Or she may feel a strong need to attend to herself, pain and exhaustion compete with interest in the baby. Because of this, many women say they feel guilty about their initial responses to their babies. Many women speak of feeling outside of themselves after labor. It is as though one's personal boundaries are hazy. This is to be expected.
Most women say it takes days to come back into themselves.
This is the natural rhythm of things. Something amazing is going on. As boundaries are reclarified, they are also redefined. You are now a mother. Your baby is no longer one with you, as in pregnancy.