03/29/2024
Soap Box 📦 Long Post Alert 🚨
Reflecting on 1 year of motherhood as the months go on, I get more sane, more energy, more rest.
One thing I learned, is that during that first 3-4 months that a baby is alive, the mother is not getting any sleep, she is exhausted, neurotic, anxious, and illogical sometimes.
During that time for me, I was obsessed with my babies being taken care of the way that I wanted them to be taken care of. The way I think is best, from advice from the NICU Dr Daigle, and my own research. Other people that may have had one baby at a time or babies that were born at full-term may not comprehend why I was obsessed, anxious and neurotic about certain things with my premature twins.
If a loved one is coming over to help care for a newborn to give the mother reprieve, even if it doesn’t make sense to you…. you are the one that is living a normal life, getting a full nights sleep, in your sane mind. Just do whatever the mother tells you to do. Don’t say “I’ve done this before”. Well, that was YOUR baby. This is HER baby. And if she wants something done a certain way, do exactly as she says. Period. If your true reason in visiting is to give the mother some rest, she’s not going to get quality rest, unless she knows that when she is away from her baby, that her baby is being taken care of as she requests.
I was this anxious obsessed exhausted momma. In future when I offer to take care of somebody else’s baby as a service, so that the mother can relax, I am going to learn every little detail on how she wants her baby to be cared for and do it exactly that way. I will also express to her that, “Everything you’ve said to me, I will do. Go get some sleep.”
I dunno if this resonates with anyone else. Maybe it’s because my babies were twins, were premature and I was a first time mom.
***Pictured is very detailed instructions I gave to people coming to help when the babies were 1mo! Some of yall were game for it. Others were like oh heck nah, that’s too much. I ain’t coming! Calm down!!! 🫠😂
