I don’t know if all moms experience this the same way, but one thing is certain: it’s a whirlwind of hormones and emotions during this short period.
Girl, you leave the maternity ward with a lump in your throat and a little fear in your stomach (especially when it’s your first baby).
You might even cry as you leave the hospital. You gaze at the little human being that you and your partner have created. You realize that it’s now up to you—no more 24-hour hospital support to help you rest.
As soon as you get home—as silly as it may sound—you might feel the urge to walk around the house with your baby in your arms, describing each room to them, and finally showing them their bedroom. That’s okay, and if it gives you a little comfort, so much the better!
For the first time, you see yourself in the mirror after coming home. Sure, you look like yourself, but now you see the look of a mom in your eyes and on your face.
It’s time for a bottle (because despite your attempts at breastfeeding, you’re allowed to not like it and prefer infant formula). The brief eye contact you and your baby share, however subtle, brings tears of joy to your eyes.
Over the next few hours, you feel very fragile, but also cherished by these little moments of pure happiness that you’re lucky enough to experience with your loving partner. That’s when you wonder if this is what postpartum depression feels like—being happy for a few minutes and crying a few minutes later.
Hey, calm down! You just gave birth—give your body and mind a little time to readjust after your baby’s arrival!
You’re lucky to have a calm little one who hardly ever cries. She feeds and sleeps in 2- or 3-hour stretches. Of course, you knew that night and day would become relative concepts, but actually living through it—oh my—there’s no way to prepare for that!
You realize that your little one is dependent on you, and that’s why you’re on maternity leave—to be a mom who does it all, day and night, full-time. Your partner sleeps like a log; he swears that even when the little one is sleeping in the bedroom, in her little bassinet, he doesn’t hear her. No big deal—he’ll help you out during the day, while you catch some naps.