- You will never rely on your partner more than after bringing your new baby home. There's a new sense of partnership and a "we're in this together" outlook than brings you closer than ever. Jonathan returned to work yesterday and I miss him terribly.
- Your other new mama friends will be some of your biggest cheerleaders, voices of reason and advice givers. I'm so grateful to be surrounded by some pretty awesome girls (I still refer to us a girls even though we're old enough to be someone's mother!) who say the words I need to hear when I need to hear them.
- I'm not exactly sure how to explain this, but I feel "electrified", like all of my senses are amplified and my body is permanently "on" to the highest degree. It doesn't make for great sleep, let me tell you!
- Speaking of sleep, that advice about "sleeping when they sleep" is practical in theory but extremely difficult (for me anyway). I find it really hard to nap at 10AM or 3PM or 8PM for that matter.
- Finding a pediatrician whose philosophy is "Whatever works for you and your baby is the best and right way" is worth her weight in gold. (Not to mention one who just laughs when your baby nearly hits her with a poop blowout on the exam table!)
- Sleep deprivation coupled with post-partum hormones is enough to make you feel like crying one minute and smiling the next. Throw in being completely responsible for your little one's well being and you'll feel enough anxiety to make you sick to your stomach and leave you asking, "Why did we do this again?" (You all know I try to be completely honest, so there it is.) But then you have those moments where your baby seems perfectly content and happy and you start to think, "Maybe I can do this afterall."
- Those first few days of breastfeeding are hellish, even if your baby has a perfect latch. I think I cried more than she did that first night home. The actual pain of feeding part does get easier (thank God!), but you still have to deal with the frequency of feedings. The hardest part for me has been that Jon can't help with breastfeeding. We have been supplementing here and there with formula and he can at least take those feedings. I'm just not sure how long I can stick it out. (See #9)
- Be prepared for people to ask you when your baby is due because you will still look pregnant with a perfect little baby bump. I was able to squeeze into a pair of pre-baby jeans yesterday (a pair with a generous amount of lycra, mind you), but I still have a darling poochy belly. As my mom and the nurse in the hospital reminded me, it takes 9 months to get that belly so give yourself time.
- Mom guilt happens the moment your baby is born. Actually, mine started in the womb. You want the best for your baby so I think it's only natural to wonder if you're doing everything you can to give them the best. Mom guilt also applies to your pets who are wondering who in the heck this little person is and why are they taking up so much of Mama's time?
- You will appreciate your own parents more than ever and really begin to understand the sacrifices they made for you.
And now, for a new Isla photo!
Hello, Internet!
