to really dislike the newborn stage?

[CharlotteBronteSaurus]

DD2 is 5 weeks. She was a very welcome surprise, but by god I had blanked out how rotten the newborn stage is. She has three states: sleeping, feeding, and screaming. The latter predominates; the former is rare and very hard won. Occasionally I get rewarded with a smile, but most often these are reserved for the cat.

I am a knackered, scruffy harridan, barking at poor DD1 and fat through ready meals and comfort chocolate. AIBU to be counting down the days until she's a lovely giggly 6month old?

[Goingspare]

YANBU.

Giving birth to a 2 year-old would be even more painful though.

[mamasmissionimpossible]

I didn't particularly enjoy the newborn phase. Neither my ds or dd slept very well and were both screamers and could not be put down. I much prefer them as toddlers, with their own personalities.

I would like a third dc, but I am really worried about them being a nightmare newborn like my others.

[AnnieLobeseder]

Newborns suck. They're noisy, smelly and completely ungrateful. They're only any fun at all and worth the effort once they get to 6 months.

Why some women keep having kids just so they can have a baby around I will never understand.

DD2 has finally got to 2.5 years, this is the big moment I've been waiting for - no more babies in the house! Woo hoo!!

Disclaimer - I did actually love my DDs when they were babies, but I like them a lot more now they're proper people.

[darleneconnor]

I think it gets worse before it gets better though.

At least newborns are portable. I prefer slings to buggies any day.

Also, in the early days there is the 'novelty factor for other people- plenty of visitors, gifts, cards, meals mad efor you etc. After 4 months all that has worn off but you're still not getting any sleep and feeding all the time.

Tiny nappies (esp if bf) smell much nicer than weaning babies. It's also easier that you can put them in the middle of a big room (to go to the toilet etc) and they will still be there when you get back! No worrying about babyproofing.

If it was up to me I'd skip the first 2 1/2 years altogether!

[takethatlady]

for kodokan's 'tiny aggressive drunk'

[blueshinyxmasbauble]

YANBU, we call the birth - 12 week stage being "in the trenches" in our house.

DS2 is one this month and when I look back on his first year it is broken down thus:

First week = utter delight, crying with happiness, constantly staring at him..

Second week to tenth week = the trenches. Screaming, colicky, only settle on me, co-sleeping (which worked a dream). Impact on DH, DS1, family harmony, crabbit, tired...

Three to five months = better, still tricky though with copious night feeds

Five months onwards = MUCH easier, slept through at 6.5 months

Nearly a year = gorgeous, chubby, fun, sleeps all night, Mama and Dada, loves his big brother, bum shuffler extraordinaire. I wish I could capture him at this stage forever...

It will get easier and until then there is always chocolate and sky+

[camdancer]

YANBU. I'm currently 15 weeks pg with DC3 and already dreading the first 6 months. No sleep, constant feeding or crying and they give absolutely nothing back. What's to like? Got to get all the baby stages out of the way as quickly as possible. For me, they just get more fun as they get older. At least I have something to look forward to.

[wayoftheworld]

YANBU- it is just hard work for very little reward. However you have to go through with it, there is no other way ( unless you hire a nanny ).

[Bumpsadaisie]

Well I think it depends a bit on how you found being pregnant. I had an miserable pregnancy with DD - sickness and felt just plain ill the whole time. Consequently once she was out, it was an improvement. Sure I was knackered, but I felt "normal" again which made up for it.

So actually I rather enjoyed the newborn bit! TTC DC2 now, and not sure how I would find it next time round though ...

[stickersarecurrency]

I totally agree that newborns are the pits. Both of mine have teased me with a couple of weeks of placid delightfulness before morphing into howling wind-filled insomniac hooligans. DS became moderately pleasant company around 6 months. DD is not a patch on him but if she'd been my first I'd still be half mad with it by now and she's only 11 weeks. Toddlers are SO much easier. It does go fast but for some of us there's little to treasure. Until fairly recently I could still find myself in tears if I thought about DS's first six months.

[motherinferior]

Oh, I loathed pregnancy too. Frankly, the whole 15 months from conception on are a bit horrid IMO.

Children, on the other hand, are surprisingly delightful. I'd never really thought about children as opposed to babies, but they are really quite terrific.

[Petsville]

I hated pregnancy too, the newborn stage was better than that (while still awful). I'm with motherinferior on the 15 months from conception.

Agree about children - I have three godchildren, aged between 2 and 5, and they're all fascinating now. At the baby stage I could take or leave them (mostly leave, to be honest).

[EdgarAllenSnow]

YANBU. rock on full time school.

[ShanahansRevenge]

Oh YABU! I love it! They are like little handbags...go anywhere with them! They're gorgeous and predictable....change them,feed them, pat them and put them to bed! Lovely.

[motherinferior]

And then the buggers scream and scream and scream. For hours.

[AllGoodNamesGone]

Am amazed that anyone thinks toddlers are easier than newborns!

But then I don't seem to be able to produce the type of toddler who will sit nicely and draw for even a short while and, instead, get the little whirlwinds who are a right handful delightfully exuberant and have most adults exhausted just watching them for five minutes!

For me toddlerhood was the time when people would say things about what a lovely age it was and I'd feel really confused and inadequate because I was being woken at some ungodly hour of the morning and then spending the day with the sole aim of tiring them out enough so they would go to bed early and sleep well only to go through it all again the next day and the next and the next ...

The constant mess they make! Feeling like the person in McDonald's who constantly clears tables and washes the floor only to finish one area and find the bit she just did is messed up again ...

Feeling like you may as well serve every meal straight into the bin and cut out the middle man ...

Of course I worshipped the ground they walked on (with their muddy little feet) and there were some lovely moments mixed in with the drudgery - watching them sleep being a particular highlight - but I would have liked to fast forward them from about 18 months to starting school!

15, 13 and 11 now and, so far finding teenagers way easier than toddlers!

Funny how we are all different isn't it

[emy72]

YANBU but I absolutely LOVED the newborn stage and it goes far too quickly........

[motherinferior]

And apparently lots of people find nine year old girls hard work too .

[pigletmania]

YANBU at all I hated it. My dd would scream from 9-9 every day (bad colic), and was never really a contented baby at all. When that was over, the teething came and more coliky type crying all day everyday until the pain passed. My dd 3.9 years still doesent sleep the night. Once she turned 2 things got easier and I started to enjoy being a mum. All those who are saying that YABU have probably had placid and contented babies, not screaming babies all day everyday which are very hard to sooth plus PND on top of it.

[pigletmania]

Even toddlerhood was not easy but far better than babyhood.

[pigletmania]

Shananansrevenge, you are one of the lucky ones who have the prefect placid baby, not dd screaming the shopping centre down, so i have to dash on the bus home being careful she does nto damage any passengers eardrums in the process. And no she did have a cute little cry, a foghorn more like, sounded like a siren jolting you from your nice restful sleep or shop, the loudest baby about.

[CharlotteBronteSaurus]

LOL at 'foghorn cry'
i've only been as far as toddler group today, but dd2's "good pair of lungs" have remarked upon. by 4 sepsrate people.

[hairyfairylights]

God, some of the posts on here are totally and utterly insensitive to those of us who keep miscarrying and would give anything for six months of no sleep and 'nothing back'. :(

think before you post, people.