The Taste of Motherhood
I always wanted to be a mother. The thought of someone hugging on to me, someone calling me ‘mama’ always excited me. My husband and I had to wait for 4 years until the arrival of our little bundle of joy.
When I got pregnant, I never thought of all the sacrifices I would have to make. My pregnancy was not as smooth as I thought it would be. Low lying placenta in the 4th month had me bedridden for nearly 2 months. During my 34th week of pregnancy, my cervix was dilated and I was in early labor. However, my doctor thought it was best we delayed the labor for a couple of weeks for the betterment and safety of my baby and me. And so I was advised bed rest for another couple of weeks.
My little angel was born on the 12th of November 2018 after five hours of labor. I feel blessed to have had short labor and normal delivery. We named our little bundle of joy ‘Tira’ which means glimmer of light. With the delivery came all sorts of other problems.
I went through post-pregnancy depression and it was very difficult to cope up with. Silly things would make me cry. From the proud mother that I was supposed to be, I became a paranoid mother. I was sleep-deprived and nothing would excite me. There were moments when I would hold my baby in my arms and I would cry. The thought that I was not good enough for her kept haunting me. In moments like these, friends and family played an important role. They kept reminding me that I was doing a good job and it was a phase of my life that would soon pass. Every time I felt low, I remembered their words and it gave me the courage to take one step at a time, towards motherhood.
Today my baby is 6 months old and when I look back at all the moments where I cried during the depression, I remembered it was just a phase and it did pass away.
A few tips I would share in this article which I should have followed during my difficult times.
Sleep when the baby sleeps.
Swaddle the baby as this will calm her down and give her a feeling of comfort.
Do not carry the baby all the time.
Give the baby tummy time or playtime, let them be on their own for a while.
It is alright to co-sleep with the baby as this would allow the mother to nurse during the night.
Spend time with the baby by going for walks as this would be a change for baby and mummy.
Trust your motherly instincts. They can never be wrong.
Do not listen to others all the time, it will only add to the stress. Do what is best for you and the baby.
Do not forget to capture every moment of your child.
New mothers should cherish the precious moments life offers them. Motherhood is a beautiful journey and being a mother is the most beautiful feeling a woman can have. I cannot wait to be a mother once again. Till then I’ll cherish every milestone of my baby and enjoy this wonderful journey of motherhood.
