New Mom: Mother, Heal Thyself

Every new mom hears it, I’m sure, “Make sure you take care of yourself,” they say. “You’ll spend lots of time and energy and expend a lot of stress caring for your new baby, but don’t forget to do something good for yourself every now and then.” I ignored it all. I’ve never been much of a “me” person. Even before NewGirl entered our lives, I wasn’t much for self pampering, spa weekends, and the like. And I’ve always been pretty laid back about my own health. The daughter of a doctor, I was led to believe that most things heal themselves on their own. And most things probably do. But then NewGirl came around, and every little cough, scratch and burp caught my attention. Even a funny looking toenail was cause for a call to the doctor (strangely enough, the pediatrician said she looks at more toenail problems than she can count).

But still, when it comes to me, it will heal itself, I figure. So when I had an inkling that I, and not NewGirl, was developing an ear infection, I ignored it. I suffered through several days of pain, figuring I could heal myself. It proved an unwise decision that resulted in ultimately unbearable pain, three trips to the emergency room, weeks of compromised hearing, and several follow up visits to the doctor’s office. You’d think I’d learn. But, no. As my ear was still hearing, I fell on my knee. You’ve never seen a bruise so massive in your life. It will fade, I thought, it’s just a bruise. But now, five days later, still too stiff to climb the stairs normally, I’ve finally called the doctor’s office. “Well, it’s your knee,” the medical assistant said, “so you better come in. You want to use that knee every day for the rest of your life, so it makes sense to at least have the doctor take a look.” She was right, of course, and I have an appointment for this afternoon.

I feel a bit like I’m physically falling apart at the seams, and I think I’ve finally realized that I need to treat my health like I treat my daughter’s. Don’t freak out, but do take care.