Dear Sareena,
You are between 2 days to 4 weeks old in these photos. You’ve been an absolute angel and have surprisingly made transitioning into parenthood so easy. You were the sweetest little newborn who slept most of the night and were so alert and awake during the day. Your daddy and I wanted to stare at you all day, especially while you were napping. So we did. You cried SO rarely, in fact the only times you cried were when you were left alone with daddy while I was taking a shower. He always liked to joke around with you and ended up teasing you with love until you cried. We found your cry so cute and had to record each one.
I’m so grateful for you being so calm and easy. It was as if you understood my body needed time to heal and to just focus on peacefully bonding. We were so in tune with each other’s needs. Your daddy and I thank you for letting us get plenty of rest and sleep.
Your daddy and I were a little nervous at first about sharing our bed with you because we were afraid you would be so delicate, but once you arrived, we knew it was the most natural thing in the world. Sleeping with you snuggled against me every night is my greatest pleasure. We were in perfect harmony. I think co-sleeping with you really helped with nursing easily and you barely crying in general. There really is nothing better than having you in our bed, and I already want to cry at the thought that one day you will be sleeping in your own room when you’re (hopefully) much, much older.
I simply adored how amazing of a father your daddy was.
Here are some photos from your very first photoshoot when you were 2 weeks old!
Here are a few casual shots of your little nursery put together with love. Though we never had the intention of having you sleep in a crib, I just had to get it anyway for decoration! Your daddy makes so much fun of me for it.
Here I am changing your first diaper when you were a little over a week old… Your daddy was SO amazing and insisted on changing all your diapers up until then!
You really loved your new Bambo Nature diapers after we finished all the pamper diapers the hospital gave us. You were actually SO comfortable in them for once and loved it. We have a proud bambo baby 🙂
Shauray Mama & Shivani Mausi were SOOOOO excited about you and were probably the most excited to meet you! They couldn’t stop holding you and would constantly fight over you while timing each other about how long the other one held you for. They talked and played so much with you and couldn’t stop admiring you. You were just 3 days old and they already made you such a G. You were very particular about your music selection when you were in the car. You’d only let us listen to Snoop Dog. You were such a thug.
Sometimes you looked so much like your daddy!
Hehe you loved your first butt wash! You were acting like you were at the spa and just couldn’t get enough of the warm water.
And of course, your first bath right after your umbilical cord fell off a week after birth! You look so squishy and hilarious. I love you, my child. Your daddy is seriously such a pro, he’s got this!
Your 2 week check up!
Your Aji & Azo were obsessed with you
SO chubby! I was SOOO obsessed with your cheeks.
I am so in love with our family of 3. We love you so much, Sareena!
Love always,
Mommy & Daddy
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Dear everyone else,
The hardest part about motherhood for me has been watching Sareena grow up. Sareena just turned 9 months as I type this and reflect back on our experience. This is a way for me to relive everything whenever I miss how small she was, and a way for me to not forget how I felt during each precious moment. I want Sareena to know how much we cherish her and what it was like raising her from the very beginning. I’m going to be writing monthly letters to her until I’m all caught up to her current age. Bear with me about the slow speed as I sort through thousands of photos and compose these posts which are only possible to do during her naps while she’s sleeping soundly on me.
I will be sure to conclude each post with challenges and any additional thoughts addressing the rest of my readers. So here it goes!
Challenges
The only real challenge we faced during this time period was dealing with my painful post partum recovery due to a 4th degree tear. I could barely stand, let alone walk without being in pain during this time. Pain meds were not an option I was willing to take because of it potentially passing through the milk. I’m so glad we were following the 40 days of rest concept: an important cultural post partum ritual that’s practiced in South America, Asia, Greece, & The Middle East, where a new mother takes 40 days of rest to recover and bond with her baby. The principle of this tradition is that the mother should be taken care of so she can be at her best later on to take care of everyone else. We weren’t able to follow it completely,but I healed perfectly and seamlessly within a few weeks and would go through all of it again if I had to! No Regrets! Motherhood really showed me what I’m made of and gave me a newfound strength. Also, I discovered I can handle pain like nobody’s business. Can’t mess with this mama bear!
Another challenge I faced were a bit of the blues for a few hours. Luckily I didn’t get any post partum depression, but I did get one day of feeling completely hollow and empty when I was 5 days post partum. I’ve been told this feeling is so normal especially transitioning from nurturing your baby so lovingly inside of you and suddenly it’s as if you’re detached. I was even worried that Sareena was just using me as a kitchen at first and didn’t care much about me other than that, but then I realized how special & unique our connection is. Sameer reassured me how she actually does need me for more than food– she needs me for comfort, cuddles and love. (9 months later as I type this, I laugh at how I could ever think she didn’t need me. She is OBSESSED with me and I wouldn’t have it any other way!) I’m glad the feeling of emptiness only lasted a few hours for me and never came back again. She truly does need her mother to be nurtured. I couldn’t stand being away from her and secretly hated when someone else took her away from me in a different room! I wanted to cry and felt like a part of me was missing. This feeling lasted until she was 8 months! We both couldn’t stand being apart from each other! After she turned 8 months I started realizing I needed a little time to myself everyday, but overall I still don’t like being away from her.
Favorite Resources Relevant to this Time
With Love,
Shveta