russ's paternity leave
Russ and I figured it all out before Ada was born -- He would take his one-week paternity leave immediately following her birth and we would have meals from the ward delivered that week. If we got overwhelmed, we could call on my family since they live close, but we mostly just wanted to have some nice time as a new family of 3. The second week, my mom would help out, and the third week, Russ's mom would help out.
But when Ada had to stay in the NICU, we reconsidered our plans. I told Russ he could wait to take his leave until she could come home so that he could have more time with her, but he countered that his paternity leave wasn't just about taking care of Ada -- it was about taking care of his family, and that included me. He ultimately decided to stick to his original plan of taking his leave immediately following her birth. It made me feel so loved and special that he thought taking care of me was enough of a reason to use his leave.
And truly, I ended up being so grateful that he did that. My first week postpartum was {obviously} the hardest of my recovery. I was in pain, I couldn't stand for long, and I needed a lot of help doing everything. Russ was 100% the best caregiver I could have asked for. He seriously wouldn't let me do anything, which was nice since everything was kind of hard. He'd dish up my food, get me more water, wash my pumping supplies in the middle of the night, and make sure I got all my meds on time. He also did dishes and other house-cleaning type things.
Not only did he do all the things, but he was also a huge emotional support during that week. He was the only person who felt exactly how I felt -- the only person with so much love for Ada and so much sadness and disappointment that she wasn't home with us. I cried a lot of sad tears that week, and he held me close every time.
I thought a few times about how someone else could have done all the same things that he did during that week, but how it just wouldn't have been the same. I just felt so loved and taken care of because it was him. He knew just what to do, and the thought of anyone else taking over for him when he had to return to work just made me so sad. I wanted these days of him taking care of me and our family to last forever.
I don't know why I got so lucky, but I am truly grateful for the wonderful man that I get to call my husband. I couldn't have picked anyone who is better for me :)
But when Ada had to stay in the NICU, we reconsidered our plans. I told Russ he could wait to take his leave until she could come home so that he could have more time with her, but he countered that his paternity leave wasn't just about taking care of Ada -- it was about taking care of his family, and that included me. He ultimately decided to stick to his original plan of taking his leave immediately following her birth. It made me feel so loved and special that he thought taking care of me was enough of a reason to use his leave.
And truly, I ended up being so grateful that he did that. My first week postpartum was {obviously} the hardest of my recovery. I was in pain, I couldn't stand for long, and I needed a lot of help doing everything. Russ was 100% the best caregiver I could have asked for. He seriously wouldn't let me do anything, which was nice since everything was kind of hard. He'd dish up my food, get me more water, wash my pumping supplies in the middle of the night, and make sure I got all my meds on time. He also did dishes and other house-cleaning type things.
Not only did he do all the things, but he was also a huge emotional support during that week. He was the only person who felt exactly how I felt -- the only person with so much love for Ada and so much sadness and disappointment that she wasn't home with us. I cried a lot of sad tears that week, and he held me close every time.
I thought a few times about how someone else could have done all the same things that he did during that week, but how it just wouldn't have been the same. I just felt so loved and taken care of because it was him. He knew just what to do, and the thought of anyone else taking over for him when he had to return to work just made me so sad. I wanted these days of him taking care of me and our family to last forever.
I don't know why I got so lucky, but I am truly grateful for the wonderful man that I get to call my husband. I couldn't have picked anyone who is better for me :)
**ashleynicole
This post is the absolute best - I am so glad Russ stayed to take care of you... It sounds like it was exactly what you and your momma heart needed!!
ReplyDelete