*We were spoofing a Cher song. Are you stroganoff to live without me? Stroganoff!
What made you feel powerful in 2012?
empower [HOPE]: this post is part of Weverb2012
Thinking back to the start of the year, when Mimi had just been born, some of times I felt most empowered were during the darkest days of the first three months. Particularly when a day after we had been discharged from hospital, a check-up revealed Mimi had high jaundice levels and had to go back to hospital for blue light treatment.
I had to stay with her, sleeping on a fold-up round-the-clock, which was no joke for someone who had just had a c-sec. Apart from one night-time stretch when I panicked, trying to calm a wailing Mimi and change her diaper in that incubator thingie, I was surprised at how well I managed the feeding, sleeping, staggering to gross common toilet, making calls to V from corner of said toilet (the only place I got phone reception), etc. I would never have thought myself capable of camping out on a fold-out bed, and leaping to the demands of a newborn with a huge cut in my stomach but I rose to the occasion (literally).
And later, during one dreadful night when V was away on work, and I got food poisoning, Benji dropped the iPad on his foot and it turned blue, and I had to keep waking to feed Mimi and I managed to do all this and live to host a visiting friend the next day, I knew I had depths of strength I hadn’t imagined. More recently, during another bad night when Mimi was really ill and I slept with her cuddled in the crook of my arm, getting a couple of hours sleep, before heading to work, I knew I still had it in me.
I’m not one of those people that believes that one should welcome misfortune because it makes you stronger. Bad times suck. But I was proud of how I handled those physically and emotionally exhausting days and they taught me that I was stronger than I thought.
Gosh Bride…you are great..honestly..all I can say is ‘Falling on feet and asking for blessings’
I doubt whether I could have done it AT ALL! I really admire you so much more now
Having read your labour story and how you breastfed R, I am quite sure you can do this and more. *Falling at your feet before you can fall at my feet*
you are TOTALLY Sroganoff for anything =)
Stroganoff. dammit.
Hee is a tongue-twister.
That is totally impressive. In enduring physical discomfort, I have lost the resilience and tolerance I used to once pride myself in.. sheesh, must work on it and build it back to wat it used to be once again
At least with children, one has no choice but to rise to the occasion. Building up physical strength is a good idea, I guess, but the problem is that unless one has planned the whole thing, whereby one is already physically fit before pregnancy, one can’t suddenly push oneself during pregnancy and then once you give birth, you sink or swim. Nevertheless, I feel the need to give myself credit for swimming, albeit with lots of sputtering.
Generally, though, yeah, it’s a good idea to work on building toughness. If only one did.
I think when we are all put in the situation, we can be stronger than we think. Especially when it involves our children. Now I can say with certainty that during the incidents, I managed to get through. But when they were over, I lost my cool and cried with relief. So glad you appreciate your strength. You are stroganoff. Maybe even more than enough.
Kiran
Haha, yeah I am totally relieved that those early months of child-rearing are over and I can say with certainty – never have to do this again. Well, until and if I have grandchildren.