Whether you’re a mom for the first time or the fourth time, the first few months aren’t easy. During those long days and sleepless nights, it’s hard to see that they are also some of the most magical times.
As I sit here trying to write this, I am reminded of how amazing it is to be a mom but also how hard it is. Back in November my husband and I were blessed with baby #4 and currently he is being a Mr. Fusspants. His father is holding him, doing laps around the house. And as badly as I wish that was enough to soothe him, it’s not.
I’m realizing more with him than I did with any of his sisters that moms are magical.
I don’t know what it is that sets moms apart from everyone else. Maybe it’s because our babies are a part of us. They grow inside of us for 10 months so we are like their home, a safe and comfortable place. Whatever the reason is, I find it sort of amazing. Knowing that this little being is more comfortable with me than with anyone else makes me feel so incredibly special. When you add to it the fact that my body is the sole contributor to his chubby little cheeks and chunky little legs, I kinda feel like Super Woman.
However, with all that being said, sometimes I feel like there is a price to pay for being so magical.
It can be frustrating, tiring, stressful, and sometimes downright painful. So many times the baby will be crying and my husband tries his best to soothe him, but he can’t. I then feel obligated to step in and help, whether I’m in the middle of doing something or not. After all, I am Super Woman. And if the shushing, the bouncing, and the swaying doesn’t work, I let him nurse and ta-da, the crying stops.
This is even more frustrating in the middle of the night. A fussy baby during the day is one thing, a fussy baby in the middle of the night is another. As convenient as breastfeeding is, especially during nighttime feedings, it kinda sucks! Having to get up every time the baby wakes up is so tiresome, and having to do it while I listen to my husband snoring beside me certainly doesn’t make it any better. I know it doesn’t make sense for us both to be up, especially since he can’t really help me, but in that moment I want us both to be sleep deprived.
During those stressful, exhausting times I try to remind myself that this phase will soon be over. I know the day is going to come, sooner than I would like, when I won’t be so magical.
The sleepless nights filled with multiple feedings will become a thing of the past, and I will no longer be the one person that can make everything better. So before it’s over, I’m going to cherish all the extra snuggle time I get from those midnight feedings.
Because I’m sure there will come a day when I look back and smile, and wish that it could have lasted just a little bit longer.
