Why Mom Feels Like She's on Vacation—Despite Fact She Just Gave Birth

There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to giving birth. Every woman is bound to have a different story to tell. Like Josie Capllonch who didn't want to leave the hospital after welcoming her second bundle of joy into the world.

She recently racked up over 985,000 views on TikTok after lip-syncing to a sound that enthusiastically says "this is nice," while showing off her hospital room.

The on-screen text states: "POV—You've just given birth but have a toddler at home so it feels like a holiday."

The 36-year-old, who lives in Sydney, Australia, told Newsweek: "The four-night hospital stay after giving birth to my second baby was amazing and so relaxing!"

Hospital/holiday stay
A screenshot from the viral video showing the mom enjoying her hospital stay while Kingston sleeps. She can also be seen lying down with her newborn on her chest. TikTok/@@josie.capllonch

"The nurses looked after me and my baby Kingston all hours of the day," she said. "Cleaners came daily and there was room service so I could order food all day long."

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, newborns sleep for eight to nine hours per day which gave Capllonch the perfect opportunity to enjoy some "me time."

"I could catch up on some reality TV," she said. "It was just great, I wish I could have extended."

The video caption gave an insight into why she was making the most out of the peace and quiet.

It said: "Enjoying my last day of my holiday w my super chill newborn before the chaos of #twoundertwo begins."

Family photo
The Sydney-based mom couldn't be happier to be a mom of two. Here, she can be seen with both sons while at the hospital. TikTok/@josie.capllonch

According to a recent survey Pew Research Center, a majority of parents (62 percent) admit that the experience of raising children has been at least somewhat more challenging than anticipated. And 26 percent of the 3,757 U.S. parents found it significantly tougher than expected.

This sentiment is particularly pronounced among mothers, with 30 percent of expressing that parenthood has been far more difficult than they had envisioned, in contrast to 20 percent of fathers sharing this view.

The proud mom is still adapting to life with Kenzo, 19 months, and week old Kingston.

"Life with two small children is still a shock to the system!" Capllonch told Newsweek. "It's been very hard bringing a new baby home since my toddler is a little bit to young to fully understand who this baby is and why mommy has to spend so much time w baby and not him, who's had me all to him self for so long.

"But it has only been a week so I'm sure it'll get easier in the future!"

She's not the only one feeling this way; other mothers have also shared their thoughts on the video, finding that it resonated with their own experiences.

"I hate[d] being in hospital for my first but loved it for my second and third," said one user.

Another said: "They had to kick me out after my 3rd."

A third commenter said: "I have four. [When I] went in to have my fourth they told me you can go home and relax i said relax? girl I wanna stay here."

If you have a family dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Lucy Notarantonio is Newsweek's Senior Lifestyle and Trends Reporter, based in Birmingham, UK. Her focus is trending stories and human ... Read more

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