Learning to Be a Mama

We are 3 weeks in and all smiles over here at the O'Brien household! It's been a whirlwind, but we are loving every second. Chris and I are learning how to be parents, and Caroline is learning how to be a human. She is very good at it, so far. She's such a great baby! She eats very well--already up a pound from her birth weight! She sleeps in 4-5 hour stretches at night (which feels like an eternity in new mamahood land), and she's starting to stay awake more during the day.

I've learned quite a bit in these last 3 weeks.

• First things first: my nose did return to its normal size. I know you guys were worried, as was I. Pregnancy rhinitis is no joke.

• Breastfeeding is a beautiful thing, but NOT EASY. I have no judgment for mamas who are not breastfeeding, but I am so thrilled that I've been able to exclusively breastfeed up to this point. Top three reasons I love it: a) it's FREE, b) I hate washing bottles, and c) nutritional value. A lot of people get wrapped around the axle about the nutritional value of breastfeeding (which is a good thing), but I think we need to celebrate how FREE and dish-less it is. Frugal mama, for the win. I hear once you get past the pain, it's actually enjoyable too. We're halfway there, literally.

• A lot of strange things happen to your body after you have a baby. People kind of talk about them, but no one can prepare you for the extent to which they occur. I'd be happy to discuss them with you if you are interested, but I'll be a lady on the blog. I'll just say....whoa.

• Not wearing makeup for 3 weeks saves you a lot of money on makeup and does wonders for your skin!

• When I was pregnant, everyone said, "Sleep while you can!" Well, I have to say I get MORE SLEEP now than I did when I was pregnant. Pregnant sleep= 8 pillows and still uncomfortable, waking every 2 hours to pee, sleep apnea due to the rhinitis, and the room feeling like 115 degrees despite the arctic blast. Now, even though I wake up every few hours to feed Caroline and rock her back to sleep, at least the sleep I get is sound and good. So for all you pregnant ladies who are barely sleeping, please know that it can get better. (Or possibly, my baby is an angel.)

Other things to note:

Chris is the best husband and daddy I could have ever hoped for. He stayed home with us the first 2 weeks. When I could barely get out of bed or walk, Chris got up every 2 hours to change diapers and bring Caroline to me. Then he waited the hour it took her to eat and put her back in bed. He leaves work to come to her pediatrician appointments. He goes grocery shopping at 7 am on Saturday to get everything on my list. And most importantly, he loves on this little baby every second he gets.

My mom has also been a life saver. When Chris went back to work, she came over almost every day to help me. Sometimes she made dinner. Sometimes she held the baby while I took a shower. Sometimes she just kept me company on Chris' 12 hour days. Caroline and I are so grateful for Mama KK!

We have also had so many great friends bring us meals over the past few weeks. Y'all don't know how wonderful it is to not worry about dinner. On days when Caroline has needed 24/7 cuddles, I haven't showered or eaten, and Chris is at work, the meals have been a lifesaver. Thank you.

A few of my favorite pictures...because I think my kid is pretty cute:

And Chris' favorite picture: Caroline's first selfie!

A final note:
The mommy wars are real. And it makes me sad. I think all the mamas and babies out there would be much happier if everyone stepped off their soapbox about diapering/feeding/sleeping/toe nail polish and encouraged each other to do what's best for their baby. I was a formula baby who slept on my stomach from day 1. Not only am I still alive, but I have a master's degree from a top-notch university. I'M FINE. My baby is breastfed and sleeps swaddled on her back... because that's what she likes. If she didn't like that, we would do something different. Please mamas, stop making other mamas who make different choices than you feel bad. Sad mamas make sad babies. Nothing else.

Unless you choose not to vaccinate. Your baby cannot play with my baby. Because formula won't kill my baby, but the measles will.