I've only been a mom for a few weeks now, so I don't have a lot of experience with challenges yet. But so far, I'd have to say that the greatest one for me has been the same one that every mom with a newborn faces: adjusting to a new (and very unpredictable!) sleep schedule. My husband's career keeps him away from home a lot (he is the Stage Manager for a band that is on the road six months of the year), and the first few nights he was away and I was on my own without any help were pretty brutal. I'm not very good at napping during the day, and after an average of two hours of sleep a night over three nights, I was a major zombie. I work from home so I only took a two week maternity leave, and that's been a challenge too. I have faith that I'll learn as I go though, and I know that eventually we'll create a balance that works for all of us!
Greatest Joy
My greatest joy is getting to wake up to my sweet Essley girl every morning. Seeing her sweet face brings me instant happiness. She is by far the coolest thing to ever happen to me!
Favorite Memory Being a Mom
So far, my favorite memory would be right after Essley was born, when the nurses put her on my chest, skin to skin. I had a pretty grueling 30 hour labor and quite a few scares (I was induced at 39 weeks due to Gestational Hypertension), and was at the point where I wasn't sure she'd ever arrive. But she finally did! I was so relieved, in complete awe, and fell in love at first sight.
A Word of Advice
There is so much advice out there (and I've definitely gotten my fair share of it), but in the end, every mom/family/baby is different, and no one thing works for everyone else. So my word of advice would be to learn as you go, figure out what works best for you, and take the rest with a grain of salt. I was so worried before she was born because I had no experience, and it seemed like a lot of the advice I'd gotten and things I'd read contradicted one another. But so far, I've been able to figure it out just fine. It's amazing how much natural instinct we have as mothers!
5 Resources You LOVE as a Mom
1// La Leche League International. This is such an invaluable reference and area of support for breastfeeding mothers. 2// Aden and Anais swaddle blankets. These muslin blankets make swaddling easy (and they make great burp cloths too!). 3// WubbaNub Pacifier. Essley has the giraffe WubbaNub and she loves it. It's an easy, effective way to soothe (and so much harder to lose than regular pacifiers!). 4// Happiest Baby on the Block. A friend lent us the DVD of this and we watched it in the hospital while I was recovering. Essley is a night crier and several of the techniques Dr. Karp teaches have worked wonders for us. 5// Boppy Nursing Pillow. This thing has been basically attached to me since Essley's birth! It's comfortable for both mommy and baby, and makes nursing an even more enjoyable experience.
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