Mom Life: The First Week
Mom Life: The First Week
We made it home! Finally, after 72 hours in the hospital, baby Will came home! I had absolutely no idea what to expect without the ‘experts’ in the hospital to guide me. Thank goodness for my husband who has done this before and also…thank you, Google. Just over one week into this mom gig, I’ve been doing a lot of googling, sometimes frantically at 4 a.m. Here’s an honest breakdown of how the first week really went. (* FYI, I am giving you a TMI alert as this post mentions bodily functions and may not be suitable for all readers, especially men).
By the time, we left the hospital Sunday morning, Will was almost on cruise control. He was eating, peeing, pooping and sleeping with ease, despite the fact that I had his little furry booties on the wrong feet! I, on the other hand, didn’t seem to adjust quite as well even with my 37 year head start. I had a limited idea of what to expect (again, thanks to Google) but what I absolutely did not expect was to pee my pants three times the first day home. Yep, you heard it. Talk about humbling. If I ever start getting preachy and judgmental of another mother one day, someone please remind me of how my first day home started out. I was also peed ON by Will during most of his diaper changes. Let’s just say there was a lot of uncontrollable peeing by all parties. Except my husband thankfully.
I was obviously running on empty, but I quickly discovered that there is actually another level of exhaustion that no one tells you about. It is a special secret brand of tired where a person could almost hallucinate. Every part of my body hurt like a truck drove through it. It hurt just to think. I will never forget my husband trying to review simple math with me (if he eats 1 ounce now and 3 ounces later….) and my brain had simply crashed. The first 2-3 days were like that. There must be something in the hormones that kept me from collapsing onto the kitchen floor. My son, peaceful and snuggled in, slept for hours, only to be awakened to eat. This kid was like a brand new Tesla (did I just jinx myself here?) I only heard him cry a handful of times and by process of elimination (dirty diaper, hungry, or tired) we managed it all really well. Me on the other hand? I was what you might a call a hot mess. Sure, I posted all the highs on social media, but let’s be clear: there were some LOW moments that would not have made for good photographs.
On day 3, I gave Will his first “bath.” A baby’s first bath is what I imagine bathing while camping is like (Amy camps. I do not camp). I followed the hospital user’s manual and dabbed his little boy parts with cool-ish water and a little baby body wash. I was so nervous I was shaking. I kept thinking he was so fragile that I was going to somehow break a bone and not even know it. He also hated it! I have decided to call this his “practice bath” and plan to do re-do it this week with my husband and Caroline. Speaking of bathing….I know a lot of new moms say they didn’t even have time for shower at first. I fully admit I was going down this dark and smelly road, but a good friend intervened and set me straight. Her words were golden; “If you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be able to take the best care of Will.” (not to mention, the poor kid doesn’t want to inhale BO and dried up milk). So after he suffered through a late night sponge bath, I indulged in a lengthy, steamy, hot shower, complete with all of my fancy bath products, a Vicks steamer tablet, leave in conditioner and a razor! I’m not a religious person, but I can tell you that in those 30 minutes, I was reborn. I emerged from the bathroom as a new and improved person and when I looked in the mirror, I finally recognized this woman. Where had she been for the past week? Hiding behind big sweatshirts with milk soaking through the chest. That was before I discovered the magic of nursing bras and comfy leggings as opposed to oversized clothes. I realize that while I don’t need to be glamourous right now, it is better for my mental health (and my marriage) if I don’t look like I have been living in the woods.
We’re starting off week two as I write this post and I would like to think I am working smarter and not harder. My husband and I are sharing a lot of the workload and I know I am not alone, even at 3:00 in the morning filling milk into a bottle with my eyes half-closing. I don’t know what this week will bring, but I hope it includes a few naps for me (dozens for him) and a lot of adorable cooing noises as he sleeps. I also hope that it does not including anyone besides Will peeing in his or her pants.