Welcome to the world, baby girl!

[ailbhe]

Today, my friend gave birth to her daughter at home, and this evening we went over for a chat and to buy them takeaway for dinner. Mother looks better than I did 6 weeks after our birth, baby is ADORABLE and feeding well, clever baby, Daddy is oddly rational on the surface but actually pretty besotted, and big brother (17 months) is In Wuv and likes to cuddle baby Rose, whom he can already identify when asked "Where's Rose?"

Something in me has just sort of knitted up back together the way it's supposed to be. I've lost a huge weight of fear for Linnea. This is what it's supposed to be like. This is what the hippie books talk about. There's no reason it can't be like this for my daughter. Wow.

I am amazed. And I came home to photos of people sleeping on the fold-down chairs of a public sports ground because their city is being torn apart by a hurricane. Today is a big, big day.

(Linnea painted outside in the garden. Everything got very red.)

Comments

[rosefox]

I've lost a huge weight of fear for Linnea.

How did it never even occur to me that you would feel that? I'm so glad it's better. There is, indeed, absolutely no reason it can't be like that for her (especially as it sounds like she's going to be a big girl and bigger woman).

[ailbhe]

I used to wake Rob screaming in the night "I won't let this happen to her promise me it won't happen to her oh god my baby this can't happen to her nonononno!"

Now I won't anymore.

[thereyougothen.livejournal.com]

gosh, how wonderful. I mean you buying them takeaway. I wish our friends had done that. mostly they were all afraid to come near us. maybe they thought that the homebirthing thing might rub off on them, or maybe they thought they were giving us space. which is nice. but wow, i think a fish supper would have been the business!

[ailbhe]

I actually asked if I could be in the house for the birth, but told them I knew I couldn't anyway. They called me as soon as they were able for visitors and said I could come over. I ran.

Then, since she'd just HAD A BABY, I tried to think of things I could do to help.

BabybabybabybabySQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[thereyougothen.livejournal.com]

gorgeous. and i still think what you did to help was ideal. wish you were MY friend!
i'm also glad that someone close to you has had such a nice normal birth, and you can start to see that in L's future. that's nice too. what a great day you must have had!

[juliansinger.livejournal.com]

Man. I love hearing about moments of healing epiphany.

Thank you.

(And go you on the takeout. People who've just HAD BABIES need the minor kinds of help as well as the major.)