The Completely New Universe
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Română
Our universe has completely changed. 21 days have passed since my tummy came out to see the light of day and we met our baby for the first time. It is the most wonderful feeling that Philippe and I share, in taking care of this little human being that has appeared in our lives.
The birth itself is a chapter that I will be able to write about later, when the healing process of all the pain we felt will be completed. What I can say is that in those 4 days of contractions and 26 hours of labor, without Philippe I would not have succeeded. Physically it might have worked, but emotionally I would have been broken down a lot (not that I haven’t done it a few times during the many hours of pain, but the fact that he was there permanently mattered the most, supporting me in trusting the process and move on). But every cell in my body knows it was worth it!
Life with Albert is a whole new universe. No matter how many courses we have taken, regarding what it means to be a parent, how breastfeeding works or how to prepare for the moments that follow when the baby arrives, there is nothing that could prepare us for the experience we are living now. At a theoretical level, we clearly understood everything, but only when you pass the other side of the boarder, to the parents side, you understand what it means to take care of a baby 24/7.
First of all, the focus is on Albert, and assuming that is wonderful! None of us want to do too many things during the day, and if there are still activities to be solved, we are outing them on the list, being aware of them and trying to solve them within the time available. The most important thing is to keep ourselves in the present moment and with decent energy levels, and get to eat and sleep, practically the same activities that the baby does. Otherwise, for all the other things, we follow the principle that tomorrow is also a day.
Our daily rhythm is completely different and divided into many small time blocks, guided by Albert's sleep and eating moments. In the new context, our lunch can be extended to three hours :). But with all this new life, we do not feel any suffering in our existence, and this is possible because of the teamwork. For example, when I am busy with breastfeeding, Philippe takes care of me, keeps me hydrated and nourished (it's amazing how thirsty I become when Albert starts eating). And yes, I spend most of the day on the couch, with him on top of me, eating or sleeping, and yes, he doesn’t like to change his nappies, but we are trying to be present for him, and this is how our parenting story looks like.
From now on, we just have to adapt to the new formula, to the new life and to the things that need to be solved on the side (like Philippe's last year of masters in robotics engineering, which just began). And every day is an opportunity for discovery as well as evolution (we note down and validate every step we take). Everything is changed, and even if it sounds as a cliché, everything has another meaning of wonder, achievement and happiness!
Our universe has completely changed. 21 days have passed since my tummy came out to see the light of day and we met our baby for the first time. It is the most wonderful feeling that Philippe and I share, in taking care of this little human being that has appeared in our lives.
The birth itself is a chapter that I will be able to write about later, when the healing process of all the pain we felt will be completed. What I can say is that in those 4 days of contractions and 26 hours of labor, without Philippe I would not have succeeded. Physically it might have worked, but emotionally I would have been broken down a lot (not that I haven’t done it a few times during the many hours of pain, but the fact that he was there permanently mattered the most, supporting me in trusting the process and move on). But every cell in my body knows it was worth it!
Life with Albert is a whole new universe. No matter how many courses we have taken, regarding what it means to be a parent, how breastfeeding works or how to prepare for the moments that follow when the baby arrives, there is nothing that could prepare us for the experience we are living now. At a theoretical level, we clearly understood everything, but only when you pass the other side of the boarder, to the parents side, you understand what it means to take care of a baby 24/7.
First of all, the focus is on Albert, and assuming that is wonderful! None of us want to do too many things during the day, and if there are still activities to be solved, we are outing them on the list, being aware of them and trying to solve them within the time available. The most important thing is to keep ourselves in the present moment and with decent energy levels, and get to eat and sleep, practically the same activities that the baby does. Otherwise, for all the other things, we follow the principle that tomorrow is also a day.
Our daily rhythm is completely different and divided into many small time blocks, guided by Albert's sleep and eating moments. In the new context, our lunch can be extended to three hours :). But with all this new life, we do not feel any suffering in our existence, and this is possible because of the teamwork. For example, when I am busy with breastfeeding, Philippe takes care of me, keeps me hydrated and nourished (it's amazing how thirsty I become when Albert starts eating). And yes, I spend most of the day on the couch, with him on top of me, eating or sleeping, and yes, he doesn’t like to change his nappies, but we are trying to be present for him, and this is how our parenting story looks like.
From now on, we just have to adapt to the new formula, to the new life and to the things that need to be solved on the side (like Philippe's last year of masters in robotics engineering, which just began). And every day is an opportunity for discovery as well as evolution (we note down and validate every step we take). Everything is changed, and even if it sounds as a cliché, everything has another meaning of wonder, achievement and happiness!
