Motherly instincts...
When I was pregnant and in one of my nesting bouts of folding baby clothes, I'd have these flash thoughts of doubt creep into my mind like, "wait a minute, I've never even held a newborn before."
But I'd brush the thought aside and go back to pairing impossibly small socks.
I had heard about "mother's intuition" so I figured I would give birth and a big switch would flip and the motherly instincts would turn on and I'd just know exactly what to do to perfectly take care of my baby.
I really thought that.
I didn't read any books about newborn care or breastfeeding. Why are there even books? I thought. The human race has survived for thousands of years via breastfeeding without any books.
I had this odd, comforting feeling (pregnancy hormones FTW!) that everything would be fine because this magical switch would flip and all the answers would be right there in my new mom brain.
Now let's fast forward to the day we were discharged from the hospital and I was sobbing, clutching the nurse's arm and hissing, "YOU CAN NOT LET US LEAVE. WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE ARE DOING." I was frantic. FRANTIC. You can hear the full story on my Podcast here.
I even called my insurance company to see if they'd pay for an extra day of hospital stay. No luck.
I had done nothing to prepare. And no motherly instincts were kicking in.
Now let's fast forward again. This time to today, fifteen years and two more babies later.
I've now been a postpartum doula and certified lactation counselor for the past 10 years and have helped hundreds of women ease their transition into motherhood.
I'd like to help you, too!
Join my Third Trimester Thrive 10 Day program. A free, fun, easy way to kickstart those motherly instincts.
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to prepare for the reality of life with a newborn baby. A postpartum doula shares her tips for things you can do now that will make your first few days and weeks home with your baby better and more enjoyable. Spoiler alert: it has nothing to do with decorating the nursery.