Bringing Home Baby

I found that leading up to Ruby's birth, I was absolutely terrified of labour and I really only focused on getting through that part. What I didn't consider was what things would be like after leaving the hospital. I find that this part isn't something widely talked about (at least I wasn't aware of some of these things) so I feel that it's really important to share in the hopes of helping out other new moms.

{all ready to leave the hospital}

Coming home from the hospital was really exciting, we had to stay in for an extra day so it really felt like we were ready to get home and start life as a family. The first afternoon home was quite a whirlwind; I almost can't remember how it felt. However, by the second evening, a weird feeling came over me. I felt sad. I chalked it up to being tired and overwhelmed with having Ruby home. But the next evening, the same feeling rolled over me. What I didn't immediately understand was that I had the baby blues (common, but I had never heard about it). For me, it started as an anxiety-fueled stomach ache, followed by tears. This happened each day for about two weeks and it felt absolutely terrible. Luckily, I had tons of love and support around me, but there was truly nothing anyone could do to take away my baby blues.

By the third week, I wasn't experiencing the blues daily; they were slowly dissipating. To me, this was a huge relief because not only was I tired of getting sad each day, but I was also experience mommy-guilt for feeling sad. Aren't people supposed to be overjoyed by their new baby? Well, I am, and soon I will probably forget the baby blues altogether (I have to assume this happens so that people want to have another child, just like forgetting labour pain).

Once I started talking to friends and family about how I felt, most people came forward and said 'oh, yes, I had that too'. I am very open with my feelings and because of this I was pretty much willing to tell any stranger on the street how difficult the first two weeks felt. Now, I'm happy to put it out to the internet with the hopes of helping other new moms prepare themselves for a roller coaster of emotions, and ease the guilt that accompanies this. With any luck (as it did for me), the blues will quickly fade and you will get to experience the joy that everyone does tell you about :)

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