[ad_1]

As a happy mom to two beautiful, amazing children – a boy and a girl – I have come to a place in life where I feel pretty confident in my abilities as a parent. This was not always the case, however. To this day, I can still remember my days in the hospital after the unexpected cesarean birth of my very first child – my daughter.

In pain, insecure, and inconsolably petrified, I left the hospital after a 5-day extended stay, awkwardly clutching my newborn, wondering just what I was going to do once I was home and completely void of the protective circle of medical professionals that had was so gracious in teaching me the basics of being a brand new mommy. We all know that there is much to be considered before embarking on the exciting journey known as parenthood. Alas, many of us (including me!), Meticulous careful decisions and planning, simply do not have that luxury, and we find ourselves thrust into the role before we are even remotely ready. So began my introduction to the wonderful world of "mommyhood."

Although my brand new husband and I had had quite the shock upon seeing that ominous little "plus" sign nine months earlier, we took advantage of the ensuing 40 weeks by researching all we could about pregnancy and preparing for parenthood. I do not think there was a book, video, or internet site about the subject that escaped our scrutiny, and let me tell you, at the approximate halfway point of my gestation period, I had all but had my fill of information!

From the pro-natural-birthing groups and those that reviewed the availability of labor-accelerating drugs to the pro-breastfeeding-feeding groups and the pro-bottle advocates, I decided at that point to just let nature take its course. It turns out it was the best thing I could do, since my plans for a natural birth and avid breastfeeding feeding were programmed by the necessity of an emergency c-section and a physical accessibility to breastfeeding (which at the time made me feel like a total failure, by the way!). So much for planning and preparation.

Thankfully, I did arrive home to find that my mom, sister, and husband had spent the unexpected extra time finishing up the nursery and preparing the rest of the house for our arrival. And let me tell you, just having that frozen lasagna along with a slew of my other favorite dishes from my mom made the transition that much easier.

The first few days at home with a newborn are a whirlwind, with no time for cooking, cleaning, or even showering, for that matter (do not worry – I did manage to squeeze that one in there somehow!). For the most part, it's all about catering to the needs of this tiny, perfect, miraculous new human being that relations solely on you for her (or his) each and every need. And I can tell you that it's hands-down the most amazing, incredible, rewarding life-changing event that I have ever had the privilege of experiencing, not only once, but twice so far in my life!

[ad_2]

Source by Phil Raymond