people who've given birth, and that'll be mostly women, what were your honest reactions—physical, emotional, mental, on first meeting your newborn/s?

[butters]

who felt instantly bonded, or repulsed, delighted, scared, freaked out, too tired to care at the time?
how much was it the drugs?

spouses and SO's, birthing partners feel free to weigh in with observations and your own reactions

 

[lovecraft68]

Great thread topic
But....you're forgetting your wokeness, remember, men can have babies too now, so you're being very gender biased here.

Now...do you seriously see what a pile of shit that narrative is?

Carry on moms and real women.

 

[butters]

if there are any men here who have experienced childbirth, please feel free to add your experiences.

 

[butters]

yeah, i deleted that reply... this is the lounge, not the GB and trolls don't get to steer the conversation in order to get the thread removed.

 

[Garnate]

I cried happy tears with my 1st son. Cried tears of I-don't-know-what with my second son. It was bitter sweet since his father died when I was 2 months along. So, happy but sad tears? There were tears.

 

[butters]

my first was whipped away in an incubator but i was relieved, extremely tired, delighted, confused, amazed... first i really got to see them, they were the biggest baby in the incubators, red and sweating but when i actually got to hold them everything just felt right.

second.. might have been the drugs but it was uber strange... it felt like i was holding a minaturised body of their dad, like i had 'honey, i've shrunk your dad'... kinda freaked me out

third, very relieved (they were stuck) and the way they behaved—looking around at every sound, quiet and super interested in everything, i felt like they were a very old soul reborn

drugs, eh?

 

[neci]

i was in awe.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I was convinced, despite the 36 hours of labour, that he'd been whipped out from under the table. I thought "Ah, I get this one, do I?" But despite that, I remember this huge emotion of MINE! and knew I would kill anyone who tried to separate us.

Then I puked. A lot.

Finally got to hold him. I don't know why people go on about that wonderful newborn smell - they smell of periods. Not surprising, it's the same stuff that's all over them. Managed not to puke over him. Panicked that he had Downs, until a nurse said "no, he's just got eyes shaped just like yours..."

Then had a medical emergency so then had some days in hospital involving lots of panic, pain, fear and exhaustion, plus immense satisfaction that I'd grown this little human. Tbh the pain and exhaustion never went away, but he's well taller than me now.

 

[Escierto]

When I held my first child in my arms for the first time, I looked at her and I felt complete unselfish love. I knew that I would do anything for her. It made me realize that love for a child is true love and all other loves cannot compare. I felt the same way about my subsequent children. I am a man but I have the heart of a woman especially when it comes to my children. They are my true loves.