Newborn Fog

Yes, it is a thing. I am living in it. At least this time I saw it coming.

2 weeks of no driving after a c section and then 4 weeks of very limited activity. Add that to less sleep than would be desired, a new human to get to know, being in constant demand for nursing, a body that feels unlike the one you are used to, bleeding, soreness in all the wrong places, incisions, milk production, clothes that don't fit...

The days  and nights begin to all run together. Dirty diapers, feedings, burping... it doesn't matter if it is 2 pm or 2 am, the activities are the same.

And in the outside world, things continue on as they always have. Presidential debates continue, celebrities make the news for outlandish decisions, coworkers go to work, friends go to the bars or adult restaurants, life happens. Friends and family stop by to see the baby and then they leave to return to their day to day routines that include regular meals, sleeping for more than a few hours at a time, and reading books that don't rhyme and have animal characters that talk. 

And eventually, as a new mom, you step out of your house, blinking in the sun, feeling a little shocked at the first breath of fresh air. It all feels new, and different, even if it is exactly the same. It is so hard to believe that the last 2-3 months have left you behind, that the world kept turning even when it felt like yours was standing still. And slowly, you find your way again in this new normal. One day at a time.