11.04.2020
Baby Frances Estie is 4 weeks old. She arrived into the world on 12th March 2020, just before the Corona Virus pandemic really began to have an effect on everyday life.
The first couple of days are a blur of tiredness, happy tears, midwife visits, cards and presents - the world had stopped, our baby was here and she was the centre of our universe.
Since then, life with a newborn baby has been very different to the one envisioned...
Other than a birthday drive to see my Grandma and Grandad through the window and a few visitors who have walked past our house on their daily exercise, nobody has met Frances properly yet so technology has been our saviour. Social media, FaceTime and Zoom for online mum and baby classes have helped us to feel connected. Frances was on BBC North West Tonight at a week old which was a nice way for people to first see her, without social media and technology I’d feel so isolated.
I expected to feel anxious as a new mum anyway, but not having people like our parents around to give snippets of advice and reassurance has been really hard and made me worry about everything. We’ve not had the option to have people come round to help with the baby. There’s been no first family outing or showing her off.
Some days I’ve been sad, but I know that everyone has been affected by what’s happening in one way or another and that in the grand scheme of everything, we are so lucky to be in the position we are in.
One major positive is having Lucas here with me, we will never get this time again and I’m not quite sure how people manage with 2 weeks paternity! Another is that having both of us here all the time has meant that Frances is a very happy and relaxed little baby, I spoke to my friend who’s a midwife the other day who described the lockdown as perfect for a newborn baby, as their every need is attended to. We can spend as much time as we like looking at her and getting to know her, she has been spoilt with love and songs and smiles!
The time has allowed for creativity; I’ve been meaning to start this blog for years and finally can find time between feeds to get writing. I hope to use it to keep in touch, and as a little record to look back on one day, when all this is over :)
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