Love at First Sight

Many people speak of childbirth as finally understanding love at first sight.  Though it is very exciting and love is an emotion you feel when you first see your baby, I would not explain my experience as "love at first sight."  The first thing I said when I saw her was "Oh! She's cute!"  The whole time I looked at her in the hospital was a very surreal experience.  It wasn't until she was a month or two old before we "fell in love."

Thinking back, it makes sense.  She and I had never met.  We didn't know each other and she was just figuring out how to live.  The first few weeks I had the baby blues.  My husband, Mike, helped me a lot by just offering hugs and touch.  I highly suggest having someone available to you for your emotional needs.  As a mom, especially a breastfeeding mom, you will be the main person to fill all of this new person's needs.  Remember that there are many hormones going through you.  Everything you feel is normal, but if you have the blues for more than a few days call someone.  If you ever feel like harming the baby, put her down and call someone immediately.

"It appears that about 50 to 85% of women experience postpartum blues during the first few weeks after delivery. Given how common this type of mood disturbance is, it may be more accurate to consider the blues as a normal experience following childbirth rather than a psychiatric illness. Rather than feelings of sadness, women with the blues more commonly report mood liability, tearfulness, anxiety or irritability. These symptoms typically peak on the fourth or fifth day after delivery and may last for a few hours or a few days, remitting spontaneously within two weeks of delivery. While these symptoms are unpredictable and often unsettling, they do not interfere with a woman’s ability to function."   Full article

Once Kayla was around 2 months old, I fell in love.  I finally felt that mother and daughter bond.  And every following day I have continued to fall further and further in love.  So, don't be concerned if you do not feel an immediate connection with your baby.  You'll have plenty of time to get to know one another and fall in love.  :)