ljs kitchen table: Getting To Know You

Getting to know all about you... the first crazy hazy weeks of having a new born.

The morning of delivery

For the past three and a half weeks I have had the pleasure to get to know my third child. Having been pregnant for what felt like a million years it was delightful to meet Miss Lucille Grace on the morning of 6 February 2014. Our tiniest baby only weighing 8lb4oz with a dark shock of hair and eyes the colour of dark denim.

There is a magic when a baby is born. Its completely and utterly miracles one moment they are inside you, you can feel them moving they are so close yet so far then here they are on the outside in your arms. So joyous tears flow. I have never known the gender of my babies before birth so there is the amazement of finding out who has been growing inside you.

Just after delivery...nothing beats the feeling of new
baby in your arms.

When I first started writing this post I was thinking about all the wonderful things of having a baby that I wanted to share. And before I go on I want to make clear I feel extremely blessed to have another little lady in my life, she is an amazing miracle. But in case you hadn't realised kids and in particularly babies are dam hard work. I think the thing that makes á new born so much work or such a big challenge is you don't know them yet.

After my C-section I got a small infection and need to go on meds the next day the doctor asked me if my baby now seemed sleeper. But I wasn't really sure I was still getting to know her and babies seem to change so rapidly that what works one day many not work the next.

I am surprised that this being my third baby what is exactly the same and what is different.

The things that are the same;
- I constantly worry that I am not feeding her enough and feel like I am forever feeding her. Why cant new born have a gage on them that shows how much breast milk they have.
- I worry about her stopping breathing and have to go poke her to make sure she is ok.
- I have never gotten used to night feeds and my dislike for them has only grown with each baby and despite my new daughter not even being a month old I am already craving her to sleep the whole night through.

What has changed;
- I care a lot less what people think. I really don't care where I breast feed as long as I can be comfortable and not have my child crying with hunger I'm a happy lady.
- I'm not fussed about what she is wearing as long as its weather appropriate. I must admit I treated my first born like a little doll dressing him up. But with three kids in the house I aint got time for that.
- I am sick and tired of being told what babies are and aren't meant to do. You can also take your unsolicited advice and stick it I'm pretty sure that whilst I don't always get it right with my kids but I'm pretty confidant that I not going to far astray.

I have also reached the conclusion that any Maternal Child Health Nurse that says 'but the book/computer says that....'. Isn't worth listening to. Because yes I understand that you want me to feed my baby every 3-4hours and then for her to have a couple of hours sleep in between but she hasn't read the hand book and life isn't like that sometimes she will feed lots really close together, other times it takes ages to settle her and I wont wake he just have her fit into the routine because it will make me crazy and its no good for her.

And while I am having a rant another thing. I am sick to death of people saying 'wow three kids you'll be busy'. Thanks captain obvious it hadn't crossed my mind.

Finally one of the most reassuring parts of having a third child is when I am filled with doubt about whether I can raise a reasonable human I can look at the two I started earlier and I am pretty confidant that although we may have some tricky times but thankfully the hard times never last and they help me appreciate the great times.

Here are lots of pics of my darling girl because lets be honest who doesn't love baby photos.