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16 April 2009

Getting to know Rowan

More baby pictures! Because, well, how can I be expected to help myself? I was so convinced, after such a stressy pregnancy and struggling so much to stay in tune with that bump of mine, that I would produce a stressy insecure baby. And how very wrong I was! She does startle all the time, and when she cries she does go right to emergancy mode with shakey bottom lip and everything, but mostly she just watches everything with a serious frown.

I'd also convinced myself that I would struggle to bond with her. I'm glad to report that endless maternal mushiness has arrived nevertheless.

The startling is very cute, especially last night when we had thunder and lightening! Morgan playing the drums this morning only elicited one little jump, and then Rowan went back to alert intent stillness, taking in every crash and bang and turning her little head from side to side slowly to find where the noise was coming from. She adores being touched. It settles her more surely than nursing - especially stroking her head (which is totally softly strokeable, with a thick fuzz of dark dark hair). Yesterday I spent nearly half an hour massaging her wrinkly dry little feet - she has such LONG feet - and oh what a blissed-out baby *that* produced. I stare at her for hours, no sense of urgency about anything except knowing her more fully. She smells heavenly. Breastfeeding is also going pretty well so far, after that first day of her hardly having any energy to suck. She's pretty keen now, and consenting to open her mouth more widely (another one who struggles to latch herself but sucks very well once helped on!) She nurses with commitment. Even when big sisters climb on top of her. Which they do. Morgan regularly comes and tries to take her from my arms too, crying, "ME turn... ME hold!" Thanks for all of the lovely comments over the last couple of days by the way. Even reading back, I don't have much perception of this last birth story as calm and peaceful - it seemed so intense and emotionally hard work! But I'm told by my birth companions that I seemed very in control and happy, and that they could barely tell I was in labour most of the time. I think they must have missed the parts where I was panicking and worrying about how much longer I had to go...

Anyway, must be off! I'm just eager to go float around in maternal bliss some more (HA and I don't even care ONE BIT how uncool that is). So eager that even though I'm sitting here with her in a ring sling, it has taken nearly an hour to compose this post because I'm not looking at the screen... And that's how it should be I guess - so if I do manage to take a break from blogging, you know where I'll be. ;)

18 comments:

  1. Oh, you just make my heart melt - wonderfull xxx

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  2. Just read the exciting news....missed it all yesterday (15th) because it was my birthday!!!! Does that mean that beautiful,gorgeous, perfect, long awaited Rowan shares the day with me?!!
    Congratulations to you all xxxx

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  3. Oh she is just adorable, so squishable! She looks very different to Jenna and Morgan, can you see who she is going to look like yet? I love the picture of you tandem nursing with that blissed-out new mama look on your face xxx

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  4. Sarah - she's absolutely beautiful - congratulations to you and your family - I love her name, but then I am also mummy to a Rowan, but one of the other flavour.
    Enjoy your lovely bonding time.
    Rachel
    xxxx

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  5. **squeeeeee** Ohhh she is so cute! She looks lovely and chubby newborn cuddliness :))) And you sound so chilled out hon; aww I'm so happy for you guys.

    Joxy

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  6. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Love the tandem feeding picture especially, have never been brave enough to post one of mine online ;) there is no *discreet* with a newborn AND toddler (although yours is much more discreet than any of mine. Like I care about being discreet anyway, what am I talking about)?! xxx

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  7. Thank you for sharing such beautiful pictures of Rowan, she is so gorgeous and huggable. So, nice to log on this morning and see them :)

    Enjoy your babymoon
    Love Gina xx

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  8. Well done shes lovely, sounds like your all enjoying her so much, makes me broody! congratulations to you all :)

    amy (yummymummy1988 teen mums) x x

    p.s what a brilliant photo of your 2 girls breastfeeding :)

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  9. awwww so utterly gorgeouse x glad your enjoying being a mummy to 3 xx

    Lucy xx

    ps. you have made me SOOO broody lol

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  10. What a beautiful little girl, enjoy these precious first days with your 3 girls. You all look so happy. Hugs Clair (Danigirl2)

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  11. I want one, I want one !! Aww she is so cute and those tiny feet, love them..

    S x

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  12. I'm fascinated to know the mechanics of tandem nursing.....

    Do you have "proper" milk straight away, or does Morgan drink colostrum? Does she think it tastes different or anything?

    Broken Man's Wife

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  13. wonderful.
    could you pm me your address, some little treats waiting to head your way xx

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  14. Beautiful, I think she has Morgans nose and upper lip... Congratulations, your pregnancy and birth is an inspiration

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  15. she is so beautiful x enjoy your babymoon x

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  16. Oh Sarah she is just gorgeous! Congratulations to you and your family! You sound totally blissed out as you should! Your birth story is amazing, how i wish i could have one like that. Looking at the photos of Rowan I can feel myself going all broody again! Take care Sarah! Kate xxxx
    PS Mylo thinks she is gorgeous too! aaarrreeeuuuhhhh he said!

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  17. Rowan's birthday is the 14th - only just though (she was born at past 11 at night!) and I *think* she looks more like Morgan did as a baby but it's so hard to tell what she's going to be like when she's bigger.

    She has dark hair (getting lighter) and black eyes (getting bluer) and is gradually looking less wrinkled and red! There's something contemplative about her, restful but totally curious in everything. She's studying us all intently all the time, poised to figure out something universal in the chaos. ;)

    I produced colostrum from a few weeks before I had her until about day three, in spite of Morgan nursing all that time at least once a day. Morgan didn't seem to care about the taste, but nursed slightly less because every time SHE sucked she was eager for me to go nurse Rowan again, "baby Row-na have moolk now!"

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  18. Lovely pics, thanks for posting the tandem nursing picture it has reassured Thomas that Mummys can have enough milk for 2!

    Alice x

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Penny for your thoughts? :)