People told us parenthood changes everything, but no one told us it would even change how time itself feels. We used to count days, marking off tracking weeks, counting kicks etc. Now, each day feels both endless and fleeting, filled with feelings that i don't seem to be able to capture with words.
the first few days: a blur of emotions & a village to raise a baby
there is a phase , the first week after delivery where the energy levels are insane. From sitting next to the baby and realise this is a part of yours thats living and breathing and we couldn't help but keep gushing at the baby. we must have done it like a million times sitting on the hospital bed.
Lack of sleep, constant feedings, diapers, and the overwhelming sense that you’re responsible for this tiny life is a whirlwind experience but we have never felt more alive. There is a new sense of purpose thats kind of hard to explain and i think its 100x more for a mother. The need to jump every tme the baby cries or makes a sound and find ways to soothe and make sure everything is 100%.
Most hospitals give a prep for taking care of new born but every baby is just different. It's pretty messy and full of second guessing your actions. Be it feeding positions, choice of giving formula milk or the exact temperature of the milk warmer or process dor sterlizing feeding bottles. No matter how easy they ask us to take these, we simply couldnt keep it anything but near 100% perfect.
Even seemingly simple decisions became important: choosing the right warmers, selecting the perfect tissues, or ensuring the wet wipes were just warm with temperature controlled tissue dispensers enough to keep our baby comfortable and not jerk everytime we wipe them.
While the days get longer and night even more, the baby also starts recognizing the parents much more with touch, voice and there are moments in the day that make you freeze, like in the way a baby reaches for you, or the warmth of their tiny body as they rest on your chest as they lock their eyes on you in a staring contest or even more when the baby starts to turn their heads around when you are nearby or when they hear you.
We were lucky to have both parents staying with us and help is always available but it's still pretty hard. I can't even imagine what it would be without their help. It feels like it really takes a village to take care of a baby.
watching your wife change
We have been together for more than a decade(i think even more) but with the arrival of our baby, i discovered a whole new side of her. It's almost an overnight transition and i still can't believe it.
Watching her cradle him with made up songs, tell stories that i'm sure he cant understand yet and movements that seem to speak directly to him. She's made her entire world around his comfort. Be it marathon feeding sessions - each spanning over an hour, repeating every three hours like clockwork both her and the baby trying to find their dance. With many things to be taken care of, her ability to focus on what matters to the kid and leave everything else be it just makes me fall in love with the her again. For someone who has pretty much been a workaholic managing ~50 engineers at her work, to make a shift this big effortlessly is amazing.
babies are a promise of hope to us i only wish i had them sooner and can't wait to share our future! if i can give any advice, my only advice to couples who want to be parents, is to have them young. I have lot to say about that from our personal lives but thats for some other time.