It’s now December. I went back to work in mid October after approximately 6 weeks without a shift. During those six weeks I had the occasional meeting to attend and other administrative responsibilities. But I had no 12 hour shift to fulfill. After feeling like I’ve been going non-stop throughout medical school and residency, it felt weird not to have any clinical duties for so long. At the same time, however, it wasn’t a vacation.
Prior to my 6 weeks off, I thought I would be able to stay at home, take care of the baby, and take time to read. I had hoped to have this time to catch up on much-needed reading. I soon learned that a newborn takes a lot of time. Despite both me and the wife being off work, we frequently found ourselves getting behind on things we had to do because, well, we were trying to keep this new creature alive.
During residency I had my share of on-call shifts that lasted over 24 hours. The newborn period soon came to feel like a prolonged call shift lasting days. Our nights were split into shifts where we would take turns taking the baby and making sure she was clean, dry, and fed.
We were lucky that Faith, our baby, was quick to take the breast or bottle. She wasn’t fussy and she didn’t need much coaxing to eat. But let me tell you, this little one can go from 0 to ‘hangry’ in no time at all. It’s as if she finally has the realization that, “Oh, I actually AM hungry.” This is usually followed by immediate wailing and crying.
They say that parenthood changes you. They say that having a child shifts your own priorities. I wonder how she shifts mine. I suppose only time will tell.
Oh well. It’s December. It’s baby’s first Christmas. And I will try to enjoy it while it lasts. In a few days the baby turns 4 months. I can’t believe it’s been 4 months already. It’s been crazy watching her grow so much in such a short period of time.
