Newborn Diaries: Week 2
Oscar is officially two weeks old. Time has flown by, but this week has been less of a whirlwind than last week. Things have been busier, yet somehow the week has seemed slower – but in a good way. Last week flew by so quickly that I felt as if I’d been cheated out of an entire week of my life. It seemed like in a blink of an eye my baby was a week old!
This week has been a flurry of appointments and home visits, but it has still been relaxed and enjoyable. I’m still loving life as a family of four, although next week is the last week we are all together.
Discharged From The Midwife
The midwife came round and did her last assessment for me and Oscar. I’m happy to report all is well and we have officially been discharged. I’m still finding so many differences between this baby and the last. With Luke, I was kept on and had midwifery care and a mental health team for quite a while. With Oscar, the mandatory checks are done and everyone’s happy with how things are going.
A Dodgy Tummy
A couple of days after the midwife discharged us, we decided to grab a takeaway as we were both way too tired to cook. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out well for me and I ended up with mild food poisoning. Thankfully, there was no vomiting – I don’t think I could deal with being sick after suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum for so many months of my pregnancy. It did mean I spent a day and a half on the loo…so soon after giving birth, that was a little traumatic but I survived.
Health Visitor Anxiety
We had a visit from the health visitor the next day (I had to reschedule!). On the phone she sounded like she was going to give me a hard time over my decision to exclusively express breast milk and feed via a bottle rather than breastfeed feed Oscar. I had some pretty horrific experiences with my previous health visitor so I was very anxious about how the meeting would go. I went into this fully expecting her to give me a hard time and for me to feel like absolute crap by the time she left. To my relief, she was actually really positive and encouraging. She praised me for expressing milk, saying that I was doing really well and that it’s a hard route to go down l, yet I seem to be doing well. Oscar’s weight gain is really good so he is definitely eating well and putting on the weight.
Oscar Can Hear!
Finally, we had to take Oscar to the health centre to have his newborn hearing test done. I think we got really lucky with this one as Oscar slept through the entire thing. One ear was easily done while he was sat in his car seat, but we had to get him out to do the other ear as he kept slouching and the lady couldn’t keep the earpiece in. Luke came along to the appointment with us and I’m really proud of him for being so well behaved and quiet during the test.
Where Has The Cord Gone?
In other health related news, Oscar’s cord also fell off in the middle of the night this week. Mikey was doing the nappy change and noticed it had gone. He then had to rummage around in the sleepsuit to try and find it! For some reason, people keep asking me if I kept it. Is that a normal thing to do? I’m not so keen on the idea of saving a lump of rotten flesh so straight in the nappy bag it went.
Adventures
We also went out on our first ever family walk. Originally, we wanted to head to Alice Holt to find The Highway Rat, play in the massive playground and have a bite to eat at the cafe. Unfortunately, the carpark was completely fully and operating on a one in, one out way. We waited for a little while but with an excited four year old in the car, we couldn’t be bothered to wait for ages. We decided to head to Fleet Pond for a walk instead.
Blackberry Picking
Last year, we went blackberry picking in Tilford with Luke’s Grandpa. While we were driving down towards the carpark at Fleet Pond, I noticed there were loads of blackberries. For a moment, I thought we’d have no way of collecting any, but then a thought popped into my head. One of the joys of having a newborn is that you’ve got a change bag full of all sorts, including nappy bags! We didn’t spend ages picking berries as we really wanted to go on a long walk and tire Luke out, but we did manage to pick a few juicy ones along the way.
Painted Rocks
We love painting rocks and Luke was delighted to actually find his first ever painted rock! In fact…we actually found two. One was all the way from Bangkok! We’ve picked them up and we will hide them on our next adventure, which I think will be Portsmouth’s Southsea sometime next week.
Park Life
Of course, you can’t have a week together as a family without a visit to the park. Oscar obviously slept the entire time, but it was nice to watch Mikey and Luke spend some proper boy time together. I’m so keen to make sure that Luke isn’t left out, but that he also has lots of one on one time, as well as being included in as much of Oscar’s life as is possible. He’s been brilliant, but hyper 24/7 since Oscar came into the world. I suppose that’s to be expected and I should be thankful that he’s just so full of energy and eager to help, rather than being jealous and playing up all the time.
Lukeosaurus And Me
Rachael is a 31 year old mum to 10 year old Luke and 5 year old Oscar. She lives in England and writes about family life, crafts, recipes, parenting wins(and fails), as well as travel, days out, fashion and living the frugal lifestyle.
31 Comments
laura dove
Ahh what a lovely update! I was terrified of our health visitor but actually she was really lovely too! I really need to get in on this rock painting craze, it looks like fun!
Lukeosaurus And Me
Thank you – it looks like we’ve actually got a nice HV this time and I definitely think it makes a massive difference to new parents confidence!
Kara
Glad to hear that everything is settling down. I kept the cord clamps for mine but not the cord itself
Lukeosaurus And Me
I couldn’t bring myself to keep it!
Deborah Nicholas
Aww im glad all is going well and it looks like you have your hands full now. I have never found one of these elusive rocks yet! Must keep looking!
Lukeosaurus And Me
I’ve definitely got my hands full! It was really exciting to find some painted rocks; we’ve spent months trying to find one!
michelle twin mum
A great summary of the second week of Oscars life, he looks like a charming little chap. Sorry to hear you had a dodgy tummy but great the HV turned out to be a good one. Mich x
Lukeosaurus And Me
I’m so glad the HV turned out to be a nice one. I was so worried!
Paula @MummyVsWork
Aww firstly huge congratulations, he is adorable! You look like you are doing a great job balancing it all, I’ve never seen any of these painted rocks yet, I need to look out for them!
Lukeosaurus And Me
Luke was really excited that he finally found some! We’ve been on the look out for months and have hidden loads of our own. It was nice for him to finally find some for himself.
Yaya
This is such a lovely post!
Super Busy Mum
This is such a sweet update – those newborn days go by far too quickly! And we’ve been painting rocks this summer too! It’s such a fun activity!
Katy - Hot Pink Wellingtons
It sounds like you’re all getting on really well, tummy bug aside. We visited Alice Holt last week, although it was pretty quiet as it was chucking it down with rain! Still busy by lunchtime though, it’s a popular place! I need to get out blackberry picking before they all go – I think I need to get to know our local area a bit better to find the good spots. I knew loads where I grew up, but I only seem to see them by the road here. I need to get off the beaten track a bit more I think.
Lauretta at Home and Horizon
Glad to hear Luke is doing well with Oscar’s birth. His excitement is really something to be grateful for.
Zena's Suitcase
Those early days fly by so quickly don’t they. So pleased to read that everything is going well and all baby’s tests are fine
Emma
Awww, what a lovely update. Sounds like you are all doing very well (apart from the tummy bug). However, I did go ugh over people asking you about the cord. Please tell me that people don’t keep it!! That’s gross. What would you do with it? Although perhaps I’m just being over sensitive. I’m not good with anything that is even a tiny bit gross and I remember feeling sick when the cord fell off!
Louise
Aww, it sounds like you guys had a great week together as a family. I love blackberry picking but I’ve not been in years!!
Louise x
Charlotte
It sounds like you had such a lovely week! Oscar and Luke are adorable. 🙂
Lukeosaurus And Me
I have had a lovely week! Thank you so much.
Mudpie Fridays
I am with you. There is no way I would keep the cord. Although I did keep the clip so maybe thats no better? Hope you are feeling better now. Love the rainbow rock you found. I keep meaning to do some of these with my two. xx
Lukeosaurus And Me
A few people have told me that they have kept the clip! I just chucked the whole thing in a nappy bag during the change, I didn’t fancy pulling it off the actual cord. The rainbow rock is gorgeous, isn’t it? We still have loads that we need to go out and hide.
Sarah | Boo Roo and Tigger Too
You’ve packed so much into week two. I remember being so nervous to meet our HV (although our first was a dragon).
Lukeosaurus And Me
It’s only really been possible because my other half has been here! If we didn’t also have an older child, I doubt we would have got out so much! I’m also really lucky that I had a really straight forward birth and recovery was really quick.
Vicky lane
He is so super scrummy ❤️ Glad things are settling down. Massive fans of the painted rocks here too. It’s fab for a cheap day out that keeps my 3 year old walking for miles!
Lukeosaurus And Me
Thank you, newborn cuddles are the absolute best. Yes, it’s a great way to get the older kids out of the house, especially during the summer holidays.
Daydreams of a Mum
Aaaaw this is such a lovely post. A supportive Health Visitor makes so much difference.
Lukeosaurus And Me
It really, really does!
Yeah Lifestyle
Oh Congratulations! Oscar looks super cute and so adorable! You must be so happy yet feeling emotional at the moment with so much happiness and love in the air.
Eva Katona
Health visitors can go a little bit beyond their role, eh? Feeding is your decision, they should not give you hard time over it.
Samantha Donnelly
What a lovely update, takes me back to when mine was 2 weeks old x
Lucy Howard
Oh he is scrumptious. And it sounds like you’re doing amazingly well. So sorry to hear about the food poisoning and that you were so anxious about the health visitor. It is amazing how easily these people can make you feel rubbish. But expressing is a really difficult route to take so I’m so glad the HV was supportive. You keep going mumma. You’re doing brilliantly. Hugs Lucy xxxx