The first three or four days of motherhood were complete euphoria. Despite two nights running without sleep I found myself energized and elated. There was nothing I wanted to do more than to hold and nurse my baby. Then the pains of breastfeeding set in and placed a damper on the whole experience. Why doesn’t anyone talk about how painful that can be? I keep thinking back on what my friend Jen said, “You’ll get through the labor, just figure out how to nurse.” Suddenly, I began to dread the nursing time. Now a week and a half in, nursing is still not the comfortable experience so many nursing books report it to be, but the pain is manageable, and I’m enjoying that time to talk and cuddle with Scotland. Like anything worth doing, it takes work.
A couple of days ago I started to feel a bit eager to attack a few things on my “to-do” list. Simple things like, write my brother on a mission, and design a birth announcement. And yet after two days neither had be completed- though each had been attempted several times. Finally, after feeling a bit frustrated, I added a few new things to my daily “to-do” list: kiss Scotland 15x, sing to Scotland, feed Scotland 10x, change 10 diapers. Now, I look at my to-do list and often check off items and I feel much more content! I just keep reminding myself that this will be the only time in my life when I have just one tiny baby to completely absorb myself in. I love it!
3 responses to “Motherhood”
Okay he is just SO beautiful!!! What a sweet, precious, little guy! And yeah, I guess no one really talks much about nursing, because L&D comes first I guess. Nursing is hard, but just wait, it WILL get better! In just a few weeks, or less, it will get better I PROMISE! You’ll be one of those pros that just whips it out.
I think no one talks about how painful STARTING nursing is because once you get past the initial pain and your breasts get used to it, then it’s no longer painful and it’s a wonderful bonding experience with your child… you kind of forget about all that pain in the beginning! Stick with it because it’s definitely worth it. There are so many people that stop because it’s painful, but hold strong because it won’t be like that forever! Use Lasinoh (sp?) cream… that’s what worked best for me.
Nursing does get less painful, it just takes a while 🙂 I love your idea of putting things on your to do list like kissing the baby! That is such an awesome idea! I love the pictures of him. He already looks like his own little person with a personality and every thing!