midwife's muse

The art of bottle-feeding.

Last night I was left with Jack. His Mummy and Daddy went to a wedding reception leaving me with one baby,  5ozs of breast milk and a bottle (complete with Nuk teat - thanks Minks . I had concerns anyway as I was 1st on-call with two home births due but I knew Grandad was up to the task, if required. They left at 7.45 and all was well, for 5minutes. Jack then decided that he was hungry, out came the bottle, he sucked eagerly, for 1 minute, then cottoned-on that 1) This was not a breast 2) It was not Mummy. He stopped sucking and screamed, and screamed. We went for a walk around the garden, changed his nappy, he calmed down. Half an hour later he was throwing a real paddy, only stopping when his mouth came into contact with anything when he would suck for a second and then recommence screaming. Bottle, into the mouth, frown, suck, pull away then...he started sucking and finished the lot. Smiles galore, happy bunny, happy nanny, for about 10 minutes then screaming again. Grandad chose this moment to announce that he was just 'popping' round to see his friend whose birthday it was. Quick debate about the feasability of this idea, given that I might be summoned to a home birth at any moment, it's OK, he'll only be half-an-hour and he has got his mobile. Eventually gave Jack 10mls of boiled water, he was fooled. His little eyes flickered, his clenched fists relaxed and he fell asleep. It was 9.45pm. Put him in his Moses basket and flopped. The phone rang 'Oh, s**t'. It was Mummy Jack checking up, she sounded very tipsy, you could say drunk. I proudly reported that he was fast asleep, advised her to slow down on the alcohol and assured her that he had been no trouble at all. He stayed asleep until Mummy and Daddy returned, at midnight. Mummy was extremely happy, only 4 glasses of wine had made her really 'bladdered'. They were staying the night and off they went upstairs, I heard Jack crying and I felt really sorry for her. This morning I got up for work and there she was having breakfast and feeding Jack. I sympathised about Jack waking as soon as they returned, 'We woke him up for a cuddle', is she mad? Wake up a sleeping baby, you can tell they are novices. Anyway, I'm not going to tell her that Nanny gave Jack water, or that it took me 2 hours to settle him, I shall let her carry on thinking that I am the whizz when it comes to babies, us Nannies should always appear invincible.

It has been a tiring three days all in all. Emergency visits to Mothers and Step-Fathers in Somerset. Visits with Mother are always a trial, she believes she is right about everything, whilst I KNOW I am. Looking after Jack, being on-call last night and then working today, after 10 days of moving at my own pace, my system is shocked into a state of lethargy which only a good dose of BB tonight will satisfy. 

6.6.04 18:26