My son, who is the light of my life, was born 2.5 years ago. He arrived 1 week before his scheduled c-section. At 37 weeks and 2 days gestation, a "routine" non-stress test determined that he was in distress. The pregnancy was complicated so I was being monitored regularly, and he was breech. He arrived very quickly, but was healthy. From there, things got harder for quite some time before they got better. My son did not want to suck during breast-feeding, so we pumped. He had reflux, and colic. He would go through about 8 outfits per day due to reflux, and he didn't slow down with his screaming until 6 months. He also didn't sleep much until that point. At 6 months, besides teething issues, life got better.
Thanks to supportive family, and a great group of friends, I kept my sanity last time. At 9 months, I went back to work for a month teaching summer school. My husband will attest that he also had a hard time during his month of parental leave, and this was after things got better. When I was home for the last month of my leave, life was really really fun.
Since returning to work full time, I have been a happier mommy. My son has thrived in daycare, and he is a wonderful ray of sunshine after my sometimes difficult days at work teaching mathematics to unmotivated high school students.
Now, I am getting ready to do another year of maternity leave. In 8 days I will be having a repeat c-section. I am prepared for a difficult time with the new little one, but am hoping for less difficulty this time around. At least I will be a little bit more prepared. My husband will be taking 3 weeks off to help me during my recovery. I have a wonderfully caring mother-in-law who lives only 45 minutes away who will be willing to help me out too. My son is staying in daycare full time at least until October (when he turns 3) at which point we will likely have to decrease him to part time due to the cost. Since he loves it there and is constantly learning and growing, I think that is the best. Actually, full-time might be the best, but money is always a consideration.
This time around, I don't have cable, satellite, or even bunny ears (or equivalent) to keep me occupied. If I am as tired as I remember being last time, I won't be able to concentrate enough to read. I do however have the internet to keep me busy during the midnight feeds, or during the day when the baby sleeps and I can not nap.
That being said, I am a mom like hundreds of other moms. I am not naturally a stay at home mom. That takes a special kind of person. I am a better person when challenged outside the home and when I have regular adult interaction. What I write is not special or earth-shattering. I write for me. I am blogging to keep myself sane.
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