Six weeks later I felt like I was just starting to get the hang of mothering. Learning what one cry meant from the next, getting the hang of nursing, and even infant pottying.
For cloth diapers, we ended up using flats with a ‘snappy’ enclosure, and wool soakers for covers. For infant pottying we would often leave the soaker off at home and the flat diaper was easy to remove quickly for taking Simon to potty. When we ‘missed’ a pee, we could quickly tell he was wet and change him immediately. This made for more laundry, but it also made us more aware of when Simon was eliminating.
Here is a picture of a flat diaper with a ‘snappy’… and then a picture with the wool soaker over top of that.
The week following giving birth I was by far the most exhausted I have ever been in my life. I often felt like my mind was floating around somewhere. It was something I couldn’t have imagined or prepared for.
It was very difficult to be stuck in bed and have to ask my husband for help constantly. It was a massive challenge for our marriage, and I admire my husband now more than ever for how he handled everything.
I wonder what next time will be like. Will my water break early again? Will labor be as quick and intense? Will I need as much time to recover?
I wrote this blog because I wanted to be a resource for pregnant women, especially first time mothers and/or mothers who are interested in learning about natural childbirth/homebirth. I wrote it because I wanted to read something like this when I was learning about these things, but I couldn’t find anything with this type of detail. I enjoyed reading the stories I did find, though. And I wanted to bring that joy to others by sharing my story, too.
The experience of giving birth is deeply personal and completely unpredictable. Giving birth the first time didn’t exactly make me feel ready for the next time. I can sense that I will have to battle the same fears all over again. This surprised me at first.
However, my faith is definitely stronger than before my birthing experience, and I think that is the best place to start.
I hope these writings have been and continue to be encouraging to woman everywhere.
Writing during this time has helped me feel grounded; it has helped me be more conscious of my life on days when time seems to move too quickly.
It’s never too late to write your birth story… or any story. If have a story to write, give yourself the pleasure doing so.
Thank you for reading my story.
Enjoyed reading all your entries, Amber. Leanne
Thank you for taking the time to read them!