you can't keep a good girl down

Only one reason for this post -

I managed to bathe baby - ALL BY MYSELF!

*clap clap clap clap clap*

Ok, ok, I can practically hear you experienced parents out there saying, "No biggie," but it is a big deal for me! It is the last hurdle! Now I have attained "fly solo" status! Which is important because I can't keep getting my mom to come over and help me bathe the baby...

But just because I can do it doesn't mean I don't appreciate the extra pair of hands.

Last night was a nightmare. I was alone at home with baby because Hunny was doing the night shift. Cherise's been spitting up her milk - a common occurrence amongst young babies, I hear. Got to do with the sphincter muscle not fully developed yet, so milk tends to come back up. Nothing much to worry about. But man! The sheer amount of work involved! Only one word to describe it - overwhelming. So what happened last night? It started in the wee hours of the morning - Cherise started to show signs of having an "episode". Best way to manage this is to keep her as upright as possible after a feed. Not too difficult (praise God for the people who invented the sling!) but how do you change a nappy while keeping a baby upright?? Crunch time came at 3 am. Cherise woke up for her feed. But she decided to poo first. So I had to decide - feed or change diaper first? Change diaper. So I mentally girded my loins and prepared for the screaming - a hungry baby is an inconsolable baby. Went to get some warm water - out came milk. Placed her on her changing table - out came milk. Her outfit's got to be changed now. Never mind. Changed diaper - massive load of poo! By which time she was screaming. I felt so apologetic - hope the neighbours didn't wake up! Took massive self-control to continue speaking in a soothing, calming voice to baby - whilst she's still yelling her lungs out. Almost got the new diaper on - out comes pee. Sigh. True test of patience now! Cleaned her again, and worked on the diaper at twice the speed. Done. Brought her to the bedroom (we were sleeping in the hall - less claustrophobic) to change her outfit. Out comes milk - all over my clothes this time. Sigh sigh. Prayed. Hard. Desperately. Removed her outfit - out comes milk. Seriously contemplating not putting any clothes on her (what's the point?), but I put on a new outfit anyway. Double time.

And if you think that's the end of the story - well, I changed Cherise's outfit about 4 times last night. That's how bad an episode gets. Thank God it only happens occasionally, and it doesn't seem to cause her any discomfort.

But I have to add, just so I don't alarm people - there's really nothing to worry about. I hate it when people think that Cherise is "not ok". Really makes my blood boil. Cherise is fine. Her doctor says she's healthy and gaining well. She's just doing a baby thing, which is exacerbated by the fact that she's very squirmy. So sometimes when she "exerts" too hard, she places pressure on her diaphragm which causes the milk to come out. That's what I read anyway. So she's fine. In fact, the whole thing is quite manageable - if you have more than one pair of hands. That's why it's so difficult to handle alone - because you don't clean the butt and the mouth at the same time. Makes me wish I were an octopus.