After chronicling my pregnancy with Greer, I started to think about journaling life post pregnancy. Because truly I'm not sure that I've ever heard a lot about postpartum life and what it's really like, especially for first-time moms. I had a slight idea, or rather an imagined idea, of what life after baby's arrival would be like. But, nothing really prepared me for what it would actually be like.
After three weeks of postpartum life being my life, I thought it was about time to share life after birth through a new mom's eyes. I can tell you I've got plenty of thoughts on it already, and there are surely more to come. Yes, friends, postpartum life is full from the start. It's an adjustment, it's beautiful, and at times it's even comical.
My initial lessons learned in this postpartum life of mine...
- You will still find yourself craving foods and drinks that you may not have preferred before. I want meat, and lots of it. If you know me, you know I'm not a huge meat eater and prefer the sides, but these days my body is asking (or rather begging) for protein in meat form.
- You will have to remind yourself to use the bathroom. There's no more baby in there, squished up next to your bladder, giving you a constant urge to go. It doesn't matter how many fluids are being consumed, you're postpartum bladder is on vacation after those 40 weeks and you have to tell yourself to go!
- Body image is going to be interesting. Let's be real, your postpartum body is going to look like nothing you've seen before. After all, it did just grow and house a baby for the better part of a year. And your body isn't going to jump right back to what it looked like before baby. Somehow, you'll be okay with this at first. And that somehow is called grace. Enjoy it, and don't sweat about your body's current appearance. It just did an amazing thing, and after those 6 or 8 weeks of recovery then give yourself the time to start helping your mom bod return to its new normal.
- You will cry, but not for no reason. You'll cry for every reason under the sun. Just days after brining Greer home (Christmas night to be exact), I cried and cried, not really able to translate those feelings to husband. But, it had a lot to do with how much I love this tiny human of mine, how much God loves her (and me). There were tears for the bittersweet transition of life into a new chapter, tears for Christmas being over, and more tears for more reasons. Be ready to cry, new mama. It's going to happen, even if you've never been a crier before.
- Staring at your newborn is not rude. Nope, that sweet baby is yours and you can look her over a million times a day and never take your eyes away. You wouldn't think it possible to stare at someone for so long, but you will. And it won't get old.
- Bed head and double chins never looked so darling. And no, I'm not talking about you, mama :)
- You will look at your baby a million times a day just to make sure she is indeed breathing. And those tiny and almost inaudible breaths she has while sleeping will make you encroach upon her personal space to put your over-paranoid mama heart to rest.
- You will be excited for poopy diapers. Who would have thought?! It's a clear indication your baby is getting the nourishment she needs. And you'll high-five yourself every time there is one.
- Babies make all kinds of noises. Don't fret, apparently it's normal.
- You'll never want to kiss feet and the tip of a nose like you do now. In fact, you'll want to kiss all over that sweet baby.
- Mastitis is no joke, but you're going to have to power through it. And I'm not sure there is a way to avoid it. So call your doctor, take those antibiotics, and jump in a hot shower.
- That sleep deprivation you're feeling will not completely go away, but your body will adjust to the lack of zzz's you're now getting. Grab some under eye cream or a roller, you're going to need it!
xoxo,
a first-time mom
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