Even before Anneliese arrived, it was difficult watching Mamma G go through all the pain of the contractions and labor/delivery. Similar to the previous 9 months, I’ll I could do was keep Gena comfortable until lil Fi was ready to join the wolfpack. And like so many parents before us, it was all worth it, once we heard that first cry from our new baby girl. Second only to the heightened love I felt for Mamma G and our new baby was the admiration I felt for Mamma G and all moms. Health class and Knocked Up definitely don’t prepare you for the intense process that is labor. I followed Gena’s orders and kept my focus on her face, not watching ground zero, but after banshee-like screams 3 inches from my ear and listening to Mamma G recount the painful experience, I didn’t need to watch Anneliese come out to have a new found appreciation (and understanding) of what it takes to become a mom.
So far, the hardest part has just been accepting the fact that almost every task associated with taking care of Anneliese is trial and error…she had trouble latching, we switched her to bottle-fed breast milk…she wouldn’t sleep without someone holding her, we put her in a swing that automatically rocks and plays music…her high palate made it difficult to use a traditional pacifier, Momma G found circular pacifiers called soothies.
All in all, Mamma G’s been doing a great job taking care of Anneliese and when I’m home to help, we’ve got a solid system in place that seems to be working well…lil Fi is well over her birth weight and continues to grow. She’s sleeping 3-4 hours at time, which doesn’t sound like much, but it’s just enough sleep for us to survive on…in between cute smirks, arms-up touchdown poses and funny baby noises :)
Keep up the good work Papa Rob (and Mama G). You might remember my post about the "Professional Driver on a closed course." Parenting is all about trial and error - what works for some babies doesn't work for others. But, if you keep at it, you'll figure it out. Just remember that these first couple months will test your patience like you've never seen before. But most importantly - remember that you and Mama G are a team, and you only have each other. If you've got a good system in place, keep it going until it doesn't work anymore (which it might).
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