One of the first things I did after I learnt that I'd conceived was to get books. No, not the "what to expect when you're expecting" type of books (these info are easily available on the internet and http://www.babycenter.com/ is an excellent resource) but the babycare books.
DH and I knew all along that if we were to start a family, we'd be doing it pretty much on our own. This explains why I'm a SAHM because we have zero help and I definitely do not want to leave my baby alone with a domestic help. So I need to learn how to care for a newborn and how to raise a baby in less than 10 months!
Hence, the term textbook baby. We didn't even hire a confinement nanny. It's just DH, me and the textbooks, no kidding. Of course, it's somewhat like sitting for a practical exam by studying the theory, so you can imagine how inadequate we felt. Aidan, when he was a newborn was as predictable as Melbourne's weather (they say you can experience up to 4 seasons in a single day). So alot of the times, we were frantically flipping through the pages and found no answer. However good these books are, they won't cover every single aspect. Before Aidan came, I was pretty confident and thought I was well-prepared but with every few baby steps I took, I met with an obstacle. (ok I digressed)
The book I found to be the most helpful was Tracy Hogg's "Secrets of The Baby Whisperer". I followed many of her advice/routine plus a few of my own baby mantras (to be elaborated) and so far, I find Aidan to be pretty well-trained in several aspects.
1) He'd managed to sleep and wake up at the right feeding times. So he'd never stayed awake all night.
2) By the 6th month, he could sleep throught the night for 8-9hours a stretch.
3) When he was breastfed, I didn't have to latch him on for comfort sucking because I didn't feed him on demand. That left me some spare time.
4) His meal times are pretty standard and I don't have to guess if he's crying because he is hungry.
5) He always sleeps in his cot, in his own room.
6) He has no problems falling asleep on his own. He doesn't need to be rocked or held to be able to sleep.
7) He doesn't need me to be around all the time. He is quite comfortable playing or entertaining himself. I don't have to bring him with me on my toilet breaks!
8) He could sit in the stroller when we go out and never needed me to carry him.
If you've heard stories from mummies of a newborn, you'll know that they would be so envious. And yes, if you ask me, I think we did a fairly decent job :)
I think it also helps when it's only the two of us. He doesn't have eager grandparents around to spoil him or pick him up the moment he cries. But sometimes I feel sorry for Aidan especially when I brought him for his jabs and I saw that other babies have their set of parents and grandparents to accompany them while Aidan only has poor ole me.
No comments:
Post a Comment