This is a little late and long, but for some reason I feel the need to post this, so if you are interested…
It has been a year since Micah came into our lives. He has been such a blessing to me. I thought I would share my thoughts on this past year…
Micah came surprisingly early and quick, which caught me off guard and unprepared (I still had two weeks of work left). Our doula was amazing and because of her support, I can look back on Micah's birth with fondness. He had some minor health issues and we were in the hospital for a week after his birth. Looking back, I know that so many things could of gone wrong and I feel so grateful for the blessing of a smooth birth and a healthy baby. I am also truly grateful for living in Canada where the prenatal and postnatal care is so amazing.
The transition home was difficult. Learning about Micah and his needs, while adjusting to the lack of sleep and loss of independence. It was so nice that Ryan had not started work yet, so that we could spend the first few weeks together adjusting as a family.
I am still overwhelmed with gratitude and surprise of the support that we received after Micah's birth. We got so many meals the first two months after his birth that I never had to worry about what we needed to make for supper. My friends organized a small shower for Micah and I, which was so wonderful. We also had a shower for Micah at the church. We received so many gift and money from people in the church that we had never even met. In addition, if that was not enough, during a family campout my aunts threw me a shower. We felt so loved and supported.
I loved that Micah's birth was in the spring and were able to enjoy the summer weather together. Micah liked his stroller, so we went for walks almost every day and enjoyed the downtown farmers market almost every weekend. During the first few months, I so appreciated my friend, Megan. It meant so much to me that I could just go and hang out with her and her kids and bombard her with my baby questions.
By the time autumn came, we started getting into a routine and I found the need for us to have things to do outside of the home. We participated in various programs in the community. We attended Baby Laptime and Books for Babies at the library. We also attended a mom's group at the local health clinic. We took baby swimming lessons and participated in a program at the zoo. Through these activities, we made new friends (Yoko and Mio) and reconnected with old ones (Nadine and Anna-Christy).
I very quickly abandoned any previous ideas I had of things I wanted to be done while on my maternity leave. I am glad that I allowed myself to just focus on 'being' with Micah and not by 'stuff' that could be done. I will always treasure the unrushed playtime with Micah or the quiet observation that this past year has allowed.
My flexible schedule also allowed for many trips. Having a baby definitely did not squash my travel bug. We went up north twice. We took Micah camping and to Ryan's parents farm. We went to Vancouver twice, Phoenix twice and one trip to Florida. I feel very lucky that Micah was such a good traveler and the opportunities we had to travel so much this past year. It definitely made the winter feel much more bearable.
With parenting, there is a whole host of issues and decisions regarding how to raise a child. There is so many different ways and different choices when it comes to parenting. Unfortunately, I experienced some real ugliness and nasty hostility from moms who held very strong views on certain parenting issues and were critical of others who may hold different views. This experience has really made me appreciate the supportive, nonjudgmental moms that I have in my life; moms that I can talk openly with about the struggles and decisions that come with parenting.
Although I have not forgotten about my life before Micah and the freedom that I enjoyed, I would never trade this past year for anything. Micah is such a joy in my life and I treasure everyday that I have with my little boy.
Cheers to motherhood!
Pamela
