Things I’ve learned over the course of mommying
Sleep is a thing of the past ; there are days where I’m up 24 hours straight because Eira would much rather play than sleep at night . Sometimes she’s up til 6am and I have to be at work for 7. Surprisingly I’ve grown accustomed to functioning on zero sleep 🤷🏽♀️
I was unaware of the ins and outs of FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act ), short term disability, maternity leave etc . I I ran out of PTO prior to my maternity leave due to the countless hospital visits therefore during my leave I had to pay for my insurance out of pocket. Thankfully I had enrolled in short term disability therefore I received a lump sum of money 2 weeks after delivery. However , that money wasn’t enough to cover my monthly bills , health insurance etc so I had to dip into our savings. I spent approximately 10k while out on maternity leave for 3 months . (It covered Eira and l’s health insurance , deductible for labor , weekly appts to the Eira’s doctor , formula etc etc ) . I had to buy one of the expensive kind of formula for a little while because Eira couldn’t keep anything down . She kept puking after every feed and was losing weight.
Breastfeeding is not easy as it looks. It’s extremely taxing physically, mentally and emotionally . Especially if the baby has a hard time latching . It’s even more taxing when you are returning to work upon the end of your maternity leave and and you have to make time to pump throughout the day . It’s just hard . I stopped breastfeeding exactly 2 months postpartum ; I couldn’t take it much longer to be completely honest .
Eira weighed only 5lbs upon birth yet I still experienced perineal lacerations which can make healing process that much more excruciating. It took exactly 7 weeks to fully heal. The perineal cold packs from cvs was such a lifesaver ; it was extremely soothing and alleviated a lot of my pain.
Your whole life becomes the baby so your relationship unfortunately takes a back seat ; you have to make a conscious effort toward it. I can honestly say in the past 2 year my marriage has gotten little of my attention . Being pregnant , being enrolled in grad school , working full time , going to my internship 30 hours per week , then having eventually having to care for a newborn around the clock all while managing previous obligations and commitments ; it was a lot and overwhelming to say the least .
I had zero knowledge on pitocin . I was administered pitocin because my amniotic sac had ruptured 3 days prior therefore the baby was at risk of infections. I was induced to get the contractions underway. Well let’s just those artificial contraction are brutal. I saw every disciple in the Bible ; my whole life flashed before my eyes. I unfortunately couldn’t decline it because I was ruptured . The baby had to come out.
How can i forget the nurses constantly barging in my room every hour to take my temperature and to ask if I’d pooped yet. At least they gave me the postpartum mesh underwear. (Which I loved )To a young, healthy person like myself, this underwear is part novelty, part revelation. It’s disposable, for one. That’s right, you heard me: Disposable. Underwear. I was delighted the first time I saw them. Made of a soft, breathable netting that expanded to fit over my hips, they were incredibly comfortable. Also, because postpartum bleeding requires you to straddle huge, mortifying maxi pads like I was in seventh grade again, they were practical: The underwear held the pads secure, and if something did leak, the whole mess could be tossed into the trash, forgotten forever. whew what a relief !!!!!
New moms should continue taking prenatal vitamins and maintain a balanced diet high in protein. Additionally, you should try to get as much rest as possible, avoiding any strenuous lifting or exercise until you have been given the go ahead by your health care provider.
One of the biggest contributors is constipation. Constipation can lead to straining, which can cause hemorrhoids or make smaller hemorrhoids worse. Thanks to pregnancy hormones, constipation is a common problem during pregnancy. Also, during labor and delivery, there may be a lot of pushing and straining, which can cause hemorrhoids. It took me approximately 6 weeks to heal ; sitting on a donut helped to alleviate the pain and pressure. It was awful.
Okay let’s touch on outings ; the likelihood of forgetting something important is relatively high and probably inevitable. I’ve forgotten the baby’s formula, diapers, wipes etc etc etc. on my sisters wedding day , I had to leave the church ceremony to head to cvs because I had forgotten the baby’s formula at home . Talk about stressful . Sigh !!!!
I’ve forgotten the nursing cloth so I have had to openly breastfeed her in public . Oh well 🤷🏽♀️
Luckily I wasn’t shamed by anyone nor was I given any look of disgust. Thank goodness !!!
I spent a ridiculous amount of money on items that I never used or had to use . (I personally bought more stuff in addition the stuff we received from our baby shower )
There are several items in the nursery that are simply collecting dust . I’m actually thinking about having a giveaway to give to new mothers in need .
(Fun fact : I was so convinced I was having a boy that I started buying boy items way before I found out the gender ; talk about crazy faith or just crazy in this case). Embarrassingly I bought lots of boy stuff ...
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