Day 6: Let your world be small

Before we left the hospital, we had only two visitors who came together and stayed for less than 20 minutes. These moments together gave us time to bumble around without many sets of eyes observing our every move and mistake. It was our little cocoon, and it felt so safe. But when we came home, the flood of visitors began. We wanted to show her off, and our friends and family wanted to see us and wish us well. This led to a seemingly endless parade of visitors through the house. The babe tolerated them reasonably well, but by the end of the day it was clear she was overstimulated. More so, it was clear that I was. Several times I told people, "It's not the baby that's exhausting. It's the visitors!" If I had to do it again, I would be more judicious about scheduling my time so that our family could continue to learn and grow without the added pressure of watchful eyes.

I encourage you to let your world be small. This allows your attention to be more focused on the needs of your family, rather than on those of your visitors. Our attention and energies are limited, so be careful not to overextend.

#mindfulness #newborn #postpartum #mama #community