The day after giving birth to Gardner proved to be an exhausting one. The next morning beginning at 10 a.m. I had a parade of people that visited me in the hospital. It was so thoughtful of everyone to come check on me. The problem? I entertained all day until about 9:30 at night and didn't sleep at all. Putting on a "good face" is something that I'm accustomed to. I guess it's a "professional hazard" if you will, a byproduct of being an event planner. You have to turn it on and off when necessary and that's exactly what I did.

The morning after entertaining all day I paid the price. After a sleepless night with difficulty breastfeeding, I snapped. When Jerry came to check on me the next morning before work I was a tearful mess. "I can't do this," I told him. He was confused. Just yesterday he had seen me happy and cheery to everyone that visited. He had no idea how exhausted I was. We both learned a good lesson that day. 

This time we have a game plan. We love our family and friends dearly, but have asked everyone not to visit us in the hospital. Giving birth can be really tough, and it's important to do everything I can to protect myself. Having been through this before, I want to be able to take a nap when I feel the need without having to worry about who is there with me. While I know that I can't prevent the sleepless nights ahead, at least I can get a better head start this time around.