Keeping It Together

It's a little known fact that new mothers need exactly the same care as newborn babies. They need to be nourished, well-rested and clean in order to perform at maximum capacity. Of course, in these early stages maximum capacity consists of not a whole heck of a lot. At first blush this may seem like a simple task but with hormones out of whack and a baby who doesn't yet speak English it's tantamount to discovering the Grand Unifying Theory of Physics. Did I mention it all has to be done one-handed? Whoever penned the scripture about the left hand not knowing what the right was doing MUST have had children. So my point is that all this multi-tasking takes great effort. Enter the women.

In the famous novel Moby Dick there is a chapter that talks about the difference between hunting a male whale and a female whale when they are surrounded by kin. When a male whale gets harpooned, all the other males split to save their own uh, well I guess blubber. However, when a female whale gets harpooned, the other females stay around to comfort her as she's dying... even at the peril of their OWN lives. It seems to be a part of the female psyche to circle the wagons and support their kin.

Since Liesel was born I've had the most amazing support vis a vis two sisters-in-law (or is it sister-in-laws?) and my younger sister. My mother and youngest sister are currently serving missions and then my older sister is weeks, nay DAYS away from delivering her own bundle of joy. Absolutely every woman who was available from my family packed up her things, left her home and family and came to Boston to cook, clean and take care of Mom and Baby. They have been the glue that has kept my life together while I've been healing from this life-changing event.

Yesterday I dropped my younger sister and her daughter off at the airport. We had to stop by Brent's work and then that was it... I was flying solo on VERY shaky wings. Liesel survived and so did I, but suddenly the weight of this new creature was upon me. There would be no handing her to someone while I took a shower, or a nap, or a second nap... okay and a third nap. No one would be fixing me a plate of hot food or folding my laundry for me. The biggest void is having those magnificent women to talk to. They are the ones who showed me how to use a breast pump, told me it's normal to wake up covered in sweat as my body sheds excess fluids, talked to me when it was in the middle of the day and nothing was on tv but Antiques Roadshow. As I sit here in our little apartment blogging away it is silent aside from the gentle breathing of my napping baby. I think it's the loss of this companionship that has ultimately brought me to tears every time someone left to return home.

I have to hand it to them though, like boy scouts they left my camp better than they found it. I've been nigh on comatose the last couple of weeks and the place is respectable and clean. I'm in much better shape than I was right after birth and I'm delighted to report I can again sit up straight, drive, and live through the day without being on pain medication. Thanks so much ladies, you have been my saving grace!