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Kelley Howard
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Kelley Shares Her First Few Weeks As A Mother (VIDEO)

Kelley describes her first few weeks of motherhood.

Kelley:
It’s interesting. I think women have so many more instinctive skills when it comes to taking care of the baby than they will even think. You are very scared. So, the baby cries and you are trying to figure out what it is, but what I really found absolutely fascinating is how much instinct really came to light. When the baby started to cry, you really start to figure it out relatively quickly.

We did have a point about three or four days when we’d brought her home, and she started to cry, and we couldn’t figure out why she was crying. She was gassy, what was it? And I literally remember staying up for almost 24 hours straight, calling my mother and literally in tears saying, “I can’t figure out what it is; why she is crying.” Rich, my husband, was also equally frustrated and tired.

I was on the phone with my mother, and she was literally at my house within five minutes. I will say this, and another tip for women is definitely call on your family. My mom was so thrilled to be able to come over and help. She immediately put Rich and I to bed, my husband and I to bed, and she lurched into action like Superwoman and started taking care of Rachel and bathing her, and we got the much needed sleep we needed.

And I remember sitting there, literally sitting on the bedroom floor with my husband just crying, saying, “I am educated. I have gone to college, and I should know this but I don’t.” And you are just, by that time you are so exhausted you can’t figure it out, and it’s just so nice to be able to have a family member to call on to come over to help.

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