Claudia at 1 week

I can hardly believe it, but it is one week today since our beautiful baby girl Claudia Rose was born and we welcomed her – finally! – into our little family: on 31st January, at 11:45am.  I haven’t had a chance to write up her birth story yet – to be honest, given it was by planned c-section (I say planned, I had wanted to try for VBAC but at 41 weeks and with labour not impending, we moved to Plan B), it’s not necessarily the most interesting of stories, but actually, that’s a good thing:  she was simply delivered into our arms with no big fuss, no drama, and thankfully no complications.  And we’ve been in love ever since.

So, what has Claudia’s first week in the world been like? – well, we spent a few days in hospital and, lucky enough to have our own room, we spent many an hour in bed and cuddling and (getting to grips with) feeding, and nuzzling, and snoozing.  Thankfully as we were both deemed to be doing well post op. we were discharged around lunchtime on Saturday and were able to head home to start our life as a family of four properly.

My mum, who was brilliantly taking care of Allegra (thanks again mum, you’re the best!), was waiting for us at home with Richmond Toddler, and they had decorated the door with beautiful pink ribbons, to welcome us back.  Allegra was beyond herself with excitement when we walked through the door, squealing “baby sister, baby sister” and running around the living room ecstatic to have us all home:  it’s fair to say she is IN LOVE, BIG TIME, with the new addition to the family – as indeed are we all.

Since Saturday, we’ve been spending time getting to know each other and trying to get into the swing of this having a newborn baby thing again.  Some things seem so familiar – how wonderful it is to snuggle a tiny baby in your arms and on your chest and hear them as they make little snuffling noises -, while other things I realise I’d completely forgotten – how annoying the press-studs on baby-gros are for one and how tedious it is to have to keep sterilising bottles and breast-pump equipment for another.

Anyway, one week on from birth and I can report:

Miss Claudia Rose seems to love…. feeding from mummy (although mummy is finding it rather painful at the moment!); milk, milk, milk; snoozing (she seems to love a good sleep, but daytime rather than nighttime sleeping seems to be her forte at the moment, although I can’t really complain as we’ve had a few nights where she’s slept pretty soundly from 2am ish until 6/6.30am ish); her Peter Rabbit musical mobile, which plays Brahms Lullaby; being entertained by her big sister Allegra, who likes giving her kisses and cuddles and tickles; being lifted high into the air and then brought back down again; listening to mummy or daddy saying “shh, shh, shh, shh, shh”; being held and cuddled; falling asleep on mummy’s shoulder or in my arms or on daddy’s chest; sleeping with her legs in a frog position or with her feet crossed; having her little skinny feet and tiny toes rubbed with baby balm.

Miss Claudia Rose does NOT love… nappy changing; having her clothes changed; having to wait for milk; being stripped off and weighed (she had lost 9% of her body weight 3 days post birth, but we’re gradually building her back up to her fighting weight again); having the ‘heel prick’ test (done at the GP’s surgery by the midwife this week; being put into her moses basket to sleep when she was previously snuggled up cosy and warm in mummy’s arms or on my shoulder; or having her arms restricted when being swaddled – she likes to have her arms free but is happy enough to be swaddled from the chest down it seems.

So, we’re one week on from Claudia’s arrival and by NO means have it all figured out yet, but I feel like so far, so good, and we’re gradually getting into the swing of things.  I’m not denying it’s going to be hard work (really hard at times) – not least when Richmond Daddy returns to the office come Monday (eek!) – but I think we’re all going to love this being a family of four thing.