Newborns: Not So Scary The Second Time Around

Throughout my pregnancy with Hayden I worried about how I would cope with the newborn phase again. When Skye was born I wasn't hit with the instant overwhelming bond of mother and babe. I knew she was mine, I knew that I loved her, but she scared me. I felt a little lost and unsure as I am sure most first time mums feel. Even though my birth experience with Skye was by comparison straightforward and dare I say it, even easy, I felt that I had " failed" because we had required Ventouse. 

I struggled with breastfeeding, and swaddling and putting tiny hands in Wondersuits. But more than anything, I had not come to grips with the complete change to your every waking thought and movement a baby has. I spent much of those early months with Skye resenting the demands of a newborn and how unaffected those around me seemed to be. I put a lot of pressure on myself to get everything "right" and missed a little of the magic.

Skye was gorgeous but scary.

Skye’s Birth Story

This week I have had 2 of my close friends welcome their first born children into the world. It has been very exciting (and making me a little clucky) meeting these tiny little bundles. Since becoming a mummy myself I also love hearing about people’s birth stories and sharing the horrors and elation with them in a way that can only be appreciated fully when you have been there yourself. I realised that I had never actually written Skye’s birth story down so to celebrate the new babies in our group, I wanted to share it with all of you now. In case the title wasn’t clear enough, if you are squeamish (or my dad) you might not want to read this one because I assure you I will be over-sharing.