Am I Crazy?

I’m just wondering if I’m the only one who does NOT plan to have any on-site assistance from grandparents or anyone else the first few days after my baby comes home. I have told other new mothers/pregnant women this and each time I was met with stares of disbelief, jaw-dropping faces full of shock, and numerous attempts to change my mind. I just don’t understand this. I have no doubt that the first few days after I bring my baby home are going to be full of unexpected “events”. I say that because I know it’s going to be crazy, but I really don’t know what it’s going to be like. I know there’s a good chance I won’t sleep at all. I know there’s a good chance I’ll hover over the baby while he/she is sleeping to confirm breathing. I know there’s a good chance I could panic and not know how on earth I will ever do all this by myself. At the same time, I have confidence that between my husband and I, we will figure it out, and I tend to believe that if we do it by ourselves, we are more likely to gain confidence in our own abilities sooner than if we had a seasoned mother on hand.

I have friends who are having their mothers actually come to stay with them for the first week. I can’t think of anything I would want LESS than having my mother come stay with me. To be clear, I adore my mother and she is probably my best friend, but I want these first few days to be just the new baby, my husband and me. Don’t get me wrong, if other people choose to have help those first few days, I’m certainly not condemning them. I’m just finding it odd that everyone looks at me like I have three heads when I suggest that we might “go it alone”. I know it’s not going to be easy, but what better way to get my arms around how to do this, but to jump in with both feet.

What adds to the complexity of this situation is that my parents live 14 hours (drive) away from us, so for them to be here after the baby is born, they literally have to be staying with us. I would certainly welcome an afternoon guest if I had relatives close by, but a weeklong stay is another thing. Also, I'm not trying to keep them away indefinitely, I will invite my parents to come visit their new grandchild a couple of weeks after I give birth. This will give my husband and me a chance to bond a little as a family and get a handle on how we want to do things. I am sure that we won’t have it all figured out yet, and I’m also sure my mother will have some morsels of wisdom to offer that I will be grateful to learn, but I want to wait until we’re a couple weeks in.