What I wish people had told me when I had my first baby...

[bradleybecky]

Any thoughts?

That it's ok to not 'enjoy every minute'

Fuck routines, just enjoy your baby!

Don't expect to do anything except feed the baby for the first two weeks.

There's always more wind.

Everything is 'a phase'. Worry less and enjoy them more.
I'm on my 3rd baby (now 6 months) and both she and I are A LOT more relaxed. I spend more time cuddling her and BF whenever.

That you can't actually 'spoil' your baby by cuddling him or her too much.

The newborn doesn't need a "bedtime routine".

That it's fine if all you do all you do for the first month is sit on the sofa with your baby. You will not spoil your baby by holding them all the time.

Also, baby vests can be pulled down in the event of a poo explosion

You will cry at everything around day 3 postnatal for about a week, you don't need all the cute outfits, it's just easier to keep them in sleepsuits and rompers and you can never have enough muslin clothes

Listen to the advice and read the guidelines but remember that they aren't gospel, there are always good reasons for guidelines but you decide what you go with. Don't stress out about every tiny thing.

You will never have a shit in peace again.

Or a full nights sleep.

That first babies aren't always late!

That a BF baby can be hungry again - even after 10 mins since last feed. And that they can and will feed for hours at a stretch (cluster feeding) particularly in the early days. I wasted hours rocking, swinging, singing, pacing when the poor thing must have just been starving!!

Go with your gut instinct. There are no rules or instructions

You will say "you can't be hungry again?!"

They are. And then again 10 mins later.

Babies don't read baby books.

That no one comes round and tells you it's ok to dress them. DS wore a nappy and was wrapped in a blanket in the hospital for 2 days because I was expecting someone to tell me when I could dress him. In fairness I wasn't that well for the first 12 hours, no excuse for the rest!

That I would spend a lot of time laughing because kids are genuinely funny!

The only questions that matter are: is the baby safe, fed, rested and content? And are you coping?

If the answer to all of the above is yes, you don't need to change a thing, whether you are doing it 'by the book' or not. Ignore what other people are doing with their babies, ignore advice that you are making a rod for your own back, spoiling the baby etc - if it is working for you both it is working.

*Today 23:15 Raiseyourglass26

You will cry at everything around day 3 postnatal for about a week, you don't need all the cute outfits, it's just easier to keep them in sleepsuits and rompers and you can never have enough muslin clothes*

All of this

Also, babies can burp louder than the average adult LOL

That every baby is different. Everyone is only an expert on their baby, you and babies dad are an expert on yours. Listen and seek advice from other parents but don't live by it if you and your partner don't feel it's working.
And always have calpol in the house!

It won't always be like this. Fun times do come. It's not all sick and poonamis. It won't always be like this.

Be kind to yourself. If baby is fine but you are getting greyer by the day, change something.

that yes, you probably can manage to walk through doors without concussing them (or was that just my fear?) you don't need to tidy for any hv visits and that newborns don't actually need entertaining says she who worried that her days old baby might be getting bored.

oh and you don't need to check about changing the first nappy, in fact that one is probably up to you.