The first week after having a baby is the work your way back into reality week. I have been holding my baby for a week now, but I still cannot believe she is no longer in my belly. I feel like I was pregnant forever and holding her in my arms should be more real, but it is not. She is beautiful and sweet tempered. In so many ways I did not know what I was expecting, but she seems to fit what seems natural to me at his point (if that even makes sense).
Nights are long, filled with lots of awake time for baby. She sleeps though my four other kids crashing around and as soon as it is quite she is alert and ready to go. I have gotten used to this routine since all of my kids have gone through it. My husband and I take shifts in the night, but he always makes sure I get as much rest as possible. I do not know how he has so much energy, but he knows my body is still healing from the birth.
With my first few children it did not seem long before my energy was back up to normal speed. Maybe it took about ten days. This time, I am in the middle of that ten day window and feeling wiped. I have had five babies in seven years and my body is telling me to enjoy the rest for as long as I can. I am loving taking naps throughout the day and I am thankful my husband can work for home while I recover. It is fun to have meals presented to me and laundry washed and ready for me to wear. Mom's do not get this princess treatment everyday. I am a mom who enjoys serving my family though housework, so I think it has been hard in the past for me to enjoy having my spouse serve me in this way. He has really been such a blessing this time and know he is working really hard to keep up with everything.
Baths are a great way to get fifteen to thirty minutes alone at this point. I love my new little one, but let's face it...alone time will always be important and taking a bath forces me to have it. My baby shower friends made me different scented bath salts, so my routine since the birth has been to pick a scent different scent a day. It has been so much fun trying them all. I honestly do not remember the last time I relaxed this much. When my last child was born I was so focused on being recovered from it all, that I let this time of rest slip away from me. Take my advice, enjoy resting because motherhood is a lot of work.
As we enter the second week with five kids, ( I still cannot believe it!) I think about the blessing of having such a big family. My kids are running around playing and taking small breaks to kiss their new sister on the head. Even my smallest little girl, only sixteen months old, is trying to be my helper by bringing my nursing pillow to me when she sees me feeding the baby. It is so amazing to see how smoothly the transition is going. Everyone is so loving. That is not to say it is always so perfect, but I will take as much of this special time as we can get.
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