Having a newborn baby is a huge adjustment. Birth is hard work, and there’s recovery time for the new mom. It’s often worse after a first birth, and worse yet after a c-section. Stitches (either kind) are painful or uncomfortable, and the fear of breaking the stitches is no picnic either. Then there’s the baby. She doesn’t sleep at night, doesn’t latch easily because her mouth is so little, and just seems to use up all of the parents’ energy. When you’ve had a day that you want to cry about, here are some wonderful things about being a parent. Remember them, and you’ll remember why you’re going through all of this:
- The smell. Brand new babies smell amazing, and newly washed babies smell perfect. Be sure to use a baby shampoo that makes you love your baby’s smell.
- Tiny toes. Tiny toes are just so cute. Put your finger under them to feel the reflexive grip that’s unique to babies.
- Soft skin. Here is skin that hasn’t been sunburned or chafed or callused. It’s just nice and clean. Rub your hands with baby lotion before you touch to avoid scraping the softness of your baby’s skin.
- Paper-thin fingernails. There’s something strangely satisfying about being able to peel off a baby’s fingernails.
- The lint between their fingers. OK, it’s a little bit gross, but it’s unique to babies. Once they get a little older, their fingers are so busy doing so much that they don’t pick up lint anymore.
- The moment of perfect calm when baby’s meal begins. When you get a good latch or manage to get the bottle into the mouth, and suddenly all of the upset ends, and the baby’s body relaxes completely. When I was nursing, I’d often start zoning out as soon as the latch was right, and I’d only wake up when the baby was rooting around for more food. The peace of a calm baby is wonderful.
- Guessing whose features your baby has. This is one of those games that is most exciting at the beginning. I remember the first question my husband asked me in the labor and delivery room after our son was born was “Who does he look like?”
- The potential. This is a whole person who has a future ahead. Anything is still possible. A new baby can still be a gymnast, an Olympic swimmer, a doctor, a movie star, anything you’ve resigned yourself to not being.
- The discovery. Everything is new. Every song is new. Every funny face is new. Every time something falls on the floor and is too far away to be reached, it’s a new discovery.
- The coos. The happy sounds a baby makes are the sweetest sound on Earth. Coo, gurgle, all of it. It’s just wonderful.
