post-labour

I thought I would have plenty of time to blog and that I’d be bored to death being stuck at home for 44 days…but I thought wrong! Taking care of a newborn baby is a full time job! I don’t have time to nap during the day so I am very, very deprived of sleep right now. I look like a tornado just hit me on the face.

Although her feeding schedule is every 2 and a half hours, but you don’t actually get 2 hours and 30 minutes of free time. Sometimes she sleeps, after almost 45 minutes to an hour of feeding and trying to get a burp out of her. Sometimes she sleeps while feeding and if she doesn’t, another 30 minutes to an hour of putting her to sleep. And then just as I’m about to put my head on the pillow, she makes funny sounds while she sleeps. So I’d be rushing to her side, checking to see if she’s ok. Before I know it, time’s up - she’d be up for her next feeding already. For now, it’s 100% Maya.

I have been taking care of her on my own, day and night since day one. I do get my mom to look after her when I bathe and during my berurut session but otherwise, I have not let anyone take care of her. The maids have yet to hold her. I am possessive like that. I know I can’t be possessive for long, as I don’t have a choice – the time will come when I have to go back to work and of course somebody else will have to take care of her. I’m lucky that my mom isn’t working anymore so even though the maid looks after her my mom can keep an eye on them. But at least for now, and for 90 days, she gets her mummy’s fullest attention and tension. Haha. Bathing Maya was quite difficult the first time around, not because she hates water but because it’s slippery so macam scary sikit…well mesti kena belajar lah kan? Practice makes perfect. So day by day, I’m getting more confident. Luckily, Maya LOVES taking her bath. She doesn’t cry at all…she’s always very contented in her little bath tub. In fact, once she slept throughout the process! Hehe. Unless she’s hungry of course…a hungry baby is very nasty. Hehe.

All in all, I think besides preparing and buying baby stuff, first time parents-to-be should REALLY prepare themselves mentally. No one told me to be mentally prepared for the MANY, MANY changes that were about to happen in my life so the truth is only starting to sink in right now. I don’t mean it in a bad way, of course. Being mentally prepared doesn’t always mean preparing for the worse kan? It is a wonderful new beginning but nama pun new beginning…everything’s NEW to you and your partner. If you’re not mentally strong, you’d breakdown.

Already you can’t believe that you’re holding your own child, and when you start thinking that this little person’s LIFE depends on you…you have to feed her, clothe her, educate her, etc…trust me, it is overwhelming. Very scary and exciting at the same time. So besides reading up on pregnancy, labour, what to bring in a hospital bag, try reading up or asking people around on what to expect, the adjustments you have to make, changes in lifestyle perhaps…many many more. Of course different people may tell a different story and may not apply to you but at least you get an idea of what it’s like. Looking at Maya, I don’t think I’d ever have anything that would overtake everything else in my life than her. I don’t think I’d ever have anything of utmost priority than her. My life does not revolve around her, she IS my life.

Anyway, I wanted to write about the c-sect aftermath. Well, the first few days after the surgery memang sakit. But the doctor will tell you to get up from the bed and start walking. So you mustn’t be manja and just go through the pain to get over the pain. Hehe. Memang nak get up from the bed pun susah but lama-lama you’ll get better. The first time I wanted to walk to the bathroom from my hospital bed..I think it took me a longggg time. Terbongkok-bongkok like mak nenek. But day by day it got better and better. I started feeling almost free from pain on Day 5-6. I consider that quite fast so ok lah. The tedious part about c-sect, after the pain is over, is that you have to take care of the wound. Make sure it’s always dry, drink pati ikan haruan and all that. People say it’s a lot more leceh than normal birth and I couldn’t agree more. Rezeki masing-masing. :)