Baby Raphael was the lucky first born in this family. Mum had a C-section and came home with Raphael four days after he was born. As new time parents they were both prepared on what choices they wanted to make regarding breastfeeding, care and healthcare. Unfortunately, the birth plan had to change due to pre-eclampsia. Baby was not safe anymore and neither was mum, which meant baby Raphael came home two weeks earlier. Something that is totally out of everyone’s control. Luckily all went well, and Raphael and mum were doing great soon after birth. What no one planned is the amount of medicine mum had to take because of the C-section. Mum didn’t feel comfortable to start breastfeeding because of the medicine and therefore chose to start with bottle feeding first. Dad was quite thrilled that this way he could help more by feeding Raphael by himself. It is just al so unpredictable and it really helps when the parents are open minded and flexible. When a baby joins the family, he will call the shots from day one, this could be a big adjustment. Something that you can not plan or prepare for.
It was very helpful to give tips that most mothers learn from experience. Tips like what to do when it gets colder at night, what if we decide to turn the heater on during the night, what if it’s time for his feed but he is still asleep, all these things that you find out as a first time parent via books, the midwife, parents, friends or health care nurses. To be able, for this family, to ask these questions when I am there is very handy because they don’t have to wait until they see the midwife or the healthcare nurse. It is always better to ask more than just one opinion, but it is a nice experience to be able to ask the question when you can.
When I left the house on my last day it was good to see that they started to form a routine with the three of them. Unfortunately, that routine won’t last long because babies are just so unpredictable and when you think you have everything under control, everything changes but that is ok too. New life is a rocky road and with a little bit of help, it will all work out.
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