I’m Like Baby, Baby, Baby…

Jul 18, 2011 by Lauren

Great news for those of you who live under a rock missed it…Graham Nolan Shissler made his debut July 7th, at 8:37 A.M. weighing in at a whopping 10 lbs 13 oz. and 21.5 inches long.

The c-section went great.  I was pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy the whole process was.  I’m so interested in [what I think of as] the huge contrast between c-sections and natural deliveries.  Based on what my friends have told me about vaginal deliveries, it seems like it’s a lot more dramatic and stressful than what Adam and I experienced.  For us, with the c-section, it was a very well-oiled machine.  They bring you in 2 hours ahead of time, set up your IVs and get you into a hospital gown.  You go back and get a spinal/epidural, they set up the curtain so you can’t see the surgery, and when they determine you are properly numbed from the chest down, they bring in your husband and it’s go time.  The whole process, including stitching me back together, took about 30 minutes.  And that’s for a larger-than-average baby, larger-than-average incision and special medication since I wouldn’t take morphine.  Pretty impressive, if you ask me.

Anyone who wants the complete details on the surgery/recovery for a c-section, please let me know and I will be happy to fill you in privately.  It’s really nothing near as bad as everyone makes you believe, I promise.

Being a new parent, however, is just as hard as everyone tells you.  One of the main reasons, in my opinion, that things are so difficult is because no matter how much/what advice parents give you to try to prepare you…it seems like the advice is always sort of half accurate.  Here are some examples:

1. Sleep while your baby is sleeping.

This IS great advice and should be followed at all times…except no one tells you that while this advice will work for your husband who could probably sleep through your 2 week old screaming “I’M DYING! IF YOU DON’T PICK ME UP IN THE NEXT MINUTE I WILL SUFFOCATE!” directly into the baby monitor…you, as a mother, will likely wake up (no matter who is watching the baby while you sleep or how much you trust them) in a complete panic every hour or two, wondering if the baby is breathing/if everything is ok/if you shouldn’t just get up and let your helper rest for a while, etc.  NOT very restful, let me tell you.

2. Babies need routine/schedules.

This is also true…but it is next to impossible to have a routine when you are 5 days old and the first 4 days of your life you were cared for largely by a staff of professionals trained to anticipate and cave to your every waking demand.  Then you get home…and homie don’t play that.

3.  You will need help.

Again, this is 1000% true, with a few caveats.  First of all, it’s never easy having guests staying in your home, no matter how much you need them.  They will never do things exactly how you would do them, and if you are a control freak like me, this can sometimes be more difficult than if you had no help at all.  Second, evvvvvvveryone has their own ideas on parenting.  The first week is about the LAST time you want to hear anyone else’s ideas…but probably the one time you are MOST receptive to them anyway, because after the second night of mega midnight meltdowns, you will consider ANYTHING that might earn you a better fate tonight.  Stand on your head and sing lullabies?  GREAT IDEA, random stranger at Wal-Mart!

As for this very moment…I think I finally have enough strength (without epic levels of painkillers) and am rested enough (that’s a lie.  What is “enough” as a new parent, anyway?) to start tackling some day-to-day responsibilities.  Laundry, light cleaning, etc.  We’ll see how this goes.  I have a nagging feeling it will end with me on the couch, Graham dumped sideways in his pack n play and not nearly enough wine.

Speaking of the little man, here are some of my favorite photos from his first week: