Day 10 - The Ups and Downs of Motherhood
They warn you about your hormones going out of wack and how you will feel all kinds of emotions. They weren't kidding. One day I would be in the best state in the world to conquer motherhood, the next day I would be weeping about anything from Mackenzie crying to not getting enough attention from Bryan. To say that it's a bit of a roller coaster ride would be an understatement. And it's only day 10.
Being a mom was not at all what I expected. I thought I would feel different somehow. I don't know exactly how I thought I would feel, maybe a bit more maternal? A bit more loving? I have no idea. All I know is that when Mother's Day rolled around, I hardly felt like it was a day for me at all! Having said that, I have thoroughly enjoyed having Mackenzie in our lives.
In fact, I've enjoyed her so much that I hardly remembered what it felt like to be pregnant. All those thoughts about how I would miss being preggo are gone. And labor? I can tell you I remember it being really long and that I hurt a lot, but I can't describe to you the pain because honestly, I actually don't remember. (except at one point, I did describe that I felt like my bum was about to explode)
If you've ever read the Baby Whisperer, Mackenzie is a touchy baby. Of course God would give us a touchy baby to test our patience! It's been pretty easy for Bryan, but for me? I was going to name our child's middle name Patience so that at least one of us would have it. Apparently God had a sense of humor - said that I'm the one who needs to practice listening and patience instead. Dang...
They said that newborns are supposed to sleep through the first couple nights, which normally gives parents false hope of what is to come. Not our baby. Our baby didn't even make it through the first night. I could pick out that she was a touchy baby right from the get go. She is sensitive to being changed, being naked, noises, and the likes. Our only saving grace is that she puts on a good show in public, so everyone thinks she's an angel. We need to take her out more often!
Feeding and sleeping have been the biggest challenges. Mackenzie has now decided not to latch properly and only eating about 10 minutes at a time. I figured it must be enough, because she's getting a wet and dirty diaper every time. I figured maybe she got a little too used to getting expressed milk in a bottle (I use it about 2-3 times a day), so now I'm not using any of the pumped milk at all. She's also decided to be a terrible sleeper suddenly. She would wake every hour and a half for no apparent reason (she defintely wouldn't be hungry). It's only day 10, so we're still ironing a few details.
Although I assume it's every new mom's challenge. I went to a mom's group today, which was awesome. It was so weird to see older babies and know that in a few weeks, Mackenzie will be somewhat like them! So for now, I'm cherishing every moment - even the crying and cranky ones. I know it won't last long, and before I know it, I will be begging for this time back!
I will update you next time on how it's been living with my mom. It's been almost a month and I know it's time for us to find a new place on our own!
Being a mom was not at all what I expected. I thought I would feel different somehow. I don't know exactly how I thought I would feel, maybe a bit more maternal? A bit more loving? I have no idea. All I know is that when Mother's Day rolled around, I hardly felt like it was a day for me at all! Having said that, I have thoroughly enjoyed having Mackenzie in our lives.
In fact, I've enjoyed her so much that I hardly remembered what it felt like to be pregnant. All those thoughts about how I would miss being preggo are gone. And labor? I can tell you I remember it being really long and that I hurt a lot, but I can't describe to you the pain because honestly, I actually don't remember. (except at one point, I did describe that I felt like my bum was about to explode)
If you've ever read the Baby Whisperer, Mackenzie is a touchy baby. Of course God would give us a touchy baby to test our patience! It's been pretty easy for Bryan, but for me? I was going to name our child's middle name Patience so that at least one of us would have it. Apparently God had a sense of humor - said that I'm the one who needs to practice listening and patience instead. Dang...
They said that newborns are supposed to sleep through the first couple nights, which normally gives parents false hope of what is to come. Not our baby. Our baby didn't even make it through the first night. I could pick out that she was a touchy baby right from the get go. She is sensitive to being changed, being naked, noises, and the likes. Our only saving grace is that she puts on a good show in public, so everyone thinks she's an angel. We need to take her out more often!
Feeding and sleeping have been the biggest challenges. Mackenzie has now decided not to latch properly and only eating about 10 minutes at a time. I figured it must be enough, because she's getting a wet and dirty diaper every time. I figured maybe she got a little too used to getting expressed milk in a bottle (I use it about 2-3 times a day), so now I'm not using any of the pumped milk at all. She's also decided to be a terrible sleeper suddenly. She would wake every hour and a half for no apparent reason (she defintely wouldn't be hungry). It's only day 10, so we're still ironing a few details.
Although I assume it's every new mom's challenge. I went to a mom's group today, which was awesome. It was so weird to see older babies and know that in a few weeks, Mackenzie will be somewhat like them! So for now, I'm cherishing every moment - even the crying and cranky ones. I know it won't last long, and before I know it, I will be begging for this time back!
I will update you next time on how it's been living with my mom. It's been almost a month and I know it's time for us to find a new place on our own!
Frances didn't ever nurse for more than 10 minutes, either. (5, more like!) She just knew that she was hungry and got down to business!
ReplyDeleteAnd... she might be hungry after an hour. Which SUCKS, but is all too possible. =)
(Congrats again - so fun!)