What I Wish I Knew Before... Baby

There are so many things people don't tell you about parenting. Sure, you get a lot of unsolicited advice but you are either a. not listening or b. they are glossing over some things. Now, I am not saying that had I known these things, I would have thought twice about having a child. Absolutely not. However, I may have been a bit more prepared.

Top 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Having a Baby

10.The days are long but the months are short 

Some days, by the end of the day I want to pull my hair out. Especially Mondays. I am not sure what it is, but Baby G can sense that its a Monday and she wants daddy. Nothing around the house gets done, and I just try to survive. But then I blink and she is almost 6 months old. How in the world did that even happen? She was a tiny little thing 2 seconds ago. On the days where I wonder if my house will ever be clean again or if I will ever get to (blank) again, I realize that time will go much faster than I realize and I can just live in the moment. She won't be little forever.

9. The exhaustion is like pulling an all nighter... every night 

All I am saying is I haven't slept well since I was 3 months pregnant. I don't think I will for a long time. And I don't drink caffeine.... the energy crisis is real folks. Oh, and if I hear "Sleep when the baby sleeps" one more time (angry fist-shake). Its not that simple.

8. Mom Guilt/Mom Shame/ Mom Anxiety 

So, I kind of knew about this.... but oh my goodness is it a whole lot bigger when you are actually a mother. When Baby G was born, I was crippled with anxiety. I have never really had that type of anxiety before. I'd been nervous, sure, but never this overwhelming fear. Luckily, John was there to help me through it, and I got over it.  But... the Mom Shame is real. Like my lovely Mother In Law said, create your own opinion, and you can find someone out there who will agree with you (I'm paraphrasing, but its the gist). To vax or not to vax, to breastfeed or formula feed, baby lead weaning or purees, sleep train or co sleep or somewhere in between?? We are faced with so many choices as mothers on a daily basis and there is no shortage of people that will tell you exactly what they think. Its hard to break through sometimes... which brings me to my next point.

7. Trust your mom gut 

 YOU are your baby's mother. Not your mom, not your friend who lives down the street. Not random ladies on the internet and not "doctors" or "experts" writing books. YOU. You know your baby, and you are its mother for a reason.  Now, I am all for doing research, but there comes a time when you have to get rid of the noise and trust that you know what you are doing and what is right for your child.

6. Netflix is your new best friend 

At least in the beginning... or if your baby is anything like mine! My baby girl will fall asleep eating and doesn't stop just because she is asleep! So, I get in a lot of Netflix while she's dream feeding. And in the early days... That's literally all babies do. Sleep, eat, repeat.

5. You will shower a lot less 

And probably smell more thanks to hormones! Showers are a magical place... when I  finally get one, sometimes I don't want to get out!

4. Breastfeeding is a whole new ballgame

To my pregnant friends... two pieces of advice with this one... 1. Look up breastfeeding troubleshooting and general tips NOW. I had really just kinda knew that I wanted to and knew the basic cradle hold. Luckily, I had an amazing lactation consultant (bonus tip: ask for your lactation consultant quickly after birth)  and 2. Join a supportive group. I found a wonderfully supportive group of women on Facebook and it has saved me a bunch of worry!

3. Its hard 

I won't lie. Is it worth it? Absolutely.  Is it an adjustment? Yes. Can anything prepare you? Absolutely not.

2. Babies spit up... A LOT

Okay, this totally freaked me out. Baby G does have some issues with dairy at the moment so, laying off the dairy did help some. However, new born babies just spit up. Generally, it's more of a laundry problem than proof of something wrong

1. Babies cry

This sounds dumb. But,  it's the number one thing I wish someone had told me. BABIES CRY. That is their way of communicating. It does not mean you are doing anything wrong or that you are not a good parent. It means your baby is trying to tell you something. You are learning each other. Take heart.