Ted

It’s drawing to the end of my first month with Ted. That’s his name; although I’ll probably refer to him as ‘the boy’ from here on in though, but at least you know his name anyway.

I want to share with you, the highs and lows of his first month gracing this planet with his presence. From my experience, at antenatal classes you spend the majority of time talking about the labour and birth. It’s as if the labour is some sort of powerful oracle that we must all spend hours on hours talking about when in reality, it’s probably no longer than 24 hours (apologies if yours was) and 9 times out of 10 it was nothing like the antenatal classes portrayed it out to be.

We spent hours packing the bag with the essential smelly oils, the flannels, the massage thing, the cooling spray, the spare shorts etc etc and all we used was 1 nappy, 1 baby grow and a hair bobble! Did we stick to our birth plan? No! That’s 20 minutes of my life I won’t ever get back!

In all honesty, time would be better spent talking through the first few weeks of having a newborn. Why? Because, the more scenarios you can talk through previously, the better chance of survival.

I’ve learnt a lot and I’m learning a lot and I will learn a lot and I will be sharing it all; but before I do, I think it’d be really good to share a few of my highs and a few of my lows.

#1 Seeing & holding the boy for the first time was really special. It’s the kind of moment that you see on ‘One Born Every Minute’ a lot but you never really know what it’s like until you experience it.

#2 Getting in the bath with the boy. This might just be me but rather than strain my back leaning over the bath, I thought I’d get in. He loves it and it brings a real serenity in the atmosphere. Definitely worth trying! It’s now our thing and we do it most nights. 

#3 Not knowing what to do to stop the boy from crying. Is it me? Is it something else? What can I do? Feeling helpless…

#4 Going out to lunch was brilliant because it turns out that little babies can actually stop traffic! The attention the boy received was as if we were pushing round baby Michael Jackson. And I was a very proud dad! I didn’t think it, but it has surprised me how much I enjoy showing him off. 

#5 The boy wee’d up the wall from a laid back position – talented but annoying! 

#6 It took me 3 hours to have a bowl of cereal – that really was a low point. 

#7 Learning all his little quirks. The boy does this face when he stretches after a nap. It’s cute enough to ground a 747 and ‘gets me’ every time. 

#8 The first time the boy slept 6 hours straight was a pretty high moment that’s for sure! 

#9 Never underestimate sleep deprivation. It is far worse than you think…and that’s just me – consider the wife! 

#10 Releasing an explosive poo whilst having his photo taken – That’s my boy! 

There are so many highs – many of which blur into one another. And really, the lows aren’t that low because the highs make all the lows ok. I’d be happy not to sleep at all if it meant that he did that stretch face. The truth is, you cope, you get on with it and you enjoy it. 

What a first month! Tell me your experience of highs and lows with your newborn. I’d love to read them, leave your comments below, I read them all.

Thanks,

Al