Alex Drummond is settling into life as a new mom after welcoming her first baby with her husband Mauricio nearly a month ago. While she's soaking up all the snuggles and sweet moments with Sofia, she's also navigating the ups and downs of "newborn life." In-between naps and feedings, she hopped on Instagram to chat about some of the biggest surprises that have come with this new chapter.
"I wanted to do a few stories of things that have surprised me about newborn slash postpartum life," Alex explained in a video shared on Instagram. "I have so many thoughts on this crazy season that you just kind of get thrown into."
From the unexpected challenges of breastfeeding to the struggles of catching sleep when she can, Alex opened up about what it's really been like—and how it's all been worth it for her baby girl.
The first thing that "rocked" Alex's world was the demanding schedule of breastfeeding. "It is full-time mental gymnastics," she said, describing the constant need to track feedings, pumping sessions, and avoiding painful issues like mastitis (which she's already dealt with twice).
While she called breastfeeding "a miracle" and marveled at how her body is helping Sofia grow, Alex didn't sugarcoat the experience.
"It's a marathon," she said. "And it doesn't stop." To help manage it all, Alex recommended the Huckleberry app. She says it's a "game changer" for keeping track of Sofia's feedings, sleep patterns, and her own pumping schedule—anything to make things feel a little less overwhelming!
Another surprise? Just how hard it is to follow everyone's advice to "sleep when the baby sleeps." Alex admitted she thought it was "the most obvious advice ever" before she gave birth, but quickly realized it's easier said than done!
"In the windows that she's sleeping during the day, I'm like, I want to get everything done," she explained. "I want to catch up on my emails, I want to clean the house, I want to do laundry, I want to go on a walk. There's so many things I want to do during her sleeping windows."
Something else Alex said she wishes more people had warned her about was what she called the "postpartum sundown scaries." For the first few weeks after giving birth, she experienced an overwhelming sense of "dread, doom, and anxiety" whenever the sun started to set.
"I couldn't really put my finger on why, but it's definitely hormone-related," she guessed. "A lot of postpartum women feel the same way and have that same sensation."
Alex also can't believe how differently she feels about something she used to love: her favorite drinks. "I am someone who loves to have a glass of wine, I love a fun cocktail, I enjoy my fun beverages—or I enjoyed," she said. "I thought the second I popped her out of me, I'd be back on my wine night grind, enjoying little cocktails."
But, as she quickly learned, things don't always go as planned. "That has not been the case at all," Alex explained. "I think I've had, like, three drinks since birthing her a month ago. The whole drinking thing is way less enchanting when you know you're going to be up a lot of the night with a baby." Ain't that the truth!
While life with a newborn has had its ups and downs, the thing that surprised Alex the most is also the sweetest.
"I hope this is a nice, encouraging way to tie a little bow on this, because it really can be so hard postpartum," she said. "The final thing that has surprised me the most is how much I freaking love this child. She doesn't have any personality yet, she has nothing to offer me right now except for just little snuggles. But I just love her so much and I would literally lay my life down for her."
(Cue the tears! 😭)
For Alex, the intense love she feels for Sofia makes everything else worth it. "Nothing feels like a chore," she finished. "It's all just things that we do."
