babybabySo after the baby arrives, they rest him on my chest and mommy/baby bonding begins. My body, soul and mind breathes a sigh of relief and for a while I feel calm and at peace. They take baby to pediatrics to check him and clean him up and while they are doing that I have my first meal in the last 24 hours. Hospital food never tasted so good.

Soon after I have completed my meal, they return with my brand new blessing from God and from then on relaxation is a thing of the past, at least for a while.

I start to breast feed and my nipples do not like it, it feels as though someone is biting them. My uterus also starts to contract and it feels as though I am in labor again. Needless to say breastfeeding the first few days was painful.

Being an experienced mother who experienced newborn baby season three times before. I knew what was ahead and I was not looking forward to it. Usually right about the day after I come home from the hospital, I experience this thing called engorgement.

This is when, my breasts becomes so filled with breast milk, that they become hard, swollen and tender. That also hurts, is very difficult to move around that area of the body and sleep comfortably. Then there is also the dreaded sleepless nights. Upon awaiting baby to get acclimated into a settled bedtime routine, my babies seem to be more active at night and do a majority of their sleeping during the day. Waking up every two hours to feed, and trying to stay alert for about 30 to 45 min. each feeding is also quite the challenge.

This time around, lies bigger challenges than ever before. This time around, not only do I have a newborn baby in the family, but a 15 month old as well. Both babies sleep in our room. It is a challenge trying not to let one wake up the other and getting newborn baby, changed, fed and settled before big brother wakes up.

Also, there is the challenge of making sure big baby brother does not feel jealous of little baby brother, as well as not to hit, poke or bite baby but to be gentle, and finally the challenge of big baby brother wanting to get on mommy’s lap while little baby brother is feeding. I am still working out how to resolve these issues, but I do my best moment by moment.

This time around, I was very blessed not to have received much discomfort from the dreaded engorgement. I pretty much breezed through that time but everything else was more of a challenge than I feared.

Moment by moment, I pray, sometimes begged God to cut me some slack. Sometimes he did, and there were moments where the pressure was eased, I’d take advantage of those times and steal those moments. Then there are times where it feels as though the heat has been turned on really high and I feel as though I just can’t cut it.

In those times, my husband pushes me along and gives me strength to not give up. Sometimes I have unfortunately entertained the thought that God has abandoned me, but wisdom tells me different.

When I pray to God, I don’t ask him to take challenges away, I ask them to give me strength, courage and wisdom to do what He has set for me to do. That is exactly what he does. Sometimes God carries me and sometimes He gives me the strength to carry myself.

It has not been an easy first week with new baby, but as I look upon the faces of my older children, I remember it was not easy with them either. And even though raising older kids has challenges of their own, it is a blessing to watch them grow into who God made them to be day by day. I’m glad for the opportunity to do so.

So even though it feels as though this season will last forever, wisdom has shown me that it won’t. And even though, having a newborn baby could be quite a challenge in so many ways, it is a bigger blessing in many more ways. For example, stealing those kisses on soft baby cheeks and watching those innocent eyes stare at me with curiosity and love.

So I pray the Lord gives me the strength to hang in there to the end.

Love, peace and blessings.