I thought it might be a good idea to store away some of our experiences this far in the overwhelming world that is parenthood, because let's be real, EVERYTHING changes.
The hospital stay: It's amazing. Though I had just spent 17 hours trying to push the little bugger out, I was overcome with this incredibly rush of adrenaline once he was born. I was SO wide awake, but at the same time, in a complete daze. Our little man was the cutest little potato head we'd ever seen. Aaron and I just stared at him for a solid three hours...and then we crashed. All three of us seemed to be exhausted from our all day ordeal, that was until the first time Levi woke up hungry. Unfortunately, my epidural had not worn off. I physically could not get out of the hospital bed to pick up my newborn son. I tried calling out to my husband, but if you know Aaron, you know he sleeps like a bear in hibernation. After three failed attempts at waking him up by throwing empty water bottles, I finally gave up and rang for a nurse (who kindly came and assisted)! I thought after that surely I would get some sleep (insert sarcastic laugh). Nurses came in every hour on the hour to check blood pressures and heart rates on me and the little guy. Come morning, my husband says with a big yawn, "I'm so tired!" I could have cried, but luckily I got many naps throughout the day.
But then it happened. The epidural wore off, and the pain came. Wow, I had no idea it would be like that. No position was comfortable, and moving in general was an awkward dance. I honestly kept thinking to myself "how am I okay? Shouldn't I be like in a recovery room with people waiting on me hand and foot?" (I'm truly not this vain, but wow, I have a huge appreciation for mothers now!)
Throughout the whole experience our little man was a perfect little baby. He only cried when he was having his diaper changed. We held him, and just treasured what an incredibly little gift for God he was.
Going Home: While peanut continued to be a very sweet little baby, smiling at us in his sleep, we very quickly realized our nights spent peacefully sleeping were over. Newborns spend 95% of their time sleeping, but that doesn't mean they sleep for long durations of time between waking. But it truly amazed me all the things Levi could sleep through! Two graduations for his uncles and a day spent at my college (I had to take my finals!) didn't even faze him.
Being silly first time parents, there were many things we were not prepared for! First of all, we did not anticipate having a baby that fit into newborn clothes, so when Levi was born 6lbs 15oz we scrambled to procure more clothes for him! We also had not opened most of our gift from the baby shower. But craziest of all, despite the diaper keg my husband threw, we had NO newborn size diapers!
Lucky for us, we have an amazing family that was there to run errands and keep us sane! The one thing I had done right before Levi came was preparing 14 freezer meals. All I had to do each day was pop the meal into the crockpot and smell the good food cooking all day.
All in all, our first few weeks with are little one were great. Sure we didn't get any sleep, and I hardly showered (whoops...to busy sleeping when the baby sleeps), but I wouldn't change a thing!
However, I would like to share a couple little tricks and tips that worked for us and made life a little easier!
1) Take turns staying up with the little one! Even if mommy is breastfeeding, having an extra hand to change the diapers and rock the baby back to sleep is so nice. I noticed with my husband, we were able to function so much better when we gave each other small breaks. From the first half of the night my husband would handle diaper changes, burping, and getting peanut back to sleep. Then I would take the second half, so he got some sleep before work in the morning.
2) If you breastfeed, take advantage of lactation consultants and breastfeeding groups in your area! My hospital provided this, and I am so thankful for the advice and knowledge they offered.
3) Freezer meals: as I said earlier, this ended up being a great idea! You literally have NO time once baby is born, so meal prep is next to impossible. Having something quick and simple to make each day really helped! Also, if you have loved ones who want to provide meals for you, take advantage of that! Anything to take the pressure off you and your partner so you can spend more time with your new bundle.
4) If you are experiencing "baby blues," tell someone. I plan to write about this more later, but this is SO important. In my case, sharing how I was feeling allowed my husband to support me in the way I needed.
5) Take care of yourself! Obviously, baby is very time consuming, but take the time to brush your teeth, take a quick shower, and catch your breath. Each night, my husband would come home and take Levi for a moment so I could go outside and get a little fresh air. It can be so hard to put a new baby down! I found that having our rock-n-play sitting in the doorway to our bathroom so Levi could hear me (but not need to be held) helped me take advantage of those amenities.
