Success - I have survived my first night all alone with baby!
Let's see... I managed to bathe baby (with the help of my mom), feed baby her anti-wind drops together with her milk, change her diaper (and what a horrible mess she made!) and soothe her to sleep! All by myself! Except the bathing part, that is. That's the next hurdle.
Anyway. Lots of people have expressed surprise, shock, even disapproval when they hear that I'm doing without a confinement lady. But I really don't see the need to hire one. Hunny took two weeks' leave, my MIL came over to help, my mother lives just opposite my block... why do I need a strange woman in my home to "help" me with the baby?
If we had the money to spare, I'd say hiring a domestic helper would be more helpful. Have her do housework and stuff. I don't need want some stranger handling my baby. This is my first child! Isn't it exciting to be "hands-on", to learn more about this individual who's invaded my life, to learn her sounds, her expressions, her smells, to have her learn me as well? Why would I give this up to anybody?
I'm not being complacent and saying that it's easy - it's not. There were nights I just turned to Hunny and said, "I don't know what to do anymore." But those nights pass, and the mornings bring renewed confidence and assurance. So what's a little lack of sleep? A few more dark eye rings? There's always Eye Bryten. Ha!
And for the record, I don't believe in any of the confinement rules. No bathing? You gotta be joking. Our weather is so humid! It only makes sense to bathe - especially since most women would have a wound down there. Plus, if you're breastfeeding, isn't it wise to keep yourself clean? And what's that about not touching water - there's really no link to rheumatism. Some people get it, some people don't. It's got nothing to do with water. And confinement food - it's not a necessity. I believe in good nutrition. Some confinement recipes are touted as effective, but if you look closely, you'll be able to figure out why and make necessary substitutions.
I guess when it comes down to it, I'm not the traditional type. Nope. Non-conformist. I may go along with some of the confinement practices - but only if they suit me. For example, I think the longan and red date tea is really nice to drink. I would happily drink that all day long. But not because I believe it helps anything.
And my more traditional relatives would scold me upside down if they heard this - the first drink I requested after delivery was an isotonic drink. 100 plus. The nurse looked somewhat nonplussed. They didn't have 100 plus. Next choice was cold water. She got really disturbed then. She asked, "How about warm water?" I insisted, "I want cold water." So I got my cold water - ice, no less! And had a nice shower later in the day.
