We’re delighted to announce the arrival of our baby girl Rona Beth. She arrived a day before her due date on 4th November weighing 6lb 6oz. Rona is 12 weeks old today and how the time has flown. It has been a truly wonderful couple of months, emotional, tiring but amazing.
Things I’m sure I’ll forget
- How tiny she was.. I could sit out on my knee with room to spare.
- The love hormones which carried me through the first weeks.
- The uncertainty I felt when first feeding and asking every midwife to check she was latched on.
- The day my milk came in and realising nothing fitted. Plus anything that nearly did was soaked.
- The journey from being unable to feed in front of anyone and dashing upstairs every time we had visitors to a month later feeding in shops, cafes and on the move at home.
- Her first smiles…especially when she wakes up and sees you.
- Bringing her home, she looked so fragile in her car seat.
- Introducing our dog Eva to her on day 3 and the comical moment when Eva realised she was real when she started gurgling. Proper question face, head to the side, big eyes, what is that?
- All the first trips that felt like mighty expeditions…walking the dog, getting to a shop.
- Feeling so nervous at the first bath time I was so sure she’d slip.
- Everyone loves to visit a baby! Our house was never busier.
- She needed first size clothes and even some of them were too big.
- That changing does change. Rona used to cry throughout and now she gurgles and coos.
- Swaddling for us lasted about a fortnight. I couldn’t wrap like they did at hospital and she is one wriggly baby.
- Doing everything possible to stay awake for all the night feeds. I went through countless cereal bars, bags of fruit and nuts, books and box sets in those first few weeks.
- Seeing my husband become a doting dad and my parents melt on meeting their granddaughter.
- Going to register her, that first bit where she is official and getting mail addressed to her.
- Constantly turning to check on her in the night and nearly waking her up because she seemed ‘too still’.
- Each night for about a week talking about the birth asking each other questions and just trying to remember everything.
- How quickly Rona has grown. 12 weeks in and we have a drawer of suits and vests that are too small.