Introducing Zoe 0
Wow! It’s been just over 12 weeks since Zoe was born and that time sure has flown by! Well, maybe not all of it has passed that quickly (especially not the sleep depriving nights) but I suppose that is part and parcel of having a baby.
So, the quick summary version – Zoe was born just a little past her due date, and was welcomed into a warm birthing pool at home, surrounded by her daddy, doula, midwife and our beloved dogs. Labour was an interesting experience – not as full on as I had imagined. No drugs, no interventions, no serious pushing. It took about 8 hours all up which is very fast, especially for a first birth. Having said that, I think I might wait a bit before going through that again!! The most fascinating thing to me was the way that the hormones in my body compensated for the discomfort of the surges/contractions as they increased in intensity. This made everything very bearable and I remembered thinking that I might hold off on getting into the birthpool for a bit longer until things get really serious. Lol! I think I surprised my doula since I would have been in transition at that stage, when things are at their peak. I must say, I have a lot of respect for women who are medically induced (ie syntocinon/pitocin) and don’t go with an epidural. Ouchies!
Since then, life has been on a rollercoaster involving lack of sleep, crying and lots and lots of feeding. It’s all been a shock to the system but one that is worth it especially now that Zoe is gurgling and cooing (and now I know what those sounds are supposed to sound like!!). The smiles are so cute and I think she is now close to laughing too. We are still on a very steep learning curve but I think we are getting better at it, while Zoe is getting used to being on the outside.
