On two occasions today, on social media, I saw beautiful photos of mothers and fathers taking their precious newborns home from the hospital for the very first time. The photos stopped me in my tracks and all of my own memories came flooding back. It’s such a huge moment, isn’t it?

• The only clothes that the baby will be going home in is the carefully selected “going home outfit”. You’ve been dreaming about this moment since you picked it 
• It feels completely abnormal to have to wear clothes yourself. You’ve lived in nightdresses for the past couple of days and you are a completely different size than you were when you got to the hospital. 
• That photo of Daddy holding the baby in the car seat walking down the corridor. Such a precious memory and a surreal visual for mum.
• Chances are you’ll forget to pay for the parking. It just isn’t on your radar when you are experiencing such a moment! You’ll still find it in you to curse the parking fee though.
• You never imagined that it would be humanely possible to drive home so slowly. Precious cargo. 
• Despite the surreal baby bubble, your priorities don’t move too far away from what food you’ll be eating when you get home. In fact, the car-talk usually moves on to tonight’s dinner quite briskly. You might even stop for chocolate....
• When you hit the outside world it seems utterly bizarre that everyone else’s lives are going on as normal. People are on their phones, walking to work, having coffee and waiting for buses and you just want to shout and scream that THIS is your new baby!
• Your house looks and feels completely different. It’s hard to explain but it really does. It’s a family home now.
• That first cup of tea in your own house and in your own mug is just heavenly. 
• There may be a moment shortly after you get home. A random moment of overwhelming tears on the landing or on the couch that evening. It’s here. It’s happened. You are a family.