2 week babymoon and cosy blanket of paternity leave

Leaving the Hospital with Oscar was terrifying. We had entered the Birthing centre at about midnight  the previous evening knowing of course that at some point in the next few hours there would be a baby. However there is knowing that to be true and ACTUALLY having said baby come home with you! two remarkably different things!


All of a sudden our dynamic as husband and wife had changed, I was in the back seat for one (which felt weird) and there seemed to be so many terrible dangers in the world now that we had this tiny person to look after. needless to say the first night with our little man was spent waking up and checking him every time he made a noise (which was surprisingly often as he is a very snuffly sleeper) or making sure he wasn't in danger of being smothered!

Id read a lot about babymoons and spending the first two weeks indoors in your pjs, bonding. Now I wasn't too enthused by the idea for a couple of reasons:

  1. generally i find that staying in my pjs indoors for more than two days makes my anxiety flare up in a normal situation, let alone post pregnancy!
  2. while there is a second adult around constantly I kinda want to take advantage of the available showering opportunities and chances to wash my hair and think about what clothing I am putting on!
Luckily we had to go back to the birthing centre the very next day for Oscars baby checks so I was forced to get up and out anyway. I was pretty exhausted but I have to say I think it made me feel quite good getting out in the sun. 

We very quickly fell into a deliciously cosy and easy routine. My Husband did all the nappies whilst I did all the feeds (him not having the relevant equipment) he would watch Oscar while I got ready in the mornings and for a couple of hours in the afternoon and evening so I could have a bit of sleep. We went for a walk everyday and my dear Husband was at my beck and call fetching water, snacks, muslins and making all our meals. 
Whilst I felt a bit guilty and slightly slave driverish it was amazing having that support especially as he was doing all the stuff I would normally do round the house as well as weighting on me! 

Those two weeks whizzed past and suddenly Oscar was 2 weeks old, it was Sunday and I was faced with the devastating reality that the next day I would be on my own wit this small person. Terrified was an understatement, how would I cope. I had been well and truly lulled into a false sense of snuggliness during the paternity leave weeks!! 

So not once in those first to weeks did I wish my husband was back at work as many people said I would, I had only one pyjama day and got up and dressed and out every other day. I can strongly recommend enjoying and making the most of the freedom paternity leave time offers you and definitely get out for walks if you feel up to it as it made me feel fresher and more human!!  The more I go out with my husband and the baby, the more confident I feel about taking him out on my own too.
There will be plenty of time for pyjama days when you are on your own and cant quite work out how to shower and keep baby happy!!



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