It’s okay if you don’t feel an instant, magical connection with your baby
What you see on TV and movies don’t actually happen. First, those babies look way too big to be newborns. Second, Hollywood has yet to master the “after giving birth” look.
Lastly, the magical connection doesn’t always happen immediately.
I had completely different experiences with my first and second.
Maybe it was being a new mom and not knowing what to expect when she came out but I felt like my daughter was an alien. I didn’t know how to hold her. I didn’t know how to soothe her. I stared at her constantly, when she was awake and when she was asleep. I wanted to be close to her all the time but I also wanted to have space for myself. Everything felt so awkward.
But as the time when on, I got to know her and she got to know me. I knew what her cries and coos meant. I figured out when I needed to be close and when I could have some space. Our connection grew and she became my baby girl and I became her mother.
With my son, he looked up at me and I looked down at him and I just wanted to snuggle and eat him up. I understood his cries quickly and there was no awkwardness.
