Whenever someone shares the news of being pregnant or having a baby, everyone is filled with joy and elation. It’s a wonderful and miraculous event. But, often the reality of the everyday care of baby can strip away that elation and leave a mother feeling alone, bewildered and lost. During one of our interviews with a mom named Jackie, she opened up to share her experience with what it was like to bring home baby, what the reality was for her, and what her true emotions and feelings were:
“I feel like when you need the most support is after having the baby. Why are they crying? They have strange colors in the poop. I feel like you become less important once the baby comes. No one gives a crap about you anymore. … I know that sounds selfish, but when you are the primary care giver for your child, it’s hard to focus all your attention on her. It’s all I could do to feed, burp and change her. I needed to get away. … I think that’s why pregnancy didn’t feel like that big of a deal. I can have the most difficult labor. I am more scared about bringing her home and I have to deal with her the rest of my life. That was harder than everything.”
What about you? Can you relate to Jackie? When did you most need support? Did you get it when you needed it?
