Second Time Round and Still Things to Learn!
Did you know that the envelope top on bodysuits is not a design feature but a practical aid so you can take a soiled suit off a baby without going over the head? Nope? Me either and I'm on my second child. Plus a gap of five years so you'd think I would have picked up a few pointers. Instead I had to refresh my memory about only using boiled water on face in first weeks and had to google how to prepare bottles. Two kids, two completely different scenarios.
First kid loved breast feeding, never napped (life too exciting), hated the bath, difficult to get asleep but then slept 12 hours and had to be spoon fed (large quantities of food then evaporated in the mouth). Second child is a fussy feeder, insists on finger foods and feeding herself, good at napping and going to sleep but not so good at staying asleep. And loves the bath. I spend my time worrying she is eating enough.
Last time I got given the Dept of Health Pregnancy to 5 book and two really helpful booklets on feeding and preventing accidents from the health visitor. Now it seems you fend for yourself tantalised by the debate on best parenting - Gina Ford style or Baby led. Well my little one defies Gina Ford and nowhere is the troubleshooter guide. None of the literature out there adequately covers 'what happens if my baby doesn't do....' Thank goodness for mums.net. Yes the advice may not be always correct but at least you know you are not alone in your worries. Okay so my baby should be eating 3 meals a day with 2-3 oz but she's not and she seems perfectly fine, putting weight on and hitting her developmental targets. After all babies' stomachs are small (size of his/her fist). I still worry though. Probably a mother's prerogative. Well, off now to prepare the finger foods - introducing her to new tastes and me to new ways of parenting.