), one ear open, dressed in a fleece top (which I usually wear outdoors, not in bed!) and my arms and hips getting extremely numb from the lack of changing positions - but I was sleeping and that's what mattered. I could feel and hear my little baby breathing rhythmically in his sleep which was comforting and reassuring for me. Parenting: Sleep feeding I awoke in the middle of the night because of a tickly sensation I felt on my breast, but was very happy to find that it was actually the baby nursing in his (and my) sleep! You see, the way we were laying together, with him so close to my chest it was quite easy for him to find his way to the goodness - but what impressed me the most is that he found his way to me in complete pitch-black darkness! What an amazing baby! This leads me to ponder the wonder of breastfeeding. . . The baby popped out knowing exactly what he needs to do, although it must be such an alien concept to him. . . And yet he was "rocking" it, he was a champion at it and he was even doing it in the middle of pitch-black dark night, whilst still at least semi-asleep. . . Such a wonderful thing indeed! The weather was pretty bad so our day was nice and quiet, enjoying the baby and staying indoors. James had returned to working on his vlogs and I was trying to catch up on the pregnancy blog, capturing the best memories for the future. Lesson Learned: Presume nothing, always check (again) I changed the baby and he had a lovely feed and. . . well, usually a nice nap followed, but today he wouldn't settle. He was crying and looked really uncomfortable, so I kept remembering the lesson I learned at the maternity ward and mentally going through the "baby checklist" (you know - nappies, feed, rest, cuddles) - but every time I thought of something being wrong I dismissed it, saying "well, he had literally just had XYZ". Then James was like "well, he is still unhappy, so let'd do the checklist again" and sure thing, he needed another nappy change. You see, I was presuming that everything was in order because I had just completed the task, but today has taught me not to presume anything and check anyway (and not just mentally!). We were learning so much about being parents and about our little adorable baby. Ron really loves his hats - sometimes he cries if the hat falls off his head but then stops when we put it back on. We proclaimed it to be a case of utmost emergency if the hat shall ever fall off his head and when that happens, we scramble a quick response unit (usually James!) to quickly rectify the situation. It's a really fun game to play, but it seems to really matter to Ron. You see, despite him having a beautiful head full of thick hair, only moments after he was born a midwife had put a hat on him and so he got very used to wearing one. We put that first knitted hat into the washing machine and, sadly, it came back three times larger, looking more like a French beret than a beanie hat it was before. . . Ron also likes his muslin swaddle blankets. James got him two large but light muslin squares from town that he swaddles and wraps the baby in (apart from his arms - remember, the baby loves to have his arms free!), but two blankets didn't seem enough, so today so James went onto the good old trusty eBay and ordered more blankets, and more hats too! I continue to wash his sticky eye with breast milk and it seems to be helping a lot!
Our living room was becoming colder in the days and, although James was chopping wood and bringing in the peat to burn in the evenings, the heat didn't linger for long. The baby was cosy and warm in his favourite fleece blanket but I noticed a slight blue tinge around his face, especially the eyes. I thought he was too cold, so we started spending a lot more time in the heated bedroom instead. However, I noticed that the baby had a couple of sneezes (super adorable - but concerning!) and coughs. I was hoping that he didn't catch a cold but was a little worried that it might be the case. I thought I would ask the midwife tomorrow as she was coming to see us for a second home visit and health checks. . .
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