Kate Middleton and Prince William have had one heckuva week, haven't they? Monday, they welcomed Prince George to the world. Tuesday, they introduced the royal baby to the world AND entered their first mommy war. Wednesday, they gave him a name! And now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have settled in at Michael and Carole Middleton's house to bond with the royal baby.
In other words? Now the really hard part begins.
I'm not trying to downplay how tough it must have been for the Duchess to have to walk out in front of the entire world -- in heels no less! -- just a day after giving birth. Kate Middleton is -- and I mean this with every bit of my being -- one of my heroes. She's the princess who makes me comfortable with my daughter idolizing princesses. She's one tough cookie to have done so well with such a challenge on her plate.
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But speaking purely from a mother's perspective, I remember what the days immediately after my daughter's birth were like. They were exciting!
We got phone calls and visitors and flower deliveries! It was busy, busy, busy. And then, just as suddenly as it all happened, it all stopped. The calls. The visits.
We were alone with our daughter, alone to try to keep this teeny, tiny little human alive.
This is what life is going to be like for Kate Middleton and Prince William. Sure, they're in her hometown of Bucklebury, living with her parents, so she won't be completely alone, but the new parents have made it very clear that they want to do things on their own.
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And parents in the house or not, they likely will. My in-laws came to visit soon after my daughter was born, but it was still my husband and I waking all hours of the night, still me breastfeeding (or trying to anyway), still the two of us doing the bulk of the care.
It's when it quiets down, when you are alone at night with a screaming newborn, that the weight settles on your shoulders: you realize that you are responsible for this little life. You brought them into this world, and now YOU need to protect them.
It may be the single most terrifying -- and wonderful -- feeling in the whole world.
But it hits everyone, no matter how rich, no matter how famous, no matter how many royal nannies they may have. Because the more time you spend with your new baby, the deeper in love you fall. The deeper in love you are, the more desperate you are to make their life perfect.
As hard as it may have been to have the whole world talking about her "vaginal birth" or debating her "mummy tummy," trust me ... nothing is harder than that.
Do you think the royal couple have it any easier or harder than the rest of us?
Image via Getty Images/Chris Jackson