In many of the traditional cultures the first 40 days after birth are considered a sacred period meant for the mom and the baby to recover, warmly rest, heal, and bond. That’s the intention that we had for this period, and for the most part, it fulfilled itself. We left the house for the first time two weeks after birth. Not because we wanted it. Only because we needed to get a little paper from a neonatologist, because you know, if competent strangers don’t confirm that the woman gave birth, and the baby was born, the baby in this country does not exist. Around the same time, we found out that we were going to have to change homes and a few days ago we have already moved. The new home is still messy, and the luggage still unpacked, but we enjoy every day. Well, these are only circumstances, only mere details! Way more interesting is our meeting, learning and bonding.
The meeting: Prana fell right into dad’s hands. The daddy right away protected him from the blood still coming out of me. The little one showed his voice just for a moment and calmed down, stared at us for some time and fell asleep peacefully. Just as the daddy expected. (Prana’s birth story)
Feeding: the first few days it was pretty difficult to feed. The little one would sleep for long and would wake up so hungry that he wouldn’t even have enough patience to get the breast in his mouth. Then I would draw some colostrum to a little spoon and poor into his mouth until he would calm down. It took a couple of days. Then I asked the daddy to buy some little syringes. When little Prana would sleep, I would fill the syringes with colostrum and when he would wake up, before losing control, we would pour it into his mouth and give the breast right away. This way in a couple of days he learnt how to nurse, and I learnt how to feed. I promised Prana then that I’ll feed him any time he wants and of course I’m keeping that promise to this day. It means, for example, that it doesn’t matter that we’re going somewhere and we’re late. If little Prana wants to eat, we pull over and satisfy the needs. During the day he eats frequently and greedily, but at night he lets me sleep quite a bit.
Sleep: during the night we always sleep together and it’s hard to imagine that it could be any different. When Prana needs something, he always wakes me up and we don’t need any alarm-clock. During the night we wake up around 3 times. Those waking times are really simple: I lift him up over the potty, he pees, then we lie down, he eats and we both fall asleep. During the day he usually falls asleep in a wrap-carrier on my chest and I dedicate that time to my activities. Sometimes, when I feed lying down on the bed, he falls asleep while eating, but when he sleeps alone that sleep is usually short and not so deep.
Hygiene: this is one of the biggest discoveries and one of the most interesting topics that I could talk about for hours. Apparently, the babies communicate their needs to pee and poo! Little Prana almost always tells us when he wants to use the bathroom. We take off the diaper or the swaddle, lift him up over the sink or a little bucket, and he does his business. As it happens, sometimes we still get a wet diaper, usually because of our laziness or circumstances, but it’s getting less and less.
Movement: after two weeks of life with little Prana, we gave away the stroller (that we were given for free) to another mommy. We hadn’t used it even once and we understood that a stroller doesn’t suit our lifestyle. Many of our walks lead through forests, hills, mounds, springs – places that no stroller would pass or would make the movement a lot more difficult. I really enjoy carrying little Prana on my chest, constantly feeling his breathing and being able to instantly react to his needs because he’s so close. It’s very obvious that it’s also his favorite place, because as soon as I put him into “the little pocket”, he always calms down and usually falls into sweet sleep.
Me: I feel great. Any time I get a chance, I do yoga, go for a walk. I eat a lot. My body is still a little sensitive, but very healthy and doesn’t cause me discomfort. I thank immensely to my love, because of whom I was and still am able to rest whenever I need it. He always cooks and makes sure that there’s enough food at home. He takes care of home and protects us.
These 40 days gave me a deep understanding that I, as probably most of the moms, know better than anyone else what my child – my body and blood – needs. True, I only know it when I listen to him, because he knows the best and tells me everything. I’m feeling in love and blessed. I thank Prana and David, they’re wonderful!