JenG

I needed to hear “your needs still matter” over and over again. I say this to any new mom who welcomes or asks for advice now. My baby was in NICU, I was in recovery ward that was an entire hospital away, and the NICU nurses told me I had to turn up to breast feed every 3 hours and the pp nurses told me to be in my room every 4 hours for vitals check and I was a slow miserable 15 minute shuffle between my room and the NICU and no one helped me understand that I could just say, your schedule is insane, I’ve just been through a 50 hour labor and need to rest. Things got less dramatic once we went home, but it still took me years to realize that the hierarchy of family needs allows for parent needs and wants not just kid need and wants. That parent Needs have to come before kids Wants. you are still your own person, not just a vessel for your child.