what they don’t tell you…

There are so many things about being a new mother I feel people never talk about. Like the fact that it is the worst emotional roller coaster you’ve ever been on. Or that you will constantly feel like you don’t know what you are doing. Or that Carter’s onesies are longer than Gerber’s.  Or that you should insist on doing your hair, makeup, or whatever you normally would do to get ready in the morning, because that will make you feel just a little bit more human.  Or that you will (or could) bleed for 10 straight weeks.  Or that you might feel like you are lazy because all you’ve ever done until this point is work all day, and being at home seems deceptively unproductive. Or that it’s ok to hold your baby for hours at a time.  Or that waking up in the night is somehow easier than you anticipated because, after all, it’s for your baby. Or that it’s normal to be sore when you stand for at least 3 weeks. Or that for at least a few months, nothing you own will fit because your maternity clothes are way too big, and your normal clothes are just a smidge too small, and that this will, in turn, lead to an intense insecurity and dissatisfaction with the way you look, which then in turn will completely diminish all sex drive.   Or that sex can be excruciatingly painful for the first few times after the baby is born. Or that you should grease all the hinges in your house, because you don’t realize how loud your doors are until there’s a baby sleeping.  Or that you will constantly feel like you don’t know what you are doing (did I say that one already?).  Or that there is really only one type of sock that will actually stay on your baby’s feet.  Or that it is possible that the first few days you won’t really feel an intense connection with your baby. Or that your love for your baby will eventually become so strong it will physically hurt.  Or that you could get excited about baby poop, especially when she hasn’t gone in several days. Or that at some point you will have to just trust that God will wake you up in time if the baby stops breathing in the night.

I’m not sure why no one mentions these things, but now they’ve been mentioned.

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