Since the birth of Rachelle Ann Go's son Lukas last March 26, she's been sharing snippets of her motherhood journey with her followers. But, like most, parenting has its ups and downs. The great thing about social media is that we have the opportunity to show both sides and assure others that what we're all going through is real.
Just recently, she posted a black-and-white photo of her husband who picked her and their son up from the hospital. She started by saying how much she loves the photo and proceeded to explain that the only got discharged after three days from the time she gave birth. Her husband Martin couldn't even stay with her overnight due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Being alone in the hospital as a new mom can be overwhelming. She admitted to not knowing a lot of things when it comes to taking care of her newborn son. "I didn’t sleep at all! I didn’t know how to carry Lukas out of his cot. I contemplated for probably half an hour, tried to maneuver him out, I failed. I called Martin & my mom to ask how."
"I stared at the window blankly (in short tulaley haha) because of zero sleep. I cried because of my hormones (I guess—ang daming emotions), especially when Lukas was choking! I started breastfeeding him(no idea what I was doing) but because his glucose level that time was really low they had to give him a formula milk. He choked while I was feeding him and turned blue. I panicked and started crying! Whew! I was like “Lord, how?! I need help!!!”
It was only then when she realized she wasn't really alone in the hospital. She had nurses and midwives on standby. "For some reason, I didn't ask for help. I guess I was too shy to ask," she explained.
As soon as help came through, she felt better and was able to fix herself up. On the second day, she felt better. "And it kept getting better until we got discharged! I had a tough time but I learned so much in the span of three days. I’m so grateful I went through it and figured things out myself. It just shows that even if it’s our first time, we have those motherly instincts that kick in. We are made to do this. So do not doubt nor fear. Now I feel like everything else is easy (huwow!) Grabe ang grace ni Lord."
She ends her post with this, "To all the first time mamas, if you need help, be honest with yourself! Do not be scared or embarrassed to ask for it!"