When my first child was born, I had a hard time accepting help from friends and family. When I had my first child, my parents offered to let me stay at their house for the first week. At first, I said no. NO WAY. I would not impose on their lives in that way. They insisted and so I gave in and said yes. I wasn’t happy about it, though. I wanted to be in my house, in my bed. It turned out to be the best thing I could have done. I didn’t have to cook or clean or even get out of bed at all, really. When my second child was born, staying at my parents’ wasn’t an option. I decided I would be just fine to take care of everything on my own. I cleaned what I could while I was on maternity leave, trying to keep the house decent so I wouldn’t be too embarrassed when people stopped by to visit after we brought the baby home from the hospital. People offered to help and I kindly told them I’d be fine. The day I came home from the hospital, I found myself vacuuming the house in preparation for visitors. My husband thought I was crazy–but I insisted that I was fine! I could do this! I am woman, hear me suck things up with the vacuum cleaner! I cooked, I cleaned, I visited with people. I went shopping at Target for things we needed! I felt great! Two days later, I found myself in a great deal of pain and bleeding heavily. I was ordered to stay off of my feet and let people help me. When my daughter was born, I did things totally different. I asked my parents for help with my boys. When people asked if they could bring meals, I said yes. When my mother-in-law offered to bring her cleaning crew over to clean my house, I said yes. I can’t even begin to describe how amazing it felt to come home to a clean house. I asked people to help with grocery shopping. This way I had time to bond with my new baby and time to rest my tired body. Do not be afraid to accept help, do not be afraid to ask for help. The people in your life who love you will be happy to help out while you get adjusted to life with a newborn.
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