The First 40 Days.... a Sacred Time

She's 12 days old. She is this tiny ball of baby perfection, at night when all our other children are sleeping we just marvel at this gift. Chris took the first week after her birth off and I stayed in my bed the whole time. It was WONDERFUL. I tore a ligament in my ribs during my labor which left me pretty sore. So staying in bed was great, it hurt to sit for too long the way my ribs would sit so I layed down alot. When he went back to work last week I spent many hours on my couch nursing my baby. Napping when my littles did and just really tried to take it easy.

As of yesterday I was feeling pretty much back to my normal self, I ventured out to Walmart later in the evening and by the time I got home my body was screaming at me that, that was too much! Walmart is a big store!

I got thinking today about how in our culture it's like a badge of honor for mothers to "bounce back" as fast as they can. I think we miss out on such a scared time with our newborns. These first 6 weeks are so important yet our culture doesn't allow this time. I wonder if new mothers would suffer less depression if this time was nurtured and protected. Mothering young children is very very very hard work. Mothering a newborn baby is all-consuming, and mothers and young babies need and deserve more support. For the first time ever I received the kind of support I am meaning. Although it was VERY VERY hard to accept and I didn't know what to do with myself it was such a blessing. One of my most dearest friends came over and cleaned my house. She did laundry, pulled out my fridge and stove, washed floors, walls and the bathroom. She brought me lunch and helped take care of my children.
Our church family also helped out and for the first 10 days someone brought our family dinner.
These little things are HUGE to a new mom. I will forever be grateful!

I think we has women need to encourage new moms to sit, love and nurture that new baby. Shouldn't the birth of a baby be a time of wonder and enjoyment and yes, a slower pace?