Question for friends with kids
How do you actually do this?
Not the âkeep the kid aliveâ part. Aside from this damn case of thrush that wonât fucking go away, Iâve basically got that down.
Iâm talking about the âtake a showerâ part. The âfeed yourself on a regular basisâ part. The âstop forgetting to pay the billsâ part. The âleave the house occasionallyâ part.
The âhave a lifeâ part.
I know that our circumstances are special (arenât they always?) in that we didnât have a normal, relaxing postpartum period. Much of Binkaâs* first month was spent preparing for and executing a cross country move. So we arenât currently enjoying the benefits of any kind of routine. But despite that, I feel like at one month postpartum, my peers have/had it a lot more figured out than we do.
Scott and I are struggling. Weâre both really stressed out about lots of things and taking it out on one another. The road trip messed with my milk supply because I was too tired to be diligent about a pumping schedule, so thatâs not helpful.
I guess I was just hoping it would be easier by now. I wanted to start the whole fitness thing again on January 1, because I love New Yearâs resolutions. Judge me all you want. But I can barely manage life as it is now, let alone a healthy eating and exercise plan.
I feel like I donât do anything besides feed the baby, pump milk for the baby, and try to sleep and do the bare minimum adulting that is required each day. A shower is a luxury. Eating a hot meal is almost unheard of. Binka has discovered what âboredomâ is and requires constant entertainment, or else we are treated to The Song of her people, which is tantamount to banshee screaming. She also decided she likes to graze on milk throughout the day instead of eating every two hours like she did before. Between that and doing my best to pump every three hours, I have no shot at getting anything else done. Scott is willing to help but I have trouble asking for it and donât have a clue what I need anyway.
I am not living my best life right now. Oprah would be so disappointed. Iâm not looking for sympathy, but if you have suggestions of how to make life run more smoothly Iâd love to hear them.
*Binka is my chosen blog nickname for the baby. Iâve inexplicably started calling her that** in real life, which is weird because itâs nowhere near close to her name. It just came out of my mouth one day and now itâs one thing I call her.
**And Binka-Boo, and Boo-Bear, and Baby Bear, and Princess Grumblebutt, (if you havenât met her yet, take my word for it. It fits.) and Tiny Joseph Stalin, (because sheâs a true little dictator sometimes) and Robot Girl (because she flails her arms around like the robot from Lost in Space a lot). The list goes on.
