On March 12th, we welcomed our little boy into the world. The whole labor and delivery flew by. My husband drove me to the hospital around 5:30am because I was leaking amniotic fluid and by 4:00pm, we were snuggling our little baby boy. Some days I just look at him in amazement that he’s here!
The first month has been a complete whirlwind with doctor appointments, lack of sleep and adjusting to our new lives. It’s all been amazing and I am soaking up all the moments that I can because time really does fly. It seems like just yesterday we found out I was pregnant.
I delivered Bryce at Richardson Methodist Medical Center and had a great experience. I delivered him at 3:40pm and by the next day at 6:00pm, we were released from the hospital and set free to start our lives as a new family of 3. I’m still shocked that hospitals release you without info on how to take care of a baby or what to expect. I assume that’s what all those classes are for while you’re pregnant that I never took. I will say that as scary as it was leaving the hospital knowing that Bryce was all ours to take care of, it was extremely exciting and motherly instincts instantly go into effect. The first two weeks are now all a blur but while we were there, it was exhausting, frustrating and amazing all at the same time.
Breastfeeding
I always knew I wanted to breastfeed my child, if possible. I knew it was very possible that there could be complications that prevented us from breastfeeding and from what I read, it could be extremely frustrating. That was no joke. While at the hospital, I attempted to breastfeed but it’s like they throw you out in the wild and expect you to know how to do everything already. Considering this was my first child, I had no idea how to breastfeed correctly. I could try everything that I had read online or had been told but it didn’t come easily. Thankfully, there was a lactation consultant that was able to help me and Bryce. As much as she helped me, the next 2 weeks were a struggle. I couldn’t get him to stay awake to feed properly and he would always have his hands in his face which made it nearly possible to feed him. I can understand why so many people get irritated and switch to the bottle. Not to mention, I had no idea babies ate every 2 hours. Breastfeeding is a full time job but it’s a special bond that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Thankfully around 2 weeks, all of our breastfeeding issues were worked out and now it only takes about 10-15 minutes for each feeding compared to the 1 hour it took in the beginning.
Doctor appointments
We had a few doctor visits within the first month. Our first visit was at 2 days with our pediatrician. Bryce had some blood work to test for jaundice and had a weight check. As expected, he lost about half a pound. Since I was exclusively breastfeeding and I voiced my concerns about it to the pediatrician, he had us come back a few days later for a weight check. I was grateful and scared all at the same time. I was happy that my pediatrician was supportive of my decision but was also scared – what if he wasn’t gaining the weight he needed and I wasn’t providing for him like he needed? Needless to say, the next few days were a bit stressful. I was determined to make sure breastfeeding was going to work. We both lost sleep over me trying to get him to latch or to wake up. It was rough.
My milk came in around the 4th day after delivery and no one told me what to expect. I will say, that was not pleasant and and I wasn’t prepared. Why don’t doctors tell you about these kind of things? I feel like most of my pregnancy I was expected to know all of these amazing things that happen to your body. In reality, I was googling all the things trying to figure out if I was dying or if the body changes were normal. Thankfully, they were all normal!
We went back for our weight check and Bryce had not only gained the weight he needed to, he surpassed the amount of weight the doctor wanted so we were in the clear. It was such a relief! We saw the doctor again at 2 weeks and 1 month. Nothing exciting happened at these visits, they were just great times to ask the doctor any advice, questions or concerns.
Exhaustion
Taking care of a tiny human is exhausting. It’s an exhaustion I’ve never felt and have been told time and time again that I will never feel rested again. (Don’t you just love all the advice people give you?) As much as I would love to “sleep when the baby sleeps,” it isn’t a reality for me. I’ve napped maybe once or twice since having Bryce. I wish I could take naps when he does but I feel like I have a million other things I need to be doing – running my business, answering emails, figuring out what to eat, showering, enjoying coffee while it’s quite.
It took my body a few weeks to getting in the swing of waking up every 2 hours to feed him. Not to mention, while he sleeps I am constantly staring ta him to make sure he is okay and still breathing. The internet is real good at scaring new moms about all the possible things that can happen to your baby and it haunts me. I’m still exhausted and I’ve had some serious migraines because of it but it seems that my body is learning this is the new normal.
Happiness
There have been plenty of times that I have been frustrated over the past month – I’m exhausted, I’m starving, my head hurts, my clothes don’t fit properly, we have no food in the house, I’m too tired to move – the list goes on. There is something about looking at your little one and it bringing so much happiness. My husband and I didn’t have the easiest time getting pregnant which really makes me double think about getting frustrated. This sweet baby is something we worked really hard for and knowing that he is here and it’s real is a surreal feeling.
Looking at my newborn, I see so much hope for the future, a little guy who is so innocent and has such a big world to take on. I can’t wait to watch him grow up and surpass all his milestones one by one. Parenthood is no joke but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m excited to see what the next month brings.
I’ll be adding to this post as I remember more fun trials, tribulations and milestones that we have encountered in our first month together. My brain is officially mush but at least I now have a good excuse! 🙂
What trials and milestones do you remember the most about the first month your baby was born?
This was a very helpful and relatable article! My daughter was just born on the third of March.