Baby Diary: Day 3 - Sheer Relief
Here is the most heartfelt advice I could possibly give you: If you cannot afford a private room in the maternity ward, then you should wait before falling pregnant.
Trust me, being forced to share such a wonderful time between you and your partner with a complete stranger snoring in the other room, should be illegal.
Save up. Rob a bank. Score a tender. However you want to do it, ensure you have the cash (and privacy) to savour the time with your wife and newborn.
Other than the cramped room and snoring neighbour, I am glad to report that day three was a turning point for me. At long last the fog started to lift, and I actually started to enjoy the wild ride. I was certainly still clumsy, but markedly less so.
l learnt that when a baby cries, it’s either hunger, wind or a dirty nappy. And I could actually do something about two out of the three!
I also learnt that a crying baby is no reason to panic. Sure, you need to solve the problem, but the world hasn’t stopped on its axis because a baby is crying.
A baby crying is like a politician lying. It happens all the time.
Through all this I started to understand why a baby does what it does, it’s modus operandi if you will. And that, in turn, allowed me to be able to fall in love with Emmalin.
Falling in love with your baby is weirdly similar to falling in love with a girl in primary school.
At first you don't see what all the fuss is about, convinced this person isn’t all that special.
You try and keep certain aloofness, not wanting to follow the crowd. But because you cannot avoid her, love slowly creeping into your heart.
And before you realise it - wham - you are head over heels in love. Nothing will ever be the same again.
It may have taken me some 48 hours, but I am now officially in love with my child.