Congratulations!

A friend of mine (we'll call her Anne) just had a baby boy. He weighed in at 6 lb, 9 oz.! I called her this afternoon to tell her congrats and how beautiful he must be. But while I was leaving the message, I actually almost said "I'm sorry."

What a terrible thing to think!

But now that I think about it, I really do feel sorry for her a little. Childbirth is not a pleasant experience- for me, it downright sucked. Maybe my expectations were too high, that this was going to be "the best day of my life", when actually it was one of the most painful days ever. Maybe it was the weeks-overdue-so-let's-induce, the 23 hrs of labor, or the emergency c-section after said labor, or the "recovery period", which (let's be honest) takes a few years, not a few days!

Now don't get me wrong- I love LB so much, and I definitely don't regret having him, but I could really do without the whole process. :P "The best day of my life" it was not.

Watching him learn how to use his hands, or how to balance when sitting, or making things move by moving other things, THOSE are happy days. Teaching him to stand, watching his reaction to new foods (especially lemon juice, hahaha), and even those painful first teeth, THOSE are happy days.

I'm so excited for Anne and her husband and new family. I know that they are going to have so many of those happy days. And I know that she is going to be a good mother. I just also know what she had to go through to get there, and yes, I do feel sorry for her!

*Now, don't get all Confuscious on me and say "those happy days wouldn't exist without childbirth." Duh. I'm well aware of that fact. I may not be great at science, but I do understand basic biology and cause & effect. I'm just saying that even though that day gives you happy days, that day is also absolutely terrible. At least for the mommy. :P