The Royal Baby

Oh yes and yesser!  I am so jumping on the new royal baby bandwagon!  Maybe it's because my mom watched princess Di come home with William only a few months before she was to bring her first child home, (that would be me) or maybe it's because I watched while holding three of my own children or just maybe its because my children will probably be watching their children bringing home there new babies...

Is anyone else sad that the royals didn't present their
baby in this fashion to the crowd of onlookers?

But more then any of that beautiful "circle of life" nonsense, I think it's mostly because I'm excited for one more women to join the league of mommyhood!

From what I understand, Kate is breaking with tradition... again! and not hiring a nurse.  No, really!  No nurse.  Now, a few people have pointed out that she probably won't give up her make up artist or hair stylist or fashionista.  But as any well trained new mom could contest, none of those people can help you when you've been up for three days in a row with a child that will either not stop crying or is determined to suck the life out of you directly through your nipples.

I can only imagine what kind of stress she and her husband must be under.  The baby isn't even 24 hours old and already there has been criticism about everything from how she looks after having the baby to how they buckled the kid into his carseat.  I would like to take a moment to point out that these people might need our support.  Besides the fact that they are royalty, they are most importantly new first time parents!

Awww, they have no idea...

Complete with hopes and dreams and aspirations for their little bundle of joy that will hopefully one day look just like his mother.  Think, for a moment, about the day you brought your new baby home.  The anxiety, the exhaustion the constant need for approval.  "Am I doing this right?" was the only question you and your spouse asked each other for at least the first three weeks.

Now, imagine if the entire world was watching (not just your mother-in-law) and waiting for you to slip up.  Imagine if every move you made had to be spot on without any crack or blemish.  Imagine if you've been having a night from hell and instead of just having to get up and go to work in the the morning where you might be able to hid in your cubical for a few hours,  you instead, had to sit through 6 interviews and tell 6 different people with a room filled with cameras and lights what an amazing job it is to be a mom,  and how perfect it is and how you never think about just leaving your beautiful bundle of joy at the closest fire station and running off to Vegas like a stalk raving lunatic.

Or maybe that was just me...

Either way, I ask that we be kind.  Yes, Kate is a celebrity.  Yes, she is royalty.  Yes, she will probably have someone waiting on her hand and foot for the rest of her life.  But think, who's going to be there in those long waking hours when she is scared about a cough, or fever or even something as silly as a bad latch?  Who's going to be there when that baby won't poop or poops to much?  Who's going to be there when she wonders if he's getting enough milk or maybe he's allergic to something she ate or maybe she should just throw the in the towel all together and switch to formula.  Who's going to be there when she thinks she a failure because she couldn't handle the crying for more then an hour without breaking into tears herself?

Who's going to be there?

Not her stylist, not the reporters, not even her critics.

If she's lucky, her prince in shining armor will be there.  Just as our princes were there, holding our hands through it all.  Telling us that we were good enough.  That we were perfect mothers and we were beautiful even though we hadn't slept or showered in days.  If she's lucky she'll have him.  And that's all she'll ever need.

Because at the end of it.  She is us.  We get excited to see her come home with a baby not because she's  special and not because she's royalty.  Quite the opposite actually.  We get excited to see her with a baby because we get to welcome the newest member of the secret mommy club complete with cracked nipples and wet kisses. Bringing with her a brand new baby, a new person that didn't exist before this moment, with dreams and hopes and aspirations all their own.  How will this new person change the world, change us?  And not just because he's royalty.

Kate is a mom, she has ushered in new life!

And that should always be cause for celebration.

Antenella