My new normal

As a first time parent, you end up doing things that you never thought you’d do. I am going to assume this is really the case for all parents and not just us newbies. These things vary in grossness and silliness. 

Singing. I know I can’t sing. But I know Raza likes music and when I sing to him. I also know I sound ridiculous singing Hakuna Matata but I do it for the smiles and nap time. So far, I’m the only lucky recipient of these smiles and I love it.

Speaking of sounds, you also discover the power of sounds. My kid can sleep through Timon and Pumbaa singing Hakuna Matata but he will wake up right away at the sound of my phone charger hitting the floor. What’s the difference? I have no idea! Every time Raza sleeps, you will find me intentionally not flushing the toilet and tippy toeing around him. If he happens to be in my arms while sleeping, I’ll grab things with my feet and stretch in ways I didn’t know I could.  Him sleeping is good for my sanity and I don’t care if I look ridiculous in the process.

Documentation. For starters, you have to document every time they go and feed the first few days in the hospital to ensure all is well with their digestive tract. We did this for about a week and then stopped because it was too cumbersome. But then at his one-month checkup his pediatrician asked how often Raza was eating, sleeping, pooping and I had no idea. With little sleep, you barely remember the time, let alone what happened two hours ago. And so now I use the Glow Baby app and document everything. I know it sounds like a lot but it’s actually really useful. I am starting to see his patterns. This helps immensely in planning my outings and meetings.

Then there is your comfort with pee and poop. You become very comfortable with the two. You will get peed on. How often will obviously depend on your baby's gender..we have had multiple times in one day. Have you ever heard of fluffing out a diaper? I hadn’t. And I had changed many diapers before! I discovered this after Raza peed on our friend while wearing a diaper. It turns out this is pretty common for newborns. You should always fluff out the diaper. Of course there are still accidents that happen after bath time or when you are changing their outfits. Like yesterday, he peed on my newly washed sheets while I was changing him on the bed. Rookie mistake. But you can’t always dress them on the changing table. What did I do? I used some wipes on both of us, spot treated the sheets and called it a day. It isn’t possible to give him a bath after each time or find the time for me to shower after every accident. Just like it isn’t possible to always sleep when the baby sleeps (worst advice ever).

You win some and you lose some. My new normal is just that, mine. Like each pregnancy, like each child: everyone is different. You have to stay calm and handle each situation with humor and patience. Babies can sense your stress and it only stresses them out so there is no point. Get plenty of cheek cuddles afterwards and everything will be alright.