A new reality

I had my first "what were we thinking" moment in the third week. Well, I had my first doubts the week before L was born, when I was feeling smugly prepared for the birth (we took some great childbirth ed classes, 4 sessions spread over a month, which I would recommend for retention; and hired a wonderful doula) but then I realized that I was much less prepared for a newborn!

By the way, I definitely recommend trying to get parenting advice /before/ the baby is born -- whether reading books or speaking to friends -- because once L was born, I didn't have the time or energy to read, so I was just relying on what I'd read earlier! You won't remember it all, but it's better than nothing.

But in the third week, I was walking in the neighborhood with my partner -- my parents had taken L home -- when I felt suddenly overwhelmed that nothing would ever be the same again ... Which is obvious, but felt scary in that moment.

I tried to explain to A, but I think he was surprised, since he is a logical person so he had come to this conclusion even before we got pregnant. I didn't really know what to do with that feeling, except to remind myself that most people in the world have children, and many of them (including our parents) also manage to have satisfying careers ...

OK L is crying -- I have more thoughts about this but will try to put them down later.

Posted in: Late pregnancy