Interview with My Sister: First-Time Mom

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Briar17bwAs I was thinking about my post for DMMB this month, I couldn’t help but think of my sister, Sara. She is a brand new momma and I think she would be the first to say that it is definitely harder than she ever thought. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching her become a mom. She has shed a lot of tears with me and brought me back to those first days and weeks of my own experience with motherhood.

Maybe you are due with your first baby soon, or maybe you’re an experienced mother of three or four. Either way, I hope you enjoy my Q & A with Sara!

Q: Tell us about your labor. Did it go as planned?

A: I delivered a week early, which was SHOCKING to me. The doctor had told me the Wednesday before my Sunday delivery that he thought I would go past my due date, so when I started having contractions a week early I was definitely surprised. My labor was SLOW, which was a very tiring and painful experience. I had contractions for about three days before delivering. I wanted to go “all natural” and not get an epidural, but about three hours after checking into the hospital, I signed up for an epidural – which was amazing! The reason I didn’t want to get an epidural was to see if I was tough enough – and I had heard it’s better for the baby. Another surprising thing about labor/delivery was I really love pushing; it felt relieving. My epidural had started to wear off towards the end of my labor and I was thrilled to get to push! We didn’t know the sex of our daughter either, so there was a big incentive for me to get down to business and PUSH!

Q: What was the best and hardest thing in the first week?

A: The first week with my husband and daughter was euphoric. My husband was off work and I felt like we were in this serene little bubble. Seeing my daughter, getting to feed her, smell her, and love her was just awesome. I loved seeing my husband with her, too. The sense of astonishment, pride, and love you have as first-time parents is hard to describe. When my husband went back to work after a week, I was in for a rude awakening. I had a hard time coping with my new sleep schedule, the constant demands of motherhood, raging hormones, and the endless analyzing of everything I was doing/providing for my sweet girl. I definitely leaned on my mom a lot during the day when my husband was at work. My daughter is now nine weeks old and I feel like I’ve really got the hang of being her mom. Needless to say, I had quite a few breakdowns, which was really tough. What really got me through, though, was surrounding myself with other women who had told me how “normal” it was to feel what I was feeling, and who had also experienced what I was going through.

Q: Give us a few breastfeeding tips!

A: Breastfeeding came fairly easy for me and my daughter. I’ve heard girls are better nursers than boys, so that might have contributed to its ease. Some tips I would give to new moms is to try to stay relaxed about it and follow your gut. You are given so many “rules” on breastfeeding it can be overwhelming. I tried to follow my daughter’s lead and read her versus being worried about a “feeding schedule.” I also think its a good idea to let the hospital nursery know that you don’t want your child receiving a bottle in the nursery. Another thing – use the hospital nursery at night between feedings. It’s nice to catch a little sleep, and if you have a girl, they bring her back with a cute little bow on her head – melts your heart!

Q: What is the #1 baby item you can’t live without?

A: I have two: pacifier and swaddlers. I know some people discourage the use of a pacifier with babies, but I think they are a must-have. I use a Mam infant size pacifier that my daughter loves. Mam had sent it in the mail to us and it just happened to be one my little girl loved. Definitely shop around and find the right one for your baby. I used a swaddle blanket with velcro for my daughter after she started “breaking out” of swaddling blankets. This helps her sleep longer stretches instead of waking herself up with a flailing arm or leg.

Q: Do you have any advice or tips for adjusting to a new baby?

A: Adjusting to having a baby is easily one of the best and hardest things I have ever done. I was 28 when I had her and very used to my life before having a baby. My husband and I are very active people and used to being able to pick up and just GO! I was also accustomed to an uninterrupted eight hours of sleep every night. What helped me adjust the most is having people to talk to about how hard this adjustment was for me! I have three sisters (who are all moms) and my mom who are all very close to me, so I talked to them a lot. It was nice to be able to just get all my thoughts and feelings “out” and be able to talk about them. My husband was also a HUGE help. He listened, loved, and supported me whenever I needed him. My biggest tip for new moms is to make sure you have someone to help support you in the first months of motherhood. I didn’t know I would need as much support as I did. 🙂

Q: What is the funniest thing that has happened with Briar to date?

A: Funniest thing happened at the Sculpture Park downtown. My husband and I took our baby for a walk one night when she was about two weeks old. We were packing up to leave and changing her diaper in the stroller. We had taken the dirty diaper out from under her and hadn’t put a new diaper down. Well, our Little Miss decided to pee and poop all over everything. We couldn’t do anything but laugh. What was the kicker – another young couple with a new baby walked by and started laughing too because they could just tell what had happened without even knowing it! It was hilarious. Our daughter had to ride home in just a diaper, too, because we were inexperienced and didn’t have a change of clothes!

Q: If you could tell an “about-to-be first-time mom” something, what would it be?

A: I would say, “You are going to do great! Look at how much you have already done! Definitely take the longest amount of maternity leave you can because you will need it. And, call me if you need anything!”

Now, over to you!

What sentiments or questions can you share about becoming a first-time mom?

2 COMMENTS

  1. Awww… so sweet. I was 28 when we had Lucan so I can def appreciate how motherhood is a “game changer.” Good job Sara! You’ve kept a baby healthy, happy and alive!

  2. Completely and utterly relate to you, Sara! I gave up on breastfeeding before we even left the hospital with Zander. I was so sore and scabbed over and then on top of it felt like a failure. I’ve learned first-time motherhood is very hard, but extremely rewarding.
    Thank you so much for sharing!

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