One Month Later: The Tale of Being a New Parent

One month ago at 2:49pm, our lives were changed forever. Nyte came into the world and blessed us in a way we never could have imagined. It is crazy to see how something that takes away your sleep, time, energy and money can fill your life with love, contentment, peace and joy. Traz and I can honestly say that we have never been more sleep deprived in our lives....but we also have never been as close as we are now. Children, when kept in the right perspective, really do make you love your spouse even more.

What We Learned...

So I asked Traz what he has learned in the past month, and he simply said, "Sleep is necessary". Granted, I asked him this when he wasn't quite awake. 

As for me (and I'll include Traz in this as well), I feel like I have learned a lot in the past month. I guess a lot is a bit of an understatement. 

Let's start with the hospital experience:

1. Get details on where the middle of the night entrance is for labor and delivery. My water broke at 2:30am and when Traz and I got to that special entrance, it had limited hours posted on it. So I got to walk down a hill and to the other side of the hospital to the emergency entrance. I was told later that you had to use the phone that was on the other side of the door to contact labor and delivery to get a second set of doors opened....
2. Unless you want your pajamas to get ruined, just stick with the hospital gown. I know that there are blogs, books and articles out there saying you should get something comfy to wear after you deliver. They often suggest a nice pair of pajamas. Don't do it. Just don't. You don't have a period for nine months but you make up for it after you deliver! Trust me. I'm really glad I didn't wear my pajamas!
3. There is no shame in supplementing! My milk hadn't come in yet and poor Nyte was starving! It wasn't until the morning of our last day in the hospital that a nurse suggested that I supplement with formula. (that means to give him breast milk until I run dry and then top him off with formula) Nyte had been up cluster feeding for most of the night so I was willing to try it. The difference was AMAZING! He ate 35ml and was out like a light! So if your baby is hungry and you can't meet that demand, supplement all the way! 

So those are the top 3 hospital visits I learned.  Now onto the past month...

1. Don't buy a bassinet unless you really want one. You can simply use a laundry basket that has some blankets or towels in it for padding.(We also like to cover the whole thing with a receiving blanket so that it drapes over the sides.) It's the same thing! Once more, you can have that same laundry basket be the child's laundry basket when they get bigger. Think of it as a constant reminder to them of how small they use to be. Here is a picture of our basket bassinet:
2. Sleep when the baby sleeps! I can't stress this enough! Your time is not your own when you are a mom, so get the rest while you can!
3. If you're breastfeeding, eat A LOT! I can't tell you how many times I have had stomach cramps because I wasn't eating enough. Luckily, Traz has been amazing enough to feed me while I'm feeding Nyte so that I don't get too weak. 

So that's what we have learned for the most part, or at least the top three from my perspective. 

In conclusion, we love our little boy more than we even realize. Why else would  get up every 2-3 hours to feed him? Why else would Traz walk around carrying him for over an hour to get him to sleep? It's either insanity, love, or both. 

We feel so blessed to have Nyte in our lives, and that we are sealed together for time and all eternity. We get to be a family forever, and we are looking forward to it!  

-The Waymans