4 week old baby boy - reminiscing the challenge
There is a reason that my midwife said that Week Four and Week Five are the most common weeks that she will arrive at a home visit to find a parent crying.
Because this parenting thing is hard work!
If you have seen me in the last five weeks you would have seen Alex glued to me. If I am not feeding him, I am burping him, I am wearing him in the front pack, I am shushing him to sleep, I am sleeping next to him (or with him on me - yes, safely of course!)
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My brain and body hurt from tiredness and the constant-ness with which is essential to keeping him feel connected, fed and nurtured. Shit has definitely got real.
And yes, I know that the days are long, and the years go fast. But it doesn’t make this moment in time less challenging or tiring. And acknowledging this doesn’t make me a bad parent!
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I am sharing for all those parents who don’t get time to shower, who have grown extra grey hairs and wrinkles in a month, who are finding it hard to connect with their babies, whose bodies are still recovering from pregnancy and birth, who are already feeling the pressure of getting their pre-pregnancy body back. Because that is me. In these moments I try to relinquish the control, to try and go with the flow, to honour my body the time it needs to recover, to go slow.
Feel the feels, cry when you need to, know it’s normal to feel frustrated, and find support when you need to. And, if you feel you don’t have anyone then get in touch with me.
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Card by @charleyclements which was sent to me by my dear, dear friend who knows what it’s like to nurture a newborn