Do you adore tiny newborn babies? Do you feel the need to hold every baby in sight? Do you get the urge for another of your own when you hold that little cocoon of limbs in your arms?
Well, I have a confession for you…not me. Newborns aren’t my thing.
Let me back up a second. I LOVE KIDS. I babysat, worked as a nanny, worked as a camp counselor, volunteered at a children’s horseback therapy center, chaired a family event committee at my undergrad university, and became a stepmom to three children all by the age of 24. I repeat: I LOVE KIDS. But, having had a couple of my own go through the infant stage, I can also say with conviction that newborns just aren’t my thing.
I have always felt a little uncomfortable around newborns, mostly because they just seem so fragile. Even now, after having two of my own kids, I am slightly petrified when someone offers to hand over a days-old infant for me to cradle. I want to say, “Can I have a rain check? Let’s give it a couple of months and I’ll hold that baby all day long.” Of course, I hold the baby because I don’t want someone to be offended and think that I don’t appreciate her little one …but truly, I would be just as content to admire that little one from afar with the peace of mind that I’m not going to be the one to break him or her.
After just a few months, babies become “interactive” and then I am SMITTEN. (I should add, I’ve been teased mercilessly for using the word “interactive” with regard to babies, but this is really the best way I’ve come up with to explain it, so leave me alone.) I absolutely love it when they can smile back and play! Games of peekaboo? Yes, please. Baby giggles? Ohmagosh, swoon. Even better, they’re still small enough to curl up in a little ball of snuggles on your chest during nap time. There are few things I could enjoy more. As I type, I kind of want to go find a baby to snuggle.
But truly, I don’t get the newborn infatuation. It’s the most work and completely terrifying. Is it worth it? Yes, it’s worth it. I would go through the newborn stage all over again and I wouldn’t change a thing about my children…but that doesn’t mean newborns have to be my favorite, right?
Oh, and I also didn’t enjoy pregnancy…but that’s another post for another day.
