For a first time mom, I was excited, exhausted, confused and just plain dazed in the initial days of my baby's birth. As people came by to meet the baby, lots of love, free advice and strange reactions came our way.
Don't know if it is an Indian thing or practised the world over to say 'well meaning' inappropriate things to new parents.
Here are the top 5 that were told to me and even though at that time I wanted to strangle the person and might have succeeded if the IV wasn't running, I am glad I find humour in it now. Sanity is catching up with me. :-) so here goes...
1. 'Your baby is so red now, he will be dark complexioned when older'. This is all that you could say to my baby who is 6 hours old?! I don't care about the colour but couldnt you stick with 'oh! How cute?'
2. ' my son was much taller and heavier at birth and I am so thin compared to you'. My very own wise croak. Oh! The love!
3. ' don't use products from xyz brand'. Ok. Why? Coz ABC is a pediatrician and he says so.' I didn't bother googling it. ABC. pediatrician. Works for me. Maybe someday...
4. Croak made my day when in the initial days I was nursing round the clock to increase milk supply and had a supremely colicy baby, I overhear telling a random visitor; ' I have to do all the work while she chills'. Wise croak suffers from needpity attacks.
5. Top of the list is what might have triggered the post partum depression in me... No seriously! So day two of baby out of body I am thinking bring baby to breast and he drinks milk and we are one happy family.. scratch that... Reality is: baby comes to breast - he is wailing- shoot no milk- super shoot inverted nipps!! What? What's going on... Why didn't anyone mention this? So I am struggling and irritated and he does not stop crying! Perfect timing for smarty pants to say ' if you are unable to feed him in the next three days, you will loose out on the opportunity to create a bond with your baby'. I died right there. But you know what I did create a bond with my baby and no I was unable to nurse him in the next three days. It took me 3 months to establish my supply.
We made it. The three of us with a lot of support from family and friends.. nights are still long, days are a whirlwind but we are learning and growing and the bonds are strengthening.
Don't know if it is an Indian thing or practised the world over to say 'well meaning' inappropriate things to new parents.
Here are the top 5 that were told to me and even though at that time I wanted to strangle the person and might have succeeded if the IV wasn't running, I am glad I find humour in it now. Sanity is catching up with me. :-) so here goes...
1. 'Your baby is so red now, he will be dark complexioned when older'. This is all that you could say to my baby who is 6 hours old?! I don't care about the colour but couldnt you stick with 'oh! How cute?'
2. ' my son was much taller and heavier at birth and I am so thin compared to you'. My very own wise croak. Oh! The love!
3. ' don't use products from xyz brand'. Ok. Why? Coz ABC is a pediatrician and he says so.' I didn't bother googling it. ABC. pediatrician. Works for me. Maybe someday...
4. Croak made my day when in the initial days I was nursing round the clock to increase milk supply and had a supremely colicy baby, I overhear telling a random visitor; ' I have to do all the work while she chills'. Wise croak suffers from needpity attacks.
5. Top of the list is what might have triggered the post partum depression in me... No seriously! So day two of baby out of body I am thinking bring baby to breast and he drinks milk and we are one happy family.. scratch that... Reality is: baby comes to breast - he is wailing- shoot no milk- super shoot inverted nipps!! What? What's going on... Why didn't anyone mention this? So I am struggling and irritated and he does not stop crying! Perfect timing for smarty pants to say ' if you are unable to feed him in the next three days, you will loose out on the opportunity to create a bond with your baby'. I died right there. But you know what I did create a bond with my baby and no I was unable to nurse him in the next three days. It took me 3 months to establish my supply.
We made it. The three of us with a lot of support from family and friends.. nights are still long, days are a whirlwind but we are learning and growing and the bonds are strengthening.
your baby is the cutest little thing i ever held...you are doing a great job mommy..mwah
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