As a new parent to your newborn baby, I bet you and your partner are putting lists together of all the family members you’ll need to visit and which one of those members should be first, 2nd, 3rd ect…
Well, what if I told you, that as commendable as that is, it’s not necessarily going to happen the way you plan it.
Just think about your entire plan from when you were thinking of having a baby (if it was planned at all) to now. How much planning did you do? And how many people can honestly say that every time they plan something it worked out exactly as planned lol?
Well not me, that’s for sure. But you know something? It’s totally fine that things work out the way they do.
For us planning to showcase our newborn to family members, was of course high on our priority list, however, when it comes right down to it, this can take months to do, unless everyone lives close by.
Our families are spread out all over, and the reality is, my partner had a c-section. Ehe is constantly exhausted, and moving around is uncomfortable, so we will get to our families when we can, and after my partner is healed and we have time. If your family wishes to come over for a visit that would make things much easier. The truth of the matter is, and I personally believe, if your family wants to make your child’s acquaintance soon after birth, then they should put forth the effort to make sure that happens.
It’s hard for new parents to get all the things ready even for a short trip to town for necessities let alone a long drive and a day away from the comforts of home.
This is going to be harder on the father as he will still have all kinds of energy and want to travel to showcase his newborn to family and friends. He won’t truly understand why his wife/partner doesn’t have his level of energy. Well fellas remember those last 9 long months, when your partner was super tired and had a serious lack of energy? That’s because her body took all her energy in creating your newest member of the family.
Now her body is working overtime in getting back to the way it was prior pregnancy. This can take the same 9 months for her to start feeling normal again. But wait, there’s more.
While your partner fights to get back to the pre pregnancy shape, she is also using a tone of energy to create milk in order for her to feed your child. (If she is breast feeding). Just think of a long day at work, no wait, think of the longest day at work you can remember! Ok remember it? Well then take that long day and think just how good ot felt when it was quitting time that day, but just as you think your about to go home, your boss says everyone has to stay for an additional 8 hours to help get the project completed. Well it’s that moment where you just feel absolutely drained and can’t do any more, that is how your partner feels every day for the first few months to up to a year after birth. Now would you want to pack up the car and put on that smile and make yourself look like you are ready to party when you feel that way? Probably not, just haserting a guess here.
In other words, if you would like to go on the occasional outing, probably close to home, or for a short visit, to showcase your newborn baby? And if you want your partner to have the energy and enthusiasm to do that, then I suggest putting all that extra energy you seem to have into doing the house work. Yup that’s right, tidy, clean, dishes, laundry, cooking dinner, changing diapers, take out the garbage, empty the diaper genie, cut the grass, and do the groceries.
If you still have to go to work and your not lucky enough to be on paternity for the first few months of the baby’s arrival then you’ll have to do that too and even get up at night to help feed the baby if you have the extra supply, or if your baby is on formula. If you can do all that, you may have a chance to have a partner with some extra energy to do some of the visiting that you so badly want to do.
Even if you’re able to do all of that remember your partner is still more exhausted than you are. Still don’t understand how that’s possible? You never will because we are men, and it’s impossible for us to truly understand.
This stage will not last forever, so don’t fret, however it will last for a while and you will be exhausted during this time.
The good thing is that visiting people, or having people visit you, takes time out of the day and gives you, your partner, and your child great stimulation and is on the inexpensive side of activities that can be done
The costs associated with showcasing your baby will vary pending on location. Obviously if you want to meet at a local restaurant or amusement park the costs will tend to increase significantly. On the flip side tho, if you decide to meet at a relatives house, chances are you and your family will be catered to and the only costs will be the cost of getting to the location and back again.
If you have any input on my blogs? I’d love to hear from you or leave a comment below
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