You guys,
Meet “Layla Bleecker,” born January 26, 2022, 4:58am, 6lbs 7oz, 19in.
When a baby is born, everyone wants to know the measurements, see a photo, and check how the family is doing (btw thank you for all the well wishes!!).
Not many people ask about the labor and birth or the fact that she came much earlier than anticipated.
I wish people talked about it more. Labor and birth are GNARLY no matter which way you slice it. For my son’s birth I went into labor naturally and didn’t use any medication. For my daughter I was induced three weeks early and got the epidural. Both experiences were vastly different. And both were brutal. (More on my experience with the epidural at another time, but overall, there were more positives than negatives. Sam would tell you INFINITELY more positives.)
People say once the baby is born, you don’t care about what you just went through because you’re so happy the baby is here and healthy. But that just hasn’t been my experience. The pain is intense and shocking and when you’re in it, it feels like it will last forever and it’s impossible to envision your baby in your arms.
Of course, it does end and it is all worth it. But let’s have more conversations about what it takes to get these perfect, tiny bundles of joy in our arms.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I desperately need to lay down.
Essay of the Week
I hate small talk. And yet, I find myself an active participant in these surface-level conversations.
While we can’t eliminate the dreaded interaction of - “How are you?” “Good, you?” - we can master the art of Follow-Up Curiosity.
Hiatus
We were supposed to record Episode 4 of Bleecker Bombs last Monday. Instead, I was in the hospital.
We’re going to take a brief pause on the podcast, but I promise it will be brief! Sam and I just need a little time to focus only on our health and our babies.
In the meantime, you can catch up on Episodes 1-3 on Spotify, overcast.fm, Google Podcasts, or Apple Podcasts.
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Until next week,
Charlie