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?

Im lying with my 4 month old asleep on my chest. It's fab you just cuddle them all day.

If you’ve got an easy one it’s the best. I’ve experienced a colicky baby who cried and hardly slept which was the hardest thing I ever done, the other slept loads, hardly cried and was a joy. I’d have a third if I could guarantee the latter!

Absolutely loved the newborn stage! As chocifish says, boobs are the answer to everything. And having spent my entire life being exhausted, I was pleased to discover that I didn't feel any more tired than normal!

I loved it. The second time around, it’s a bit less fun as I don’t have as much time to enjoy her - there’s just too much to do!

It was my favourite part. I loved it. It just went downhill once they grew into toddlers and started arguing with me.

My favourite part!!!! If I could have a newborn stay a newborn forever I would! Enjoy the new born bubble it's amazing! Yes you don't sleep but after a while I just found I didn't need to sleep anymore 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

It was pretty full on with lots of little worries but I LOVED it OP. Take your time and enjoy your little one being small... everything else can wait

It was lovely and I look back at photos of my dd when she was a baby and well up. It’s a weird thing because I do miss her being that tiny but, she’s so much more fun now.

When she was a newborn I remember looking at her thinking “I can’t imagine loving you more than I already do now” and oddly you just love them more and more each day.

Recognising my post is a bit vom but there’s a flip side and the sleep deprivation is hard but it’s so worth it.

Congratulations OP!

Another one who loved it! Both my babies were delightful newborns. All snuggly & lovely & settled.
It came as a genuine surprise to me when ds1 was such a lovely wee thing after all the horror stories I’d been told.
I’d have another 10 newborns, but not another pregnancy. That was the bit I hated!

I'm so happy you made this thread OP. I've not been enjoying pregnancy that much and this has been a lovely read, and made me excited for my baby being here thanks everyone!!!

Absolutely loved it 😍

Staying at home, meeting friends, baby groups, going for walks with the pram... what's not to like!

Yes, we had less money but you honestly don't care as it's so nice to be work and doing things as a new family. I loved it just as much the second time round and this involved soft play - I always liked going there too!

MN will definitely think I'm odd 😅

This is a weird one for me to answer. I have PND so I've been finding it tough but separate from that DS is just so cute. I've cuddled him pretty much constantly for 15 weeks now and I'd have it other way, we're finding our rhythm so I'm not so tired which helps. Every week it seems like he can do something new which is amazing. Once I can get myself feeling better I'll be very happy.

Newborns are the easiest stage! Of course you may be unlucky and have a difficult baby, but they are little, transportable, can offer no opinions, are really cute, do not throw food around, do not have melt downs in the middle of the supermarket because you won't buy them some toy, do not say they hate you, do not do the absolute opposite of what you ask, do not ignore you, do not take drugs, do not get so drunk outside the local cinema that someone calls an ambulance... yes I have teens now!
Honestly babies are easy, tiring, but easy. It's when they have minds of their own that it gets tricky. But each stage is wonderful (yes even teens). But it's true, it may feel like babyhood drags on forever while you are living it, but it goes by really fast!

LOVED new born stage with DD1, not so much with DD2.

IM not going to sugar coat it. I didn’t enjoy it one bit. It wasn’t so much the night feeds etc as She used to wake up once abd go straight back to sleep after she was changed and fed. I think it was more nerves etc as they’re so delicate at that age, aren’t they.
I’m one of those who loves the toddler stage. They’re so funny. If I’d have had my way dd would have came out at 2.
That’s just my experience though and it seems (assuming people are telling you how it really was and not what you want to hear or what they want to believe) I’m very much in the minority.?

I love it. He's small, sweet, adorable, and totally wonderful.

Yes it is hard sometimes, boring at times too, he doesn't do much obviously but it's nowhere near as hard as I thought it would be.

I had so many people saying it was awful, tiring, terrible, depressing, lonely and so on and that just hasn't been my experience at all.

I'm honestly not even that tired. I mean I've been more tired. For me, getting up every day and going into work is way harder and more exhausting. I'm pretty introverted though so staying at home all day with someone who doesn't talk is pretty much my thing!

And maybe it's just me, but I don't even feel like my life has changed that much. We still do all the things we used to really, just now we have a baby too.

I definitely recommend preparing meals, that has helped a lot. Take any help you can get, my MIL comes over to take our dog out for example. My kindle has been a life saver, far easier to read while holding a baby.

Also, make sure your husband/partner is on board and is going to step up - 99% sure the reason I've found it relatively easy is that my husband does his share. I read about these men who have never changed a nappy and don't know where the hoover is kept and I just can't relate. It sounds horrible.

And just to add, I am not maternal in the slightest. I never had any interest in babies before I had him so fully expected to hate this stage.

The negativity from some people was the shittest part of pregnancy for me and now I'm enjoying telling those people that I really love him being here!

Oh I loved having newborns!! Shove them on a boob whilst rocking in the feeding chair, have a handy table with drinks and snacks and read and mumsnet for hours whilst feeding. Plus they smell delicious and make cute noises and sleep a lot albeit waking at inconvenient times. But all 3 of mine were reasonably content newborns who breastfed without too much effort.

@LoveIsLovely I've said to so many people that they're right, I still don't like babies, I like this baby.

I adored it. Just snuggling my little baby all day. Perfection.

I loved having a newborn. Frightening (so tiny ! ), but the most wonderful time.

My first child is adopted and when I had a very unexpected birth child 2 years later I was really looking forward to the newborn stage. It was lovely, she was a super easy baby and slotted into my toddlers routine no problem. We had lovely days just the two of us when my eldest was at nursery.

I loved it! It was the most wonderful time in my life

Teens are much harder than toddlers. ..