Even though my daughter is nearly 3 years old now, I still have very vivid memories of those long days and nights with a newborn. As a brand new mama, I was completely overwhelmed. It doesn’t matter if you’re 20 or 40; no one has all the answers in the beginning.
Those first late nights with a crying, hungry baby are nerve-racking. Trying to figure out breastfeeding is not for the faint of heart. Even bottle-feeding is scary when you realize that newborns are just learning how to eat – how to swallow without choking.
The prayers are countless.
Having your mother or a good friend to talk to during the day is wonderful, but the nights are different. As a new mother, the nights are often dark and lonely. Your hormones are all over the map, and you are absolutely terrified of doing something wrong and causing harm or discomfort to that precious baby. Without someone there with you, especially in those wee hours, it can feel like the entire world is crashing down around you.
If there is one piece of advice I can pass on to new parents who have just been blessed with an angel from Heaven, it is this; get up TOGETHER.
Yes, I know many people advise couples to take turns getting up so they can each get more rest, but here’s a newsflash; most new moms don’t really rest, even when the baby is sleeping. Nature is working overtime on her, fueling her mind and body to stay awake at all hours, fully focused on that baby’s needs and survival.
What a new mama needs most of all, is a helping hand.
I remember the blessing of having my husband wake up with me every time, night after night, without any prompting. His company in those dark hours was such a welcomed blessing. He would change the dirty diaper while I got myself ready to attempt to breastfeed a child who had zero interest in all of that work. Sigh. Then he would lie awake in bed, waiting for me to finish the feeding routine and put our daughter back in her bassinet next to our bed. He would stay up with me, just to be available in case I needed something.
The bonding that took place between us during those wee hours is absolutely priceless.
It’s hard to put into words just how much that small gesture meant to me, as a nervous new mama. And now, on the hardest days of toddlerhood and potty-training, during the occasional times when I want to choke my husband… I think back on those first nights as new parents when he stayed up with me, and I remember just how blessed we are.
I hope this message blesses you as it has blessed me. ❤️
Emily