A Story for New Dads
So it’s the first few weeks of being a dad and your life has likely changed a little bit. Life is never going to be the same, that much is obvious. You’ve got your precious, yet useless, little baby larvae that is probably doing nothing but sleep, eat and cry. You’re walking around the house on egg shells to allow both your tired partner and little baby to get some much needed rest.
I’d like to share one of my favourite memories during the first week of our first child’s life. She was a sleepy little nugget, and one day we were having some challenge with latching and feeding. Our daughter was so sleepy, she would even fall asleep half way through feeding, and we were already having concerns about her nutrition intake. My wife, exhausted from the labour only a few short days ago, sat in a chair with pillows propped up everywhere, and a cold cloth trying to keep our little daughter awake just long enough to feed, unsuccessfully. My amazingly strong and resilient wife finally broke down, and admitted through tears: “She’s so sleepy! She’s not normally like this!”. Together we laughed and cried as we realized that our 4 day old baby was not “normally” like anything. She was only four days old.
“She’s so sleepy! She’s not normally like this!”
If one thing is true in this challenging stage is that, both good and bad you can rest assured, your child won’t be like that for long. The only constant in your life going forward, for you and them, will be change. I hate to say, even those amazing stretches where they start sleeping hours at a time, or when they are feeding so well, may soon unravel into a sleep regression, or hunger strike.
Stick with it guys, you will get through it, and cherish those special moments that help fuel you for the tough ones!
-Physiodad