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I promise not to bore you with endless new grandchild chit chat but having my first grandchild has made me aware of the changes between the time I had my daughter and Gabrielle's experience of giving birth to our beautiful Sonoma Grace now 2 weeks old. I had Gabrielle in Hawaii, an easy natural birth at the Kaiser hospital on the waterfront overlooking the Ala Wai Yacht Harbour. Twenty four hours later I went home with no idea how to look after the little bundle in my arms. We had just moved into our apartment and knew no one. We had no family in Honolulu and had no one to turn to for advice. The first few days trying to get the hang of breastfeeding was a nightmare, I had no pediatrician and could only speak to a curt, care less nurse. In comparison Gabrielle was in a baby friendly hospital on the Gold Coast. Helpful midwives were on duty 24 hours to supervise breastfeeding, bathing baby and a myriad other issues. New mothers could not go home till they were confident and capable. The hospital promoted natural and water births combined with modern technology. (Yet the treatment for sore boobs was to hand out cabbage leaves to be pressed against the breast!) In one of the learning sessions the midwives showed the Dunstan Baby Language Method in a video made by Priscilla Dunstan, a gifted Melbourne woman who has a photographic memory for sound. A musician and singer, when she had a child she applied her talent to studying babies' cries. She says the cries are not random but identifiable sounds common to all babies with a specific meaning. Neh Eh, Heh, Eairth and Owh, accompanied by subtle body language have basic meanings - hungry, need to burp, tired, back pain, uncomfortable etc. We watched the video and we watched Sonoma do the same. Now Gabrielle knows exactly why she's crying and understands what Sonoma needs. It's really amazing.
I had to drag myself away from the new family and return to Boris, my doggy and Christmas preparations before we are all reunited for the festive season. But it's been a wonderful bonding time to share my granddaughter's first week at home. I miss her already.
Have a wonderful Xmas.
Di’s latest book The Islands, published by Pan Macmillan, is now on sale. |
