It’s the basic things that have changed for me since I had a baby. A simple task like leaving the house is much more of an ordeal now than it was before. There seems to be so much stuff I need like the nappy bag, food, buggy, change of clothes and toys.
There are some activities that l love to do with Dafne and other activities I have given up trying with her. I go to a mother and baby coffee morning most Tuesdays. It’s a group that emerged from meeting at the local breastfeeding support clinic. It’s so nice to meet other women with babies around the same age. It’s at a good time in the day for Dafne so she’ll happily sit there or go for a power nap.
Dafne has joined swimming classes and goes every week with my husband Peter. She loves it. She spends the whole class smiling at the other babies and the teachers. I’m really glad I signed her up for it. I tried mother and baby pilates too, but it was a disaster because she would never settle for the hour it was on. I’d spend most of the time walking around with her.
I had a really deluded idea that Dafne would happily nap in the buggy if I brought her to the gym. I quickly realised that this was never going to happen! I only made the mistake of thinking she was my new training partner once. Now if I want to go to the gym I make sure she’s not with me.
I’m a little strict when it comes to Dafne’s routine. I try to make sure she eats and sleeps at roughly the same time each day. The main reason is that she is a fantastic sleeper if her day is predictable. She will go to bed from 7.30 p.m until 7 a.m. most days. But if she has had a busy day and missed napping in her cot at least once then she often sleeps badly that night.
Dafne’s routine definitely affects the things I do with her. I try not to do anything during her big morning nap. It also helps me because I know at a certain time during the day I can get work done while Dafne sleeps.
Before I had Dafne I thought I would be much different. But now I find myself saying things like “nope I can’t do that it’s on at nap time”. Thankfully Dafne is a very happy healthy little lady so I’m quite content to let sleep time dictate my life for the moment.
Thanks for reading!
