She’s here…Now what?

What’s so interesting about having a baby is how much help you have in the first few hours.   Nurses are everywhere tending to your every need.  Your family comes to visit giving you time to breathe while they love on the new baby.  Everyone is attentive and helpful.  And then 24-48 hours later, you go home.  With only the baby.  And that is a cruel twist to the blissful helper life you just had.  I’m quite certain for as much as you pay for your hospital stay, an in home nurse should come with that rate.  

Driving the baby home is terrifying.  My husband is a speed demon, and has terrible road rage. I was completely freaking out the whole time we drove Emma home.  I was sure he was going to fly into a fit of rage, and our truck would spiral out of control.  I was on high alert for every rogue driving move, every stop light/sign, construction zones, slow drivers, fast drivers…all drivers.  I trusted no one on the road.  I basically held my breath for the hour drive home, and didn’t relax until we got there.  But, we did get home.  Safe and sound.  First hour along with baby was a success.  

Once you are in the house with baby, it’s odd.  The home that we lived alone in the last year and a half suddenly felt smaller.  My clean house instantly became cluttered with baby gear, and it was almost like I was lost in my own home.  I sat down with Emma, introduced the dogs to her, and just took in the moment that my house of 2 was now a house of 3.  There was a mixture of sadness and bliss at the same time.  I left a lovely life with just me and Erich behind, and added a little person to the equation.  I think it really hit me at that moment.  

So, what do you do with a baby?  Let me tell you, I have ZERO baby experience.  I was not the girl who swooned over babies.  I never even thought I would have a baby.  So, I was at a loss for activities to entertain my sweet Emma.  At the beginning babies sleep quite a bit, so I felt like I should be doing something useful while she was sleeping.  I did some cooking and cleaning (when I really should have been sleeping), but when she woke up, ate, and pooped, I had to find something to do with her.  Since a newborn can’t do much, neither can you.  I sat and stared at her a lot.  Which feels really unproductive, but is actually very satisfying.  However, I found there are a few things that are pretty helpful to have to entertain the baby at the beginning.

At my shower, I received a MamaRoo by 4moms.  It’s great investment for a newborn to have.  I can’t say she is as in love with it at 3 months, but when she first came home, it was a life saver.  You can pick up the gem in most places that sell baby gear.  Mine came from Buy Buy Baby.  But, you can read more about the MamaRoo at their website;  https://www.4moms.com/   This chair does some remarkable things.  If they made them in adult size, it would be a gold mine!

I also have the 4moms pack n play, 4breeze.  I love this purchase, and this brand overall!!  We looked at a lot of pack n play’s, and this is the one we thought was the most sturdy and easy to use.  The bassinet portion is what Emma slept in the first 2 months of her life by our bed.  And now, it is what we travel with.  This also came from Buy Buy Baby, and I highly recommend it.  http://www.buybuybaby.com/ or https://www.4moms.com/

Fuzzy blankets, a lot of onesies, tons of wipes, and comfy clothes (for you, not the baby) are needed.  For a little while, you are just going to be snuggled up in the house with the baby.  I know there are some moms that get right out of the house, but I needed a few days to adjust and figure it out.  When there was no one around, this was my time to learn and make errors.  This was my time to adjust to a new life.  This was my time to learn Emma’s noises and needs.  There were no more nurses, no more visitors flooding us, and even Erich went back to work by day 3.  It was just me and her.

By week 2, I was more comfortable.  I decided to sing to her, read to her, play her music, put her on her activity mat, and bundle her up to take her on walks thru the yard. I don’t know what day it kicked in, but the worry became ease, and the ease became freedom to just organically do what a mom does.  I stopped worrying about entertaining her, and just started living life with her.  And what an amazing life it is.