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10 Things All New Moms Need to Know

10 Things All New Moms Need to Know
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Motherhood is crazy.

When we brought Jack home from the hospital, I realized that I was completely in over my head.  As it turned out, all the pregnancy magazines and baby books in the world couldn’t begin to prepare me for the adventure we were embarking on as new parents.

There are some really tough and surprising curve balls that motherhood’s going to throw your way – that I can promise you.  You can read all the books, ask all the questions, babysit all the kids…and you’ll still find yourself falling short every now and then.

Parenting is awesome.  It really is.

But, WOW…it can be really freaking hard, too.

Although the only way to really learn it is to jump in and do it, I’m going to share a few experiences that I learned the hard way…in hopes that new moms out there can be a little bit better prepared for motherhood.

10 Things All New Moms Need to Know (like, HANG IN THERE!)

1. Sleep deprivation ain’t no joke.  Oh, sure…at your baby shower, your friends all laughed and joked about how “tired” you would be after the baby was born, and you’ve heard the advice “Sleep when the baby sleeps!” a million times.  But until you’ve been there…until you’ve been up all.night.long.AGAIN, pouring every last drop of energy you have into a fussy baby who for the love of God and all that is holy WILL NOT SLEEP – it’s really hard to understand.  Prepare yourself by keeping your energy up with healthy snacks, drinking lots of water, and be ready to (you guessed it!) sleep when the baby sleeps.  OH!  And good news…it does get better!

2. Sleep isn’t linear.  I always assumed that baby would be born, maybe take a few days to get settled, and then gradually start sleeping longer stretches at night until, somewhere around eight weeks or so, they’d be sleeping through the night.  HA!  Ha HA HA!!  It doesn’t work like that.  If you have one of those magical babies who sleep through the night, count your lucky stars and sleep when that child is sleeping.  Because you never know when this will change.  Babies sleep patterns can be interrupted by anything, it seems.  Teething, a stuffy nose, a growth spurt, learning a new skill…all of these things mess with your kid’s sleep.

3. Postpartum recovery is…weird.  There are so many things going on with your body, so many hormones getting all crazy up in there, so many places that hurt.  There will be blood, and rock-hard boobs, and spontaneous crying (and I’m not talking about the baby here, ladies).  You’ll feel overwhelmed, scared, and sore.  Don’t worry.  This is all temporary and you will be back to “normal” (a new normal, but still) within a few months.

4. Breastfeeding hurts.  But only for a little while.  It’s totally normal for breastfeeding to hurt the first few weeks.  But after that, it shouldn’t hurt at all (if it’s still hurting after two weeks, see a lactation consultant).  So if you are breastfeeding, hang in there – never quit on your worst day.

5. It’s going to be hard to eat for awhile.  Get used to eating one-handed, because SURPRISE – newborns like to be held, and they aren’t particularly concerned about whether or not you’re hungry.  In the newborn haze, I also found it was easy to forget to eat…and you really need to eat to keep up your energy levels (remember that thing about how they don’t sleep?).  When Jack was a newborn, we would practically beg people to bring us food.  When Claire was born, I was prepared – we stocked the freezer with our favorite meals (made by our mothers, of course).  A freezer full of healthy meals and snacks will save your sanity.

6. There will be a lot of bodily fluids.  Each baby is different.  But mine?  They pooped almost every few hours – for the first several MONTHS of their lives.  That’s a lot of poopy diapers!  And little boys?  They pee on you.  Frequently.  And some babies spit up every time they eat, for no reason whatsoever.  All of these fluids require a lot of diapers (I used cloth diapers, which meant more laundry…but no late-night runs to the store for diapers!), a lot of laundry, and a lot of changing clothes (for baby, and for you…projectile spit-up is craaaazy).  And this doesn’t even take into account your own bodily fluids (leaky boobies and post-partum bleeding, ladies!).

7. Babies get super fussy around 6-7 weeks.  When they are just 6 weeks old or so, they gear up for some intense fussing.  With Jack, that meant inconsolable crying and/or fussing all.day.long for several weeks.  With Claire, it simply meant she’d cry in the evenings for no apparent reason.  This is temporary!  Your sweet baby will return shortly.

8. You’re going to feel like a different person for awhile.  After both of my kids were born, I experienced this weird alter-reality in which I just stopped feeling like myself.  I was another person entirely, a mom…and little else.  I remember heading out to Starbucks by myself when Claire was about 4 weeks old thinking, “Here I am, again!”  Things will get back to normal, and you’ll find yourself again.

9. It’s okay to need a break.  When you’re caring for a little being 24/7, things can get intense!  It’s okay – essential, even – to have some time to yourself.  You will be a better parent for it, I promise.

10. They really do grow up fast.  There will be a time, when you’re so sick and tired of poop and pee and leaky boobs and fussy children, that you find yourself thinking, “Oh, if only she were a few months older…”. And in your heart, you know that they grow up so fast and you should be cherishing these early days…but it’s so hard when all they do is cry and eat.  The thing is…all those grandmas and moms out there who like to tell you how fast these days fly by are telling the truth.  They do grow up quickly.  Claire is 18 months old and those early baby days are just a vague memory.  Just keep this in mind – they grow up so fast! – on those days you feel like will never end.

Hang in there!

What would you add?  When it comes to parenting, what did you learn the hard way?

Be sure to check out my list of resources for breastfeeding moms here.

Like cloth diapers – or thinking about using them? I have lots of cloth diapering info here!



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Wonderful, spot-on list. Wish they’d had internet for assistance with lots of things when my first children were born! Parenting is hard – but so incredibly amazing!

I really loved this 🙂 It is SO true!

(Hi! Stopping by from Beauty in the mess’s babies & beyond link up)

As the mother of an 8 month old, these are SO TRUE. My little bundle of joy was sleeping 11 hours straight by 3 months. Then he decided that was about enough of that. Two nights ago he was up every 1.5 – 2 hours! But he’s so cute, its worth it!

This is a great post. I just read it to Charly, who is going to have a baby any day now. She didn’t laugh as hard as I did. She’s just getting ready to head into all of it.
Have a great week, and thanks ofr sharing with Adorned From Above.
Debi and Charly

This post is sooo true! I am getting ready to have my 4th child, and I think after each one you forget what those beginning weeks are like. But, they are worth it, and so are the memories. Sleep deprivation is something that I don’t look forward to, but the beautiful coos that will come from my baby will make it all worthwhile. Thanks for sharting the post.

such a great post and so true. Thanks for linking up at Tell Me About It Tuesday. We hope you hop over and share with us again next week.

This is such a great post and reminder even for those who don’t have babies anymore. I had actually already forgotten about enduring those long nights that were also very bonding moments for Zeva and me. She is only 2 so it wasn’t so long ago.
Remember each kid is different. Also, that we all feel like we are a failure as a parent from time to time, but we were the ones God entrusted with the little ones we have.

As having 5 kids, I second all these points! This is a great post for new moms to read! Thanks for linking up with the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I have pinned your post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Board!

This is such a great post. It can be hard to explain what goes on after you have a baby but you wrote it perfectly! My first night home, I remember thinking that I couldn’t believe they trusted me to send me home with this baby – I felt clueless! One of the things that surprised me the most was the emotions I had for my baby. The intensity of love the moment I met her is indescribable.

Hi Carrie – what a great post and I’m sure it will be such a help to new moms! Having raised two children to young adults, I can totally attest to the absolute fact that they grow up so fast it almost makes your head spin! There are so many stages of raising children and so many emotions along the way! Thanks so much for joining us and sharing at Best of the Weekend – pinned! Hope you are having a happy Saturday and enjoy your weekend!

I’m totally sharing this with all of my friends! I wish I had read this when I had new babies.

I couldn’t agree more with you list! Having a 3 month old myself, this is all still very fresh to me!

Thanks for linking up at Gingham & Roses!
Hope to see you back next week!

Tenns @ New Mama Diaries

Love this post! As a soon-to-be-mama it’s so refreshing to hear the nitty gritty truths. I love it when people are real about motherhood. It will definitely make me more prepared. Thanks for this!

Thanks for linking up at Sweet and Savoury Sunday, I’m the new co-host and would love for you to link up this weekend. Thanks for such an informative post.

I learnt that there are so many differing opinions on parenting from parents, friends, on the internet and it can be overwhelming. I learnt that the most important thing is to follow your motherly instincts and do what feels right for you.

Good morning! Your post is among this week’s featured, will be shared across social media, and pinned to pinterest. Thanks for linking up at A Mama’s Story, and help yourself to a featured button. 🙂

You are so right, reading all the books, watching all the programs will not, does not prepare for motherhood. I have three, and all were different, one wanted to be held 24/7, one didn’t like to be held at all, and the third could care less either way. Mine our grown now 22, 17 and 15, yes they do grow fast, but I have enjoyed/enjoy every aspect of their lives, and motherhood, it’s a true blessing. Thanks so much for sharing on Tuesdays With A Twist.

Thanks for sharing this at Pintastic Pinteresting Party! This is a really great list. I know I could have done better with knowing a few of these things!

My second will be here any day now and I’ve been gearing up and trying to prepare in all the ways I didn’t know to do with my first. I know I will not sleep, and be leaky, and weepy, and overwhelmed. Not sure how I will handle 2 but what I learned with my first is I can’t be so hard on myself. No Mom is perfect, I need to do my best, ask for help, and love my girls. It won’t be perfect but at least I won’t be sobbing over feeding her the wrong way or something crazy like that. Thanks for sharing this!

I as a mom of three I would say that this is a great list to be reminded of even after subsequent children. Every child and every pregnancy (even with the same person) that sometimes I feel like there is a sort of amnesia about what is possible within a range of normal. So that said I say breathe, relax, and allow yourself some grace.

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