Jenny

Excited. Resilient. Brave.

6 weeks postpartum

What was the hardest thing you endured during pregnancy or delivery?

The hardest thing for me was the first few months of pregnancy. I had some nausea and lost some weight but that was nothing compared to the fear of losing the pregnancy. The 12 weeks between our first ultrasound and the anatomy scan were filled with a lot of anxiety hoping everything was good with her. It took us two and a half years with a lot of set backs and one early loss to get our little miracle. Most of pregnancy was a breeze compared to that!

What do you wish you knew before delivery but didn't?

The baby is in charge. You can make all the plans you want, but baby is going to dictate what happens. As long baby and mom come out healthy it’s the perfect delivery no matter what it looks like.

What was something that gave you confidence or hope during the hard times?

Hearing her heartbeat, seeing or feeling her move, looking at her ultrasound pictures. All of those things grounded me and reminded me I can’t control anything that’s going to happen in the future, but I can appreciate and be thankful for the fact that I have this little one right here, right now.

What is a new strength (other than just moms being super human) that you found in yourself since becoming a mom?

I think just the strength to make sure she has whatever she needs no matter what else is going on. Sometimes that means pushing through my exhaustion or frustration to get stuff done and sometimes that means making a call to get some backup so I can rest and be 100% for her later.

How are you?

Overall, I’m doing really good. We’re 6 weeks in and I’m still figuring this whole this out. Every time I think I have it figured out something new happens, but watching her grow and change and discover new things is just amazing and it makes all the hard moments so worth it.

How are you now compared to 1 week postpartum?

I’m 100x better than week 1. There were some amazing bonding moments in that first week, but it was also no doubt the hardest week. So much is thrown at you between recovery, hormones, and figuring out how to care for this new little human. I had a C-section and couldn’t do much other than feed her and hold her. My husband was amazing and handled everything for both of us (I literally didn’t even change a diaper until several days in), but it was tough for me mentally that I couldn’t do everything I wanted for her.