From
the beginning of a pregnancy, it takes two to tango. I feel as women we put the pressure on
ourselves to get pregnant, stay pregnant, birth a healthy baby, feed baby,
raise baby, etc. At the end of the day,
we realize that we could not get pregnant without someone else, but we still
put all the pressure on ourselves.
If I
have learned anything these first few weeks of having baby home, it’s that it
takes TWO – sometimes 3, 4, 5, or more!
I was pretty self-sufficient during my pregnancy. Occasionally (ok daily) I would ask for a
foot/back rub. I might need someone to
drive me to Andy’s – basically lived there during my pregnancy. Try their Key Lime Pie Concrete before the
end of this month! For the most part, I
felt that I could keep baby fed, warm, and comfortable in my womb. When baby was born, everything changed!
For the
first few hours, my epidural was wearing off, so I could not get out of bed to
change baby or get him out of his bassinet.
Duke was the sole caretaker at that time. In fact, Duke was doing such a great job, I
let him change ALL of the diapers while we were in the hospital. Why mess with a good thing?? J
When
Duke left the room for the first time to go load up the car (two days after
baby was born), I freaked out! Baby was
sleeping in his bassinet, but immediately began to stir when Duke left. I had never even lifted him out of the bassinet. I was
able to get baby out and soothe him, but I was extremely relieved when Duke got
back from the car.
Once we
were home, I found that everything from feeding to changing to comforting took
two! While feeding, I needed someone to
hold baby’s arm so that he would not strong arm me when I was trying to get him
to latch. At first, dirty diaper changes
needed two – one holding down legs while the other did the dirty work. Comforting at times took a tag team effort
when Player 1 needed a break. About a
week in, I found out baby wasn’t transferring enough during feedings, so I
needed to pump after most feedings to be able to supplement. I couldn’t settle baby and pump at the same
time – enter Player 2! Also, with
pumping and bottle feeding to supplement, there were more “dirty dishes” to
clean multiple times daily then we used to have in a week!
I knew
before Duke returned to work that it was “easier” with two, but I felt the full
extent of that on Day 3 alone with baby when he was restless and fussy most of
the day. It is amazing how demanding a
tiny human can be. It is EXTREMELY
important to have a supportive partner when carrying, birthing, and/or raising a
child. Partners you are SO
IMPORTANT! You may not be the one
carrying baby, birthing baby, or able to breastfeed baby (There are some
precious memories that I will have of breastfeeding, BUT I wish that partners
magically had the ability to also breastfeed when baby is born!), BUT you are VITAL,
NECESSARY, WANTED, NEEDED, etc. Don’t
underestimate your importance in this baby’s and your partner’s life.
Buzz Ya Later,
Whit
