Did anyone not hate having a newborn?

[roarfeckingroar]

I'm pregnant with my first and quietly excited but having read the postnatal boards and general threads, it seems like everyone talks about the abject horror, misery, loss of identity, physical pain of a newborn / early months.

Is it going to be that awful? Did anyone not hate it? Did anyone enjoy it?

Or have I made the biggest mistake of my life, which is soon to be not even my own life anymore?

I know others found the sleep deprivation/patterns hard with newborns but for me that tiredness didn’t kick in until a few months down the line when he was still waking every 45 minutes but everyone else seemed to be getting longer chunks of sleep and they expected me to be getting the same

Had my second DD 5 months ago, have really enjoyed the newborn stage this time around, it's been so fantastic just to soak up every bit of her cuteness because I'm all to aware of how quickly this stage passes by. I'm getting ready for weaning now in a couple of weeks and it's making me sad how quickly the time has passed. Don't be afraid of the newborn phase, it is short, and you will miss them being so tiny when they've grown!

I felt like the cat who got the cream. Not once did I feel tired - every one kept telling me I would come down off my cloud when reality set in but I can honestly tell you it didn't happen. I stayed happy and not tired at all. And I bloody loved it.
I think you hear more horror stories in a place like Mumsnet because mums come for advice and support when they are struggling or things go wrong and therefore people are reluctant to post the good stuff because they would be accused of being boastful.
You will be fine - good luck OP

I did not hate having a newborn, they are gorgeous little things who smell delicious.

I loved a lot of things about the experience and I hated a lot of things about it too. (first time round, second was different) I do remember feeling that it was all a conspiracy against women but I was very, very tired at that point

My son is 2 and I have loved about 99% of it. There's only a few occasions when I've really felt like I needed a break but after an hour to myself I'm back to loving it.

My favourite part. I absolutely love the newborn baby stage!

I both do and don't love the newborn stage. Currently at home with my second baby, who will be 6 weeks tomorrow so I'm in the thick of it again. . Yes, snuggles and endless Netflix is bliss. There is no feeling quite like having a tiny baby dozing in your arms. It's so much easier to continue going out for coffee and to the shops whilst they are so small and portable. Baby cinema with a newborn is ideal. But after a while, it is just so boring and repetitive! Until their eyesight develops and they can interact with you, newborns are basically noisy blobs. It's also much harder to pacify or distract a newborn than an older baby - they have no interest in anything except being fed and keeping them going between feeds is HARD (I formula feed, so my babies are on a routine early).

One thing for sure though, the newborn stage passes very quickly so even if you don't enjoy it you can tell yourself it's not forever.

Personally, I love babies around 5-6 months when they start noticing everything around them and can sit up to play. I really enjoyed weaning as well with my firstborn as he had amazing reactions to new flavours - it was fun.

I loved it it’s the by far the easiest stage

Absolutely my favourite part of parenting so far, with all of them. And my eldest of three is a teenager. Only thing I struggled with was the initial nipple pain with breastfeeding, made me dread them latching on for feeds for the first few weeks but that settled. Newborn days are glorious, just wanting to stare at them all day, them sleeping on you for hours, cuteness overload, doting visitors bringing love and gifts. Everything is a new experience so the wonder of a first keeps the magic going for weeks and weeks and got me through the sleep exhaustion. Even with my first I didn't get that cliche overwhelming love all at once (very normal, especially if you have a lot of birth interventions) and it came very gradually but I still really loved the whole experience.

I loved it. Everyday I wish I could go back to the day we came home and start again. It was my favourite part

I loved the newborn phase with all of my three
It was a very special time even if it was tiring and intense.

It was bliss. Baby just slept and ate. So did I.

The easiest part of motherhood is when your baby stays in one spot, doesn't argue, eats all their food and can't throw tantrums in Aldi.

And nobody expects you to do anything other than relax so the first few months are like a holiday. Just you, all the time in the world and a lovely little cuddly baby to stop the boredom

I also loved it but realise that I was:

Lucky to be mentally healthy
Lucky to have a physically healthy baby
Lucky to be in a supportive relationship
Lucky to have sufficient resources and no monetary worries

I suspect it would have been less lovely in other circumstances.

Love to those having a harder time, stages are short so things change if it’s tough for you right now.

I absolutely hated it with my first and loved it with my second. I think lots of factors affect your experience with a new born, your labour and delivery, recovery, breastfeeding feeding, what support you have etc.

I miss having a newborn, I now have a 3 month old who is starting to demand more attention and needs entertaining more. Nights are hard with a newborn but you have a lot more time through the day and the cuddles are the best!

First 3 months is easy all my daughter did was eat and sleep! I really enjoyed that time.

I enjoyed the baby stage immensely - newborn, little, bigger, weaning... babies are adorable; you will never have known love like it. I had 5!

It is a bit tiring, but most cope... but then again we have to!

Or have I made the biggest mistake of my life, which is soon to be not even my own life anymore?

I would ignore what everyone else has to say about it. I quickly realised that no one's experiences of labour, birth, the newborn stage were of any use to me, because no one else had my body, my mind, and my baby.

OP, I loathed it (admittedly there were some challenging circumstances specific to my own situation), but the thing that is key is that, even if you do experience misery/loss of identity/isolation etc which were absolutely my own experience it is strictly temporary.

You get yourself back again, in every sense. It doesn't feel like it at the time, but you do. So don't panic. You might adore every second, and I hope you do, but if you loathe it, your baby grows into a toddler and a preschooler (surprisingly fast) and you go back to who you were before, but with a fabulous small person around.

But I wouldn't waste my time and alarm myself reading the postnatal boards now. Enjoy your pregnancy.

I loved it. I didn't breastfeed and DS slept through from quite early on so I wasn't sleep deprived, and I recovered from the birth quite easily so was able to go out and about. I was quite young so it was a bit overwhelming, but I still thought it was the best age. I think everyone has a different experience though.

I absolutely loved it both times! Newborns are just soooo tiny and precious. They don't need entertainment so you can do whatever you want - cuddle them and watch TV or read, put them in bed with you and nap, take them in the pram or sling on nice walk.

You've probably heard of the baby blues that hit you on day 3-5 after birth, well I was teary on those days, but it was tears of happiness.

The only bad thing about newborn stage is, it's too short.

My tip is stop reading the parenting/post natal boards for now. I read them constantly and was convinced it would be the worst possible time of my life. Turns out it was the best, and I regret causing myself so much anxiety over it.

@Hopefulhen is right.

I loved it. until I crashed and burned when she was 4 months old and decided that she wasn't sleeping any more

It's hard, no denying it but the hormones got me through.

She's now a very cheeky, charming and beautiful 6 year old.

Wouldn't swap it for the world.

What're on about; I was totally in love with my babies from the minute they were born. My daughter came at midnight, and I spent her first night gazing at her in her little hospital cot. I also really loved the first months and years of her life - before school and all the other commitments like clubs and playdates started. Try to enjoy every moment!

I’ve got three kids and the newborn stage has always been my favourite stage.

I loved the co-sleeping/breast feeding/sling wearing closeness, gazing at them for hours whilst they slept.

I loved it, recovery from episiotomy and sleep part was hard. Dd is 4 months now and still a terrible sleeper, but her smile melts me every single time.
Dreading going back to work after my maternity leave☹️
It is hard work but manageable and congratulations 😊