Tuesday, February 2, 2010

A New Year & A New Life...both welcomed a little late.

We're a month into 2010, so I'm just a little behind in ringing in the New Year. It would be an understatement to say that things have been just a little hectic since we welcomed our baby girl, Miss Whitney Bennett, into the world on January 11.

Here she is on Day 2...
(c/o a professional photo service offered at the hospital)
that's my arm on the left and Matt's (hairy one) on the right.


I half expected to be early and deliver Toronto's first baby of 2010 since there was a full moon on New Year's eve and there's an old wives' tale that you can go into labour on a full moon. But it turned out I was 6 days past due and with each passing day and no sign of baby, we all grew a little impatient... my mom and sister had flown in from Saskatoon on the 6th and there were only so many games of Scrabble that we could play to pass the time.

It didn't help that my parents and Matt's parents kept wondering when their first grandbaby would arrive, that Matt's parents were getting into Toronto on the 11th, that my dad was going to India on the 12th, that my sister was only in town until the 12th and that I was scheduled for an induction on the 13th.
No pressure, right?

Well, once I finally experienced my first contraction, life as Matt and I knew it before, forever changed. My labour and delivery went pretty quick, considering this was my first pregnancy - just under 12 hours - and since then, life has felt like a bit of a whirlwind.

Here I thought the pregnancy was somewhat challenging... boy, was I clueless about what to expect afterwards. How anyone is able to raise kids on his/her own kind of boggles me. If I had not had help these past few weeks, I think I would have seriously lost it. Couple that with the fact that I had never before held a baby or changed a diaper, let alone babysat any kids, so it was all a bit overwhelming.


Basically now, my days are spent feeding Whitney every 2.5-3 hours, with feedings usually taking an hour on average, sometimes longer though if she's fussy and won't settle down. I'm lucky if I get more than 2 hours of sleep at a time, and 6 hours in total a day. The last time I left the house was more than a week ago - until today - so I've pretty much been in my p.j.'s and bathrobe 24/7.

Breastfeeding itself was a big challenge in the first week and we're both still getting the hang of it. We had to bring Whitney back to the hospital a few times because she was dehydrated and I needed help with breastfeeding... that's a whole other post for another time though. The carpal tunnel that I developed during the third trimester has not gone away and is probably being aggravated by holding and lifting Whitney constantly.


All complaints aside however, we are thrilled that our little "Whit-whit", as we like to call her, arrived safe and sound. Hearing her first cries brought both Matt and me to tears and I'm so looking forward to all the other emotions and milestones we'll experience together in the coming years.

14 comments:

  1. congrats cathy, miss whitney is beautiful! lovely lovely pictures. Can't wait to see more of her pics and read more about her! xoxoxox

    Hope you're resting and healing well:)

    ---
    www.littlemoandfriends.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. *Congrats* on being a new mommy (not just a cat mommy anymore :) Whitney is ADORABLE!
    Hope you can rest a bit~though the PJs and bathrobe ensemble does sound comfy :O)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congratulations! She's totally adorable!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations.
    What a beautiful, bright-eyed baby.

    ReplyDelete
  5. :-D I was waiting for this post!!

    So happy for you both. Look what you made! Awesome and amazing.

    I have always been under the impression people get "made" into parents really quick after a baby comes, and you can't really prepare for it. Its crazy and crappy and a lot of people are like "Ahh! What did I do?!!" Haha. But that is what makes me really admire people who do it, diving in headfirst and kicking ass in the scariest situation ever. You guys are amazing! I am sure itty bitty Whit-y will agree someday.

    ReplyDelete
  6. hey guys - whit-whit's really beautiful :-) the people in my office are peeking over my shoulder to get a glimpse.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh my goodness - she is TOO cute!!! Congrats! What a beautiful way to start off 2010. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. She's gorgeous! Congratulations to both of you! It certainly is overwhelming at first, trying to get everything organized and in a routine. No worries though as it falls together-eventually! Remember to take care of you too!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Whitney is beautiful like her mother! congrats!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. She is absolutely beautiful, Cathy! Such perfect little hands and such a sweet, sweet face. And those eyes--my gosh--they are full of spunk! I hope Matt is ready for all the guys who will be wanting to date her in about 15 years. haha I had to laugh at your mention of Scrabble--we played a lot of it here too, while we were waiting for our little guy to arrive. So glad Whitney is here. Enjoy her! (OK, maybe not so much during those 3 AM feedings, but you know...)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh Congratulations Cathy! She is a beautiful baby!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Congratulations Cathy (and Hubby!!)! So happy for your family. We just had our little Bridget at the end of November. Parenting gets a bit easier every day and you should be commended for sticking with the breast feeding - I had no appreciation for how hard it is/can be especially at the beginning - you are a CHAMP!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Belated Congratulations Cathy and Matt !!! She is gorgeous !! i am so happy for you both. Sending you a big hug! Susie x

    ReplyDelete