Chapter 423 New Parents Raising a Baby
The first ray of sunlight in the morning shines through the gauze curtains, casting mottled light and shadows on the floor of the master bedroom in Tanxiyuan.
Yun Zheng heard a faint sobbing sound in the haze. The sound was like the whimpering of a kitten, gently but stubbornly penetrating into her dreams.
She slowly opened her eyes and found that the seat next to her was empty. There was still a faint woody scent in the depression of Fu Linghe's pillow.
In the crib, little Yunshu was twisting her body restlessly, her pink little face wrinkled into a ball, and she was humming in dissatisfaction.
Yun Zheng propped up her still weak body and sat up, looking in the direction of the baby.
"Fu Linghe?" she called softly, her voice hoarse from just waking up.
"Here." Fu Linghe's voice came from the connected baby room, accompanied by the sound of running water.
After a while, he came out holding two bottles of milk, his hair was slightly messy, and the sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his strong forearms.
Yun Zheng noticed that there was a faint blue color under his eyes, obviously he didn't sleep well last night, but his deep eyes were still bright.
"Brother just finished drinking milk and fell asleep again, and sister seems to be unable to wait." He said in a low voice, put the bottle on the bedside table, and leaned over to check on his daughter.
He moved very gently, as if he was afraid of disturbing his sleeping son.
Yun Zheng reached out to take her daughter. As soon as little Yun Shu was in her mother's arms, she instinctively rubbed against her chest, pouting her little mouth as if looking for something.
A sharp pain immediately came from the chest, and Yun Zheng couldn't help but let out a soft "hiss".
"What's wrong?" Fu Linghe immediately put down the bottle, walked to the bed in two steps, and came over nervously.
His gaze fell on Yun Zheng's chest, where there were already some signs of moisture.
"It's okay, it's just..." Yun Zheng's cheeks flushed slightly, and her voice became quieter. "My milk is swollen, and the confinement nanny said I can try breastfeeding today."
Fu Linghe's eyes lit up, then he frowned worriedly. "Will it hurt? Or should I start with a bottle? I read in a book that some mothers need some time to get used to it."
Yun Zheng shook her head and unbuttoned the front of her pajamas.
Little Yunshu immediately leaned forward eagerly, but after trying several times, she failed to hold the baby in her mouth correctly. Her little face turned red with anxiety, and her crying became louder and louder.
Fine beads of sweat oozed out of Yun Zheng's forehead. On the one hand, she was anxious, and on the other hand, she felt unbearable pain.
"This won't work." Fu Linghe said decisively, and immediately turned around to go out and consult the confinement nanny.
He returned to his room and immediately went into the bathroom to get a clean towel, soaked it in warm water and wrung it dry.
"The confinement nanny said to use hot compress massage, I'll help you."
His palms were warm and powerful, but his movements were extremely gentle. Following the instructions of the confinement nanny, he helped Yun Zheng to clear her breast ducts little by little.
Yun Zheng bit her lower lip, her eyes moist with pain, but she insisted on not crying out.
Fu Linghe looked at her with pity, and became more cautious with the strength of his hands.
"Try again." Ten minutes later, Fu Linghe wiped the sweat from her forehead, carefully lifted her daughter's little head, and helped her hold it in her mouth correctly.
This time, Xiao Yunshu finally started sucking smoothly, making a satisfied swallowing sound.
"Success!" Fu Linghe smiled with relief, but saw Yun Zheng's face suddenly turned pale and her fingers tightly grasped the bed sheet.
"What's wrong? Is it still painful?"
Yun Zheng nodded, speechless.
The pain was like someone pricking her nerves with a thin needle, or like a red-hot iron pressing on her chest. It was more painful than childbirth.
Fu Linghe immediately took the nursing pillow recommended by the nurse and placed it under her arm, and adjusted the angle of the backrest so that she could hold the baby more comfortably.
"The confinement nanny said it would be a little painful at first, but it would get better slowly."
He lovingly smoothed his wife's sweat-soaked hair and said in an incredibly gentle voice, "Do you want to stop? We can use the breast pump first."
"Hold on a little longer." Yun Zheng took a deep breath and looked at her daughter's satisfied little face. Her wrinkled brows finally relaxed, and her long eyelashes cast tiny shadows under the light.
The pain seemed bearable because it was the closest connection between her and her daughter.
After breastfeeding, Fu Linghe immediately took out the cabbage leaves prepared in advance from the refrigerator and gently applied them on Yun Zheng's chest.
"The Internet says this can relieve swelling and pain and is more effective than hot compresses." He said seriously, like a special forces soldier carrying out a special mission, with every movement precise and accurate.
Yun Zheng was amused by his expression. "When did Mr. Fu start looking up parenting tips online? How come I don't know about it?"
Fu Linghe pushed his glasses up seriously and said, "Your husband's parenting books are not in vain. Besides, I can use my secondary account to join a lot of new dad groups."
He took out his phone and shook it. The screen was filled with numerous alarm reminders. "From feeding to diaper changing, I've set reminders for every step. There's absolutely no problem."
As he was speaking, little Yunyi woke up in the crib, looking around with his bright black eyes exactly like Fu Linghe's.
Those eyes were like two obsidians, shining in the morning light.
Fu Linghe immediately walked over and checked the diaper skillfully, and his slender fingers nimbly unfastened the diaper buckle.
"It's time to change clothes." He picked up the light blue jumpsuit folded at the bedside, which Yun Zheng had just taken out of the disinfection cabinet yesterday.
But facing the pile of buttons and laces, this CEO, who is a powerful figure in the business world, rarely showed a confused expression.
"How do I put this on? I remember the confinement nanny demonstrated it yesterday..."
Yun Zheng wanted to get out of bed to help, but was stopped by his look.
"You direct, I'll operate." Fu Linghe insisted, gently pressing her shoulders. "The doctor said you need to stay in bed and rest more."
"Okay," Yun Zheng smiled helplessly, "First spread out the clothes and put them on from the feet... Yes, that's it..."
Fu Linghe carefully tucked his son's legs into his clothes, his movements incredibly gentle.
But I had trouble putting on the sleeves.
Little Yunyi somehow retracted his hand and refused to extend it no matter how his father guided him.
"Little ancestor, cooperate with me." Fu Linghe coaxed in a low voice, with sweat oozing from his forehead.
He tried to gently pull out his son's arm, but this only elicited a cry of protest, a voice so loud that it was totally unlike that of a baby who was only half a month old.
"Don't pull hard!" Yun Zheng said quickly, "Put your thumb through his sleeve, gently hold his hand and pull it out. Follow his strength..."
Fu Linghe did as he was told and this time he succeeded.
He fastened the hidden buttons with a sigh of relief and stepped back to admire his masterpiece, only to discover that the clothes were on backwards and the decorative buttons had moved to the back.
"Uh..." He looked at the row of innocent little buttons on his son's back awkwardly, while little Yunyi looked at his father with big eyes, as if silently mocking him.
Yun Zheng couldn't help but laugh, "It was already great for the first time."
Fu Linghe refused to give up and tried again, and this time he succeeded.
Little Yunyi was wearing a light blue jumpsuit with a cute little bear embroidered on his chest, looking like an exquisite little prince.
Fu Linghe proudly picked up his son and showed the result to Yun Zheng. "How is it? Is it perfect this time?"
"Mr. Fu learns everything quickly." Yun Zheng praised with a smile, but she saw her husband's expression suddenly change and his body obviously stiffened.
"What's wrong?"
"He... peed." Fu Linghe felt a warmth pass through his clothes to his hands, but he didn't dare to move for fear of hurting his son.
Little Yunyi looked at his father with an innocent face and even showed a pure smile.
Yun Zheng quickly handed over clean diapers and wet wipes.
Fu Linghe took a deep breath and began the second changing task.
This time he was obviously much more skilled. He could even complete the difficult action of buttoning his shirt with one hand while little Yunyi was twisting his body, while the other hand held his son's little head steadily.
"It seems that our President Fu will soon be promoted to a super dad." Yun Zheng smiled, his eyes full of pride.
At noon, Aunt Wang, the confinement nanny, brought us a carefully prepared lunch, including red date and wolfberry black chicken soup, steamed sea bass and a few light side dishes.
Fu Linghe insisted on feeding Yun Zheng, treating her as carefully as if she were a fragile item, blowing on each spoonful of soup three times before bringing it to her mouth.
"I can do it myself," Yun Zheng protested helplessly. "I just gave birth, I'm not disabled. The doctor said I can move around now."
"The doctor said you need to rest more." Fu Linghe stubbornly scooped a spoonful of soup and brought it to her mouth.
"Ah——" His tone was like that of someone coaxing a child who refused to eat.
Yun Zheng had no choice but to open her mouth obediently, but while drinking the soup she heard a strange noise coming from the crib.
They both turned their heads at the same time and found that Xiao Yunshu had somehow kicked off her socks. One of her white and tender hands was waving in the air, and the other hand was unconsciously stuffed into her mouth.
"You naughty girl." Fu Linghe put down the bowl, walked over and gently took his daughter's hand away. "It's dirty, you can't eat it."
His tone was serious, but his eyes were so gentle that they could bring tears to your eyes.
Xiao Yunshu pouted in dissatisfaction and was about to cry.
Fu Linghe immediately took out a rattle from his pocket like a magician. It was in the shape of a starry sky and made a clear and pleasant sound when shaken gently.
The sound immediately attracted the baby's attention. She opened her eyes wide and stared curiously at the new toy in her father's hand.
"When did you prepare it?" Yun Zheng asked in surprise.
"I asked Assistant Lin to buy it yesterday." Fu Linghe said proudly, and took out a few unopened toys from the drawer.
"There's also teethers, cloth books, and comforters...all sterilized according to the instructions and placed in the cabinet. The pediatrician said that although newborns have poor eyesight, they are very sensitive to sound."
A warm feeling surged in Yun Zheng's heart.
This man, who was once a powerful figure in the business world and a CEO whose tie was even made by Yun Zheng, now had his mind full of bottles and diapers, and always had a baby rattle in his pocket.
In the afternoon, Fu Linghe decided to try giving the two children a bath.
He set up various supplies in the baby's bathroom, including a thermometer, tear-free shampoo, a soft towel, a change of clothes, and even prepared a non-slip mat for the bottom of the baby bathtub.
"Are you ready?" He asked Yun Zheng seriously, like a general about to go to the battlefield. The cuffs of his white shirt were rolled up a little higher, revealing his well-defined forearms.
Yun Zheng held little Yun Yi in her arms and nodded, "Let's start with the older brother. He's more well-behaved and won't move around."
Fu Linghe carefully supported his son's head and neck and placed him in warm water.
Little Yunyi was stunned for a moment, then he happily kicked up the water, splashing all over his father.
Drops of water hung on his eyelashes and slid down his well-defined cheeks.
"Hey!" Fu Linghe was caught off guard, and water droplets hung on the lenses of his glasses.
He took off his glasses, squinted his eyes and continued to bathe the baby attentively, his movements as gentle as if he was wiping precious porcelain.
His fingertips gently stroked every inch of his son's skin, from his chubby little arms to his round belly, even between his toes.
Yun Zheng instructed, "You need to wash behind your ears too... Yes, and between your little fingers too... Milk stains tend to hide on your neck..."
After taking a bath, Fu Linghe wrapped his son like a little dumpling with a bath towel printed with a little duck, and carefully wiped every wrinkle, especially those skin wrinkles where water easily accumulates.
Little Yunyi squinted his eyes comfortably, letting his father do whatever he wanted, occasionally letting out a satisfied hum.
When it was Xiao Yunshu's turn, the situation was a little different.
The baby started crying as soon as he touched the water, and his little arms and legs kept flapping, splashing water everywhere, even Yun Zheng who was standing nearby was affected.
"What's wrong, baby?" Fu Linghe coaxed helplessly, his voice unnaturally gentle, "Is the water too hot?"
He quickly checked the water temperature and confirmed it was a comfortable 37 degrees.
Yun Zheng examined her. "Maybe she's feeling insecure. Support her back with your hands to make her feel more stable. Newborns are tightly wrapped in the womb and will be frightened if suddenly exposed to large amounts of water."
Fu Linghe adjusted his daughter's position so that most of her body rested on his arms, with only her calves immersed in the water.
Sure enough, little Yunshu gradually calmed down and began to splash the water curiously. The small splashes made her eyes widen in surprise.
"Success!" Fu Linghe breathed a sigh of relief and continued with his bathing mission.
Halfway through washing, he suddenly found that the water became turbid and a familiar smell filled the air.
"Uh... Zheng Zheng..." His expression froze, and his eyes behind his glasses widened.
Yun Zheng took a look and couldn't help laughing. "She pooped! It seems the bath water is so comfortable."
Fu Linghe felt like he was facing a great enemy. He immediately carried his daughter out and replenished the water.
This time he was much faster and finished the bathing task in no time. His efficiency was so high that Yun Zheng couldn't help but applaud.
"I guess I'll have to prepare two basins of water from now on," he concluded, wrapping his daughter in a towel printed with little strawberries. "One for the upper body, one for the lower body. That way, even if...something unexpected happens, we only need to change the water in one basin."
After taking a bath, the two little guys smelled good, wore clean onesies, and were put on the bed.
Fu Linghe sat on the carpet, protecting one with each hand.
His shirt was mostly wet and his hair was a mess, but the look in his eyes when he looked at the two children was incredibly gentle.
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