Ok, I know people warn you before you have a baby that it is going to be both "the hardest thing and also the best thing you'll ever do," but you never quite understand what that means... until they hard that little bundle of joy over to you. Having baby Joseph was something I have been looking forward to for A LONG TIME! I was babysitting/nannying consistently since I was 11. And I loved other peoples kids! I love to be nurturing. I love to teach. I love to love. I love snuggle time. I just love being a motherly figure and I have always loved it. I think I kind of expected to SuperMom from the beginning. I wanted to have nursing be easy, I wanted to keep my house clean, cook dinner every night, get my homework done a head of time, work on my business everyday, talk with family and stay connected with them each day, I wanted to sleep at least 5 hours in my bed every night, I wanted to spend quality time with Corey each day, I wanted look pretty and get ready and shower each day, I wanted to feel comfortable taking my baby out with me to places like the gym and church and the grocery store and such right away, I wanted to be SUPER-MOM and have EVERYTHING come natural to me. But... I am nt Super-Mom and not everything came natural to me. And no matter how many family members, friends, nurses, advice articles, etc. told me that "everyone struggles when they are just starting out because it is completely new to them too" I felt like a failure. A big, fat, negative, depressed failure.
Nursing. Sleep. Time-Management. Your Baby.
Nursing. Nursing was not super easy for me. Others have had a much more difficult experience than me, but it wasn't easy and still isn't the easiest thing. I still get frustrated because I use a "cheat" tool. It's not really cheating and my baby's pediatrician sees nothing wrong with me using it, but it just bothers me to still be using and depending on it. In stead of me going into detail about it though, I'm going to post the articles that were VERY VERY helpful to me. Oh, and thank you Jessica for being so willing to help me at the beginning of my nursing experience! So wonderful!
Helpful tips from breastfeeding veterans.
Helpful to wean yourself off the nipple shield.
Sleep. Just know that from now on sleep will be totally different. You may be able to get your baby to sleep through the night and even from an early age, but you now have a little one you are responsible for! :) I wake up frantic thinking "Did I fall asleep holding him?" "Where is he?" "Did Corey or I roll over on him?" "Is he alive?" "Did he spit up while he was sleeping?" "Is he too cold?" "Too hot?" And the list goes on and on! All I have to say about sleep, is work with your spouse to come up with a good routine and plan for you guys. And also, be grateful for the sleep you get, no matter if it in a chair, on the couch, or in your bed, just be grateful :) And make sure to let others help. Those first few weeks, let your spouse and or family and friends help as much as possible in the night because you need sleep. You don't want to get sick from being sleep deprived like I did. It is apparently possible to get your baby on a sleep pattern! Here is the site I found helpful>
Baby Sleep Solutions.
Time-Management. There is a lot to do and you have to get to the point where you are ok with not doing everything you were use to doing in a day, at least for the first few weeks. Let yourself be ok with just simply holding and enjoying your baby and resting. Don't feel guilty. But when you feel ready, start incorporating more tasks into your daily routine :) Make a rough schedule and don't be afraid to put your baby down in a bouncy chair or their crib or bassinet while you do some tasks :)
Your baby and you. Know that you are not going to do things like everyone else. Your way will be perfect for you and your baby though. I love all the advice I received and am grateful for it but it also stressed me out! There was no way I could remember it all or incorporate it all! Just find what works and tuck the other advice away or forget about it completely! :)
Now... Here is my baby! :) Oh before I post some of his pictures let me first post this... I have to remind myself of this daily and multiple times a day! Facebook, Twitter, InstaGram, Blogs, and such have a nasty habit of making you think everyone else is doing a way better job than you...
Now time for baby pictures!!! :) (Very out of order).
