It’s scary for any new parent to take their newborn baby home from the hospital, especially one’s first baby! For Tricia, Brielle infused an eye-opening journey to the unknown. She had absolutely no idea what she had gotten herself into and it’s probably a good thing, because she recalls it was the farthest thing from easy!
Tricia’s disability, for those of who don’t know her, is pretty severe. She requires a lot of care and adding a newborn added much more work for her husband Marshall. They brought Brielle home and Marshall was slightly overwhelmed. Tricia’s mom was there for the first two weeks, but for one of the weeks, Tricia was still in the hospital.
They only like for you to stay in the hospital for two to three days following a C-section, but Tricia was having some medical challenges and needed to stay a day longer. Brielle was born on a Monday and they all went home on the following Friday. It was nice for her to be home, but at the same time, she wished the hospital had kept her longer.
She really didn’t get much sleep! It wasn’t just Marshall getting up all night with her. It was the both of them! Most men get to sleep through the nightly feedings and diaper changes, but not Marshall. Tricia remembers crying nonstop for the first month just because she couldn’t believe what she had gotten herself into! Thankfully, Marshall was home for the first six weeks after Brielle was born.
Tricia remembers how hard it was to deal with the constant screaming from Brielle. Eventually Marshall returned to work and Dahiana, a Personal Care Assistant (described by Tricia as their saving grace) came to help them! They still heard constant screaming, but Tricia’s stress level dramatically decreased.
Because of her severe disability, it was very difficult to accept the fact that she couldn’t physically hold her baby and be the mother she envisioned in the true sense of the word. Tricia confesses that it still hurts her that Brielle has a better bond with Marshall, Dahiana, and even her own mom, more than with herself. But now that baby Brielle is getting older, she seems to be getting a little easier to take care of and their bond is getting stronger.
Tricia states “it hasn’t been easy, but if I could change anything, I probably wouldn’t. I love being Brielle’s mommy!”
-grace-anne alfiero
Tricia and her baby Brielle