I'm sure you heard that Kate Middleton, wife of Prince William, had their third child last week. By all accounts, she zipped in and out of the hospital quickly as far as these things go. Kate entered the hospital around 6 am and 5 hours later she delivered a healthy baby boy. She went home a mere 7 hours later. And some time during her short stay they introduced the new baby to the crowds waiting outside.And Kate looked beautiful. Granted, she is a beautiful woman to begin with. Granted she had her hair and makeup done by a team before she went out. But she looked perfect and she was wearing heels! I don't know how she did it.
After I gave birth to Wally, I was totally wiped out. It had been a long, induced labor, but nothing out of the ordinary. I stayed in the hospital a couple of days as we tend to do in this country, longer than they usually do in Britain. When it was time to bring Wally home we carefully strapped him in his new car seat and I rode in the back with him while Ward drove. We had a fairly short drive I think, but I don't remember. What I do remember is that I was exhausted and not feeling great. As soon as we pulled into the driveway, I went into the house to lay down. On my way, I asked if Ward could get Wally out of the car and deal with him. I had to lay down. No ceremony about welcoming the baby home. Just an exhausted mother, a proud father, and a crying baby.
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| Newborn Wally |
So when I think about that experience, there's no way I could have done what Kate did. Even with a whole team around me like she had, I don't think I could have faced the crowds. I don't think I could have worn heels. I don't think I would have been ready to leave after 7 hours even if I had been going home to a household of helpers. I just don't think I could have zipped in and out like she did. But who knows? Maybe she didn't feel like doing it either, but she's a royal and that's what you have to do.
Was Wally your first born? There's a world of difference between giving birth for the first time and the 3rd time.
ReplyDeleteMy first delivery took several hours, even though it was induced (all 4 deliveries were induced as I liked the feeling of being in control of when my kid was born so much the first time, I asked my OBGYN to induce me each time!), and Oldest Son got stuck on his way out, so several attempts were made to get him unstuck and finally one worked so I avoided a C-section. But I really was exhausted after it all. I think I was able to stay in the hospital until the next day but our insurance company didn't allow me to remain any longer. In contrast, my mom was able to stay for 10 days when she had my sister in France, back in 1979! They gave her parenting classes (how to bathe your baby, how to swaddle, what to do when a baby cries, etc...) and she had plenty of time to relax and rest before coming home to her three older children and her husband. Her maternity leave was pretty long too, I think at least 6 months.
When my 3rd baby was born (my Daughter), our insurance company had relented and allowed new mothers to stay in the hospital a 2nd night. I was so excited about it because I really wanted the rest, lol. My delivery was much faster (and even faster for my 4th!), but the reality of being in the hospital, where they wake you up constantly to take your blood pressure and check this and check that, was far from being the restful stay that I had imagined, so when they took forever and a day to discharge me on the 3rd day, I threatened to just walk out of there without their consent. For my 4th, I asked to be discharged ASAP.
I wonder if Kate Middleton uses a nanny or if she takes care of her own kids the way every other mother does in the "real world". I confess that I lost all interest in the royal family when Princess Diana passed away so I never read any of the articles about them. I'm very happy to be a private citizen and not any kind of a celebrity, especially one that HAS to do certain things like presenting her newborn baby to an adoring crown. Can you imagine? I think this really stinks, actually. But she knows that she signed up for so I guess it might not bother her as much as it would bother me.
Wally was my first born. My water broke and they had to induce labor because of infection concerns. He made it just under the wire because we were approaching the 24 hour mark and a C-section was going to come soon. My second was an emergency C-section because of eclampsia. He was early and had to spend an extra 10 days in the hospital. I was pretty wiped out from that whole experience, also.
DeleteThere's no way I would want to be a royal. Kate knew what she was signing up for, but I don't know how much she likes it. Oh, what one will do for love.
I thought the exact same thing, L&L! No one would have WANTED to look at me a few hours after giving birth. I don't know how Kate does it, even with all the VIP treatment I'm sure she gets. I'm not too keen on being the center of attention so the whole idea of a public appearance would fill me with dread. Kate seems comfortable in the spotlight, but in a natural manner, if that makes sense--she seems to take it all in stride but doesn't seek out the limelight.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to read Nathalie's birth experiences. Giving birth is a different scenario depending on where you live and when you do it, that's for sure. I've had 2 c-sections so I had to spend 2 nights in the hospital for both kids, for which I was grateful, but it certainly wasn't a restful experience. I was grateful to have two healthy babies and to be a healthy mom, especially since I was older when I had both of them. My personal rule for visiting new moms and babies is that I only do it if I bring along dinner for the family--a little extra help during that time period is a wonderful thing!
I don't like to be the center of attention either, so my wedding day was really hard for that reason. I was the center of attention for many hours and it got tiring.
DeleteIn the end, the cliche is true. We just want a healthy baby and mother. Things were pretty serious when Theo was born, but it all worked out in just a few weeks.
I'm exhausted just contemplating the idea of childbirth. So glad I decided to leave the hard work of populating the planet to others who are much more suited to the task than I am. I do have to say, though, that I think being a celebrity would totally suck. I would just HATE having to be "on stage" all the time - I say as I'm sitting here thinking that I should go to the grocery store, but I don't want to because that would involve putting on real clothes! :-)
ReplyDeleteBTW - Congratulations! You made it to the letter Z!
Thanks. This time was a bit easier because I didn't visit as many new blogs as I have before. They didn't emphasize it as much this time and I didn't do it much.
DeleteAnd I'm laughing about you contemplating on real clothes. I'm not sure what you consider real clothes, but I go out in some pretty shoddy outfits sometime and just hope no one I know sees me.
I think it is wonderful that she was able to leave so quickly and look so "put together"! I had to have a C-section, so got to stay in the hospital for 3 days. Daughter was kept for one additional day, so I got to come home and rest a bit before I could bring her home.
ReplyDeleteI had a C-section with my second one and was home for a a week and a half before he came home. However, I went back to the hospital every day to feed, hold, etc. I found that very tiring, also. But no matter how it starts, you eventually do feel human again.
DeleteWow, in heels no less, less than a day after delivery. She's made of rock!
DeleteI couldn't walk in those heels even if I hadn't just given birth.
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