I'm feeling that today as Charlie cries and whines and pukes and keeps me inside all day.
He's finally asleep, and I just want to write.
So, let's talk about those first few weeks after having a baby, shall we?
The days in the hospital felt like a honeymoon. People couldn't stop congratulating us and commenting on Charlie's round head (have I talked about that enough yet?), and we had multiple visitors, telling me I was so strong to already be up and moving around, and bringing me snacks and presents. It was crazy and wonderful. I was beaming. I was starting to think that the "baby blues" wouldn't hit me at all. Maybe I was lucky. Yes, I was crazy sleep deprived and stressed about my new responsibilities, but I was basking in the glow of all the attention (if you know me at all you know I love attention. That's why I love being a teacher). I felt great.
And then we went home. The first few days were still pretty good. People stopped by to bring us meals and told me how great I looked. Why, thank you!
But then something happened the night before my mom left. I was sitting on the couch, holding Charlie. The sun had just gone down and everything was fine. Better than fine. I think my mom was even singing. But suddenly...tears. Just silently sobbing on the couch as Charlie slept in my arms and I didn't know why. When Kelly asked, all I could do was scrunch my face up and shrug.
The next 2 weeks followed suit. I cried all the time. It was different than my pregnancy crying just because I was hungry. It wasn't crying that would turn into smiles and laughter after I got some ice cream.
Kelly would talk to me a lot during these moments, which was amazingly helpful. He would try to make me put my feelings into words, which was hard, but really helped me realize how irrational some of my thoughts were. At one point, I said, "I just feel worthless." I did. It made no sense. I had just started the most important and needed role in my whole life, and I was feeling worthless.
On day ten post-Charlie, the night the pain in my abdomen was too much for ice packs and my fever spiked over 100.4, we went into the ER to get antibiotics for an internal infection. We were there for over 4 hours. I had doctors and nurses fussing over me, checking my IV, bringing me water and medicine and crackers. The doctor I met with that night was so nice and validating. She was so sympathetic and kind. I found myself leaning back in my bed, in pain, but smiling. That night was a long, satisfying sigh.
I felt sheepish saying it, but I told Kelly it was the first night in a while that I felt okay and I think it was because of the returned attention. I think one big thing that contributes to the baby blues is how quickly we lose all that attention. For 9 months, and 4 days in the hospital, everyone was fussing over me. But when Charlie was born, I disappeared. I mean, I know I didn't. People still asked how I was doing all the time and clearly cared about me, but my crazy doped-up-on-baby-chemicals brain told me I disappeared. And I was worthless. And I was a nobody.
Lucky for me, those awful thoughts only lasted for 2 weeks - pretty much the exact time the doctors say it should last. I was so ready to call the doctor for postpartum depression medication if it lasted even a day longer than 2 weeks. I'm a big believer in medication and doctors and therapy. Do what you gotta do to get better.
Seriously, new mamas out there, those post-baby negative thoughts and feelings are bonkers.
But it ends. Whether with the help of medication or not, it ends.
And it just gets better every single day.
Tonight, after he belch-puked and cried harder than I'd seen in a while, our sick little Charlie started to really pronounce the D sound. Dadadada. That seems like the simplest thing, but I felt my world light up. It's so exciting to watch him grow and learn and try new things and become a little person. I feel so excited and proud and full of love every single day (and the storage on my phone is quickly running out). Loving Charlie is like going to Disneyland, there is an electric light parade and a fireworks show in my heart every night.
I never understood when people talked about how wonderful it is to have children. I thought it looked hard and stressful and sure, sometimes fun. I didn't know.
But it is.
So freaking wonderful.



































