It’s been exactly one month since labor pains and an emergency C-section propelled James and I into parenthood. There are times when I look back and it feels like it all happened yesterday. 

If you’ve been following my pregnancy, you know that I had a relatively easy pregnancy, but when I unknowingly went into labor on December 3rd that seemed to change. I spent most of that night having contractions, curled up in a ball in pain until 1:00am when I decided to soak in the tub and then again at 6:00am. By that morning, I was determined to get to my doctor’s office to get checked out before heading to the hospital because I did not want to make it to the hospital only to be sent home. In an early morning conversation with my doctor, he advised that I could come into his office around 9 or head up to the hospital to get checked. Midway through our conversation, my water broke and he ended the call with “I’ll call the hospital and let them know you’re on the way.” From there, I felt myself go into a panic. Even though labor generally takes hours, my water breaking created a frenzy that the baby would soon be here. Hilariously, I had lunch planned that day with my friend/twin Lindsay Hazard and she texted me asking if we were still on or if Journey was on her way and I advised her we were actually heading to the hospital at that very moment!

To jump ahead in the story without giving all the gruesome details, there was an issue with my water breaking and, unrelated to that, Journey’s heartrate was dropping while I was in triage, so I was sent to have a c-section. It was really scary because a c-section was absolutely the last thing I wanted to occur. 

Everything moved so quickly that it was a bit frightening and I shed a few tears while being wheeled into the operating room. Thankfully, an epidural eased my pain and after a few moments hearing Journey cry for the first time was all I needed to be able to relax again. 

Here’s what I’ve learned about parenthood in the last month:

1. The vacuum is a Godsend! Initially Journey would be really fussy going to sleep and would cry inconsolably. My moms suggested the vacuum early on, but I really didn’t try it until last week. Since then, I’m sure my neighbors wonder why the vacuum runs endlessly at 2:00am and other random hours throughout the day, but it instantly shocks and then settles her and I love it!
2. Babies change so much day by day and week by week. I text James to let him know how she grows more independent each day when we have play time and she is able to soothe herself in various ways.
3. Parenthood can sometimes feel like you’re in a boat without a paddle. There is so much conflicting information on what’s best for babies on the Internet and from other people. A lot of parenting is figuring out what works best for your baby. It’s an everyday learning experience. My biggest suggestion is to pay attention to your baby and what is effective for them and seek advice from a few people you trust, if necessary. 
4. Friends and family are amazing! Throughout this month, I feel blessed to have amazing people around me. First and foremost, my husband has been such an awesome dad. He’s been right there in the trenches with me. Also, our family and friends have been so helpful by bringing by food, staying the night or just checking to see how we are. I have truly felt loved!
5. Enjoy every moment and capture everything. During her delivery, James recorded video which I watched a few weeks ago. It was so beautiful because I didn’t remember or know about a lot of it, so I loved experiencing it. I take pictures of Journey almost everyday! She changes so much (plus she has a ton of cute clothes I need to photograph).

I look forward to many more memories over the years and hope you all will be following along with us in this new year!