Transitions, Transitions

Transitions are a part of everyone’s lives. They can be minor and or they can be big. About 2 weeks ago, we welcomed a handsome little boy to the family – so we are officially a family of 4 (plus a dog). What a whirlwind of a couple weeks it has been.

We knew that I’d be having another c-section to deliver the little guy, so my husband and I anticipated being in the hospital for 4 days. I knew what the recovery would be like since it wasn’t my first rodeo with the c-section.  And although the recovery has seemed to be a bit easier and quicker in a sense, I still need time to rest and not over exert myself.

Thankfully, with family near by, our 1st child was being cared for while we were in the hospital. And the dog was being cared for by another family member.  We knew coming home would be a big transition for our 1st child. Although we can see that he loves his baby brother immensely, we can tell that he is having a hard time not being the only child in the house. He has not been listening to us very well, thrown tantrums and delayed leaving the house on multiple occasions due to this. Due to my recovery there are limited things that I can do. This prevents my son from having me do certain things with him. I can tell he’s upset and wants some mama time. And I want to give it to him, but I haven’t been able to get much time in yet. It breaks my heart that I can’t do more than watch a movie with him.

Slowly and surely, I’ll get back into doing certain things with him. Last night, I did the bedtime routine with him. Normally, my husband will do this with him, since he always procrastinates with me. But last night, due to a tantrum, I stepped in – since he was calling for me. So I calmed him down and read him a book, and followed through with the bedtime routine. He was happy that I was able to do this and so was I.

How many of you mama’s out there have gone through the transition of adding another family member and your first child had trouble adjusting?