THE PEDIATRICIAN AND THE PARENT
🌷Mom win for the week: setting up our crib camera has given me hours of freedom. I can now swaddle Evie, place her in her crib, and watch her sleep while I make bottles, go for a run, or simply, have a cup of coffee. It's not just the new found time (that I thought no longer existed,) it's the confidence that comes with discovering these things that makes me feel like I might be able to fully embrace
Besides the insistence on hand washing and keeping Evie away from people not feeling well, I assumed I would be a pretty relaxed parent. It was so difficult to get our baby into this world, I knew if we could do that, we could roll with most parenthood punches. At a certain point, the punches push you to call the pediatrician.
Evie loves her milk. She doesn't always keep it down, but she certainly enjoys her fair share of the liquid gold. When I was first asked if she had thrush (a fungal infection, often displayed as white residue on a baby's tongue,) I brushed it off, saying it was likely all the milk she was gobbling up. However, when I had two more people in three days not ask, but state "oh, she has a little thrush...." I got nervous. I called our pediatrician's office and within hours we were being reassured that this "thrush" was, in fact, just milk residue. My mind was put at ease, and not just because she didn't have this infection, but because I realized I had a pediatric office I could (and can) rely on in a last minute "mom crisis".
Apart from cleaning 10-15 diapers a day, feeding 8 bottles, swaddling, rocking, taking Darla on a walk, reading to Evie......there has been almost zero time for me to do the simple life things such as eating a meal before 3 PM or even showering. Enter, my sweet, sweet friend, Monica. Not only is Monica the goddaughter to Evie, she is the friend every new mom would be lucky to have. This past week, Monica came over midday so I could take a full shower and then some much needed girl chat. The last time I tried to take a full shower, I was so sleep deprived, I stepped out of the shower and could not remember if I washed my hair. It's remarkable how much I appreciate a shower that is longer than 5 minutes and a shower that isn't a quick vomit-rinse-off. Bless you, Monica.
While the shower was refreshing (I'm sure Phil appreciated his wife smelling more like herself) what is truly meaningful is knowing that I have a friend who is here to support me as I embark on and stumble my way through this new experience. I've heard it before, women will remember how people treat them after their baby is born. I for one, will never take for granted how lucky I am to have the support around me that I do. 🌷
