Relearning the Newborn Stage
I think it is amazing that even after having 6 newborn babies in the house I am still no newborn expert. Each one throws me for a loop, each one is different and I have new things to worry about, or things I have forgotten, not to mention how individual each baby is, even at this stage.
From the very beginning Jonathan has made it clear that he is an individual; being my first to come after his due date, and his screaming, angry minutes just after birth that melted into a sweet, content and happy newborn.
I think every mom has certain things that she is neurotic about. One of mine happens to be worrying about whether my kids are warm enough. During season changes you are likely to find my kids over dressed and in a lot of layers. My husband walks out of the house wearing just a long sleeve t-shirt and I walk out carrying a duffel bag filled with extra sweatshirts, jackets, mittens and toboggans for all the kids. Sports season and 60 degrees outside- you’ll find extra blankets in my trunk “just in case” the temperature suddenly drops. On nights that my toddler refuses to wear jammies to bed, I spend half the night throwing quilts back on top of her.
When it comes to newborn babies my instinct is to put them in a million layers- a onesie plus sleeper (sometimes a pair of socks under the sleeper), a knit hat, then I swaddle them in not one but two blankets. Well, Jonathan has inherited his Daddy’s warm-natured genes. It was immediately clear that he didn’t need a knit hat and that some of those layers were going to have to go. Within days of being born he would develop beads of sweat on his forehead each time I nursed him from being pressed up against my warm body. At night, in just a sleeper and thin muslin swaddle he wakes up drenched in sweat. I’ve finally given up and started going to bed with him dressed only in a onesie, though I keep a muslin blanket within reach and I touch his feet and fingers and cheeks each time I wake up, worried that he might suddenly be cold.
Yesterday, I had my first outing with all the kids since Rob went back to work. I didn’t need to leave until noon, so I had a long time to get us ready to go. Things were going well- I managed to shower, get everyone dressed and feed the kids an early lunch. But, when I sat down to nurse the baby one last time before leaving he pooped right out of his diaper, through his clothes and onto my jeans! After wiping him down with half a box of wipes and getting a clean diaper on his bottom I snuck into my room – where Rob was sleeping after working nightshift- and got new clothes for baby and new jeans for me. Back downstairs I went to get us both re-dressed. Then Jonathan spit up, missing the burp cloth on my shoulder, instead hitting my hair and the back of my shirt. Back upstairs for a new shirt we went. I questioned my ability to handle this outing, but I couldn’t bring myself to disappoint the big kids and off we went. Thankfully, the rest of the outing went smoothly!
On the bright side, I am thankful that he had a blow out and spit up on me while we were still at home, and not while away on our outing!
Whew, being a mom of many does not mean that the learning curve gets any easier!
