Home Postpartum Blues...

[nycbkgirl]

Fiery huggggs to u !...i had the baby blues for a looong time! i couldnt take care of my babies bc i was in so much pain and on painkillers~ i cried and cried even just looking at my babies and i even felt dh was paying attention to them more than me <---yeh weird even writing that out! but it will go away once u heal mentally and physically u will be lovin motherhood (well expect for the sleepless nite)

feel better and it will just take time to get back on track!

 

[Jas12]

I definitely struggled through those first months. I think it is a consensus that you just have to get through them. Like Tgal, i lived in a fog. My hormones were wicked. I had terrible night sweats and terrible insomnia. I made the insomina worse by worrying about it and so it hung on a while after the hormones settled. I remember having terrible thoughts that i would accidently do something terrible to the baby etc. Icky stuff.
Know that everything will get better with some time. If, after a couple more months you feel worse or the same then i would go talk to a therapist. But i have a feeling you''ll get more confident and the worry will subside. I think that moms who say they breezed through the first year are either a) lying or b) in the teeny tiny minority --most of us had some issue to overcome--whether it be BF, PPD, baby''s temperment etc. It''s a crazy ride--just hang on!
**huge hug***

 

[Shoopy]

Hi ladies. Thank you all for sharing your wisdom with me. Things have gotten a little better. Yesterday was our first day alone together and I was feeling really anxious over it because I didn''t know if I could handle it. Since she was born I''ve had people in the house. With my mom here I didn''t have to worry about eating or cleaning and when Mr. Fiery is home and she gets fussy, he grabs her. So I was nervous but there was nothing to be nervous over. She just slept, ate, and pooped as newborns do. It was interesting trying to cook a meal in between feedings but manageable. Night is still a little stressful but I''m getting used to it. I think I''m so used to getting up to go to work in the morning that the idea of being up at 3AM worried me. Today, FI took care of her all morning so I was able to sleep for about 5 hours which was great (although my breasts weren''t too happy

)

And I haven''t cried so that makes me feel a lot better knowing that things are starting to come together. I still feel anxious and am still going to talk to the OB about it but I''m feeling much better. Thanks again to everyone for sharing your stories.

 

[Mrs]

I''m so glad you''re feeling a little better Fiery!! Being a new mommy is soooo hard. It does get easier though! Hang in there and try to enjoy the ride.

 

[gailrmv]

I don't have much to say that hasn't been said, but the early weeks were hard on me too. There is so much going on, I think almost everyone has a hard time.

Things got easier for me around 6 weeks. Just as you are learning to breastfeed and care for your baby, she is learning to breastfeed and adjusting to life outside the womb. I've read that fussiness peaks at 6 weeks. Also, around that time I was feeling much better physically, and was getting a little more sleep. BF'ing finally went from SO HARD to not so hard and then easy. I felt more confident caring for my baby and going places with him, and started meeting other moms to hang out with during the days. Also, while I loved my baby from the beginning, I feel like any relationship takes time to develop. Over the first few weeks and months, we've bonded so much and have more of a relationship than we did at first.

Sometimes I find it easier to take care of my baby when my DH is at work. I don't know why. It doesn;t make sense. But when he's away, I feel like my ONLY job is to take care of the baby. When DH is home, I feel like it is my chance to catch up on housework and other things, and that we all want and need to have family time, and also DH needs to catch up on his stuff, so I feel more rushed to try and accomodate all that.

In the early weeks I felt really conflicted about returning to work. That and lack of sleep were probably the two worst things going on in the early weeks.

I read a lot of parenting books and got really stressed and felt guilty that I wasn't doing things right. That feeling eased after a while too. You will find your own style. I think the first weeks are just about survival. But it WILL get easier!!!