35 Reasons You’ll Cry the Week After Having a Baby

It was my third day as a mom. After an unplanned c-section, I was taking it easy at home and my in-laws were staying with us to help out as I recovered.

My husband was on a men’s softball team, and that night he had his first game since becoming a father. As he prepared to go, my usual stoic personality crumpled into a heap on the floor and tears began to fall. He looked at me with concern and asked what was wrong.

“I don’t want you to go!” I cried with equal parts despair and shame.

“I’ll only be gone for an hour and a half,” he reassured me, “And you won’t be home alone.”

His practical words did nothing to alleviate my tears. Even as my rational mind fought for control, I just couldn’t stop the overwhelming emotions flooding my being. And that’s when I discovered: Hormones are a bi*&%.

If you’re expecting your first baby you may have already experienced the mood swings associated with pregnancy, but I’m here to warn you: They don’t disappear as soon as the baby is out. For the first week or two your hormones will be all over the place, but don’t be alarmed! It’s totally normal.

To give you a quick peek into what’s in store for you, here’s a little primer about what you might possibly cry over that first week of your baby’s life.

(On a serious note: Baby blues are completely normal after giving birth. However, many women experience sadness or depression that goes beyond the typical baby blues. If you think your symptoms may be beyond the ‘typical’ please consult your doctor. Postpartum Depression is real and nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, the strongest, bravest thing you can do is ask for help.)

35 Reasons You’ll Cry the Week After Having a Baby

1. You don’t want your husband to go back to work (or to an hour-long softball game).

2. Your regular pants still don’t fit.

3. At some point you’ll have to stop wearing elastic waistbands and start wearing real pants again.

4. You’re so incredibly relieved you’re not pregnant anymore.

5. You miss being pregnant.

6. Your sock got wet.

7. Your baby is just so beautiful.

8. Your boobs hurt.

9. Your boobs hurt A LOT.

10. Your boobs are leaking.

11. How can you ever leave the house if you constantly have to worry about your boobs leaking??

12. You smell like spit-up.

13. Someone told you that you look tired.

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14. You’re exhausted.

15. You can’t remember the last time you slept for more than two hours in a row.

16. Your husband bought salt and vinegar chips instead of salt and pepper chips.

17. You got baby poop on your hand.

18. The baby is crying.

19. The baby won’t stop crying.

20. You have no idea how to get the baby to stop crying.

21. You miss it being ‘just the two of you’.

22. You feel guilty for missing it being ‘just the two of you’.

23. Your hair is greasy.

24. You burned dinner.

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25. The house is a mess.

26. Your favorite baby outfit already has stains on it.

27. You don’t know how to get baby poop stains off of clothing.

28. The dog barked and woke the baby up.

29. People keep stopping over to visit.

30. You’re lonely.

31. Coffee doesn’t taste the same as it did before you had a baby.

32. Nothing is the same as before you had a baby.

33. Something smells bad.

34. It’s you that smells bad.

35. You realize that some day this baby will grow up and move away and maybe get married and HOW COULD HE DO THIS TO YOU?!?!

I could go on, but do I really need to? Good luck new moms, and if it makes you feel any better (even though it won’t stop you from crying), we’ve all been there!!

Moms, what funny things did you cry about the week after you had a baby?