Anyone who actually enjoyed the first few months with a newborn?

[Marghe87]

I am just hoping to hear some good stuff from women who actually enjoyed the first few months of motherhood.

I read a lot about all the hard bits: breastfeeding, sleepless nights, colic, teething, being tired and feeling lonely etc etc… But I am sure that the goods somehow overcome the bads (I think?! Otherwise I don't understand why people would have more than 1 !). So have the first few months of motherhood been good for any of you? Or is it just tiredness and desperation one has to expect? :)

I loved it second time round when I knew what to expect and lowered my expectations and just accepted babies generally like to be held so you will be eating one handed for a while.
It was a shock to my system with my first though. I wish I could do it all over again with my first and just not worry I was doing the wrong thing and why didn’t my baby feed 3 hourly etc like I’d been led to believe.

I loved it. Probably why I did it 4 times over the course of 15 years.
I find it harder when they’re mobile. When they want cuddling all day it’s great though. Especially once I was confident enough with a sling and co-sleeping.

Love them. Like proper loved the newborn stage.

Curled up on the sofa, feeding baby, ordering my dh around for tea, snacks, bottles and Muslins. Was heaven 😍 yes new borns are hard but their far easier than when their at the crawling stage 😬

I have a 9 week old. Yes it’s very tiring, he has his screaming moments and a full nights sleep is a thing of the past, but I’m loving it. He is gorgeous and snuggly and lovely ❤️

Today it’s freezing cold and raining outside so the 2 of us are snuggled on the sofa watching Netflix. It’s definitely significantly better than work!

Yes I did! Although I have shit pregnancies so just not being any more was bliss in itself. I remember the midwife warning me after DC1’s birth that my really happy mood was totally normal for now but I should watch out for a crash - crash never came.

It was hard and I think harder at 3+ months than newborn, and DC1 was a hellish non-sleeping unputdownable velcro baby, but the good stuff more than made up for it.

I’m one month in with my third and it’s so great. I had twins the first time around and there was a lot I couldn’t appreciate because we were in an endless cycle of feeding, nappies and napping. The house was a mess and I was very tired but obsessed with everyone thinking I was bossing it.

This time, I’m certainly tired but #3 is very laid back, great at feeding and super cuddly. Yesterday we went to the special baby-friendly showing of a film at a local cinema, did a bit of shopping and I got my haircut. It’s like being on holiday. Plus, she has this way of looking around that suggests that she’s fascinated with her new world, but also a deeply wise old soul. I’m crazy about her and wish she could stay this small and cuddly forever, even though I know there’s lots of great stuff to come.

I think part of it is that the difficult bits are easy to describe, but the good bits are so ineffable.

I mean, if I told you my husband and I were so sleep deprived in the second week we had a screaming row that almost ended our marriage, that sounds awful. And if I go on to say that it was all worth it because I spent an hour gazing at her sleepy little face... well, you'd probably think I was mad.

I thought I didn't like babies, and was fully prepared to slog through to get to the good stuff, and was pleasantly surprised to find my baby completely amazing

Still, it's probably better to be prepared for the worst and surprised by the joy than the other way round.

I loved it! Yes you're tired and a full nights sleep seems like a distant memory. However there is a reason a newborn baby wakes up in the night, when said baby is 15months old and still waking in the night, that's not as easy to deal with!
You can go wherever you want to and chances are that the baby will sleep throughout. A toddler will not! Ever!

DD is 16 weeks now and I’ve loved it! I’d say she’s not a difficult baby but not an easy baby either on comparison with others. She just brings me so much happiness, watching her grow and change, and a feeling of purpose I’ve not had before. It’s great!

Yes I loved it! I mean it wasn't all a bed of roses mainly the tiredness and loneliness but I still really liked it. I'd go do it again if I could

Absolutely loved it - apart from the first 5 days when we struggled with feeding, but once that fell into place I adored it. DS was an easy baby mind you, I can completely understand why it's not everyone's favourite. He's on 18 months now and I'm finding this stage MUCH harder - toddlers are savages!!

I think the best Way I could describe it is - ‘harder than I thought but better than I thought.’ I didnt imagine the weight of the responsibility but also couldn’t ever imagine the love and joy. Mines three months today and after the initial terror and anxiety of doing it all wrong I’ve loved it all- he does sleep really well though...

I loved it, I look back at photos now and could cry. Id love to do it all again. Yes it’s hard some days and it’s not all a bed of roses but it’s amazing and such a special time. Well it was for me, both times. The overwhelming love I felt for my babies and the total happiness just sitting cuddling them was just lovely. I found my babies totally intoxicating when they were tiny, it’s hard to explain but I just felt besotted and so in love! Found breastfeeding tough for a few weeks but still loved doing it, it just felt right. The newborn days are over in a flash even though it can feel long at the time, it really isn’t x

Even amongst all the sore stuff from birth and so on my favourite memories are the newborn night feeds and cuddles.

So peaceful just me and DD with no vistoes bothering us or calls from people. Just us and it was lovely.

Loved them. First time around was super special. It was winter so I always say we hybernated together for 3 months and then when I felt she needs more structure in her daytime we stratedsoing much more. But we would snuggle and shut the world out and just enjoy each other. I loved her napping on me (once i had got the hang of making sure I had everything to hand and hopefully a quick wee before that) . Second time newborn days were busier as we had to fit in with the eldest but still managed some quiet snuggles that I treasure the memory of. Yes I loved the newborn days. Tbf I did also have to say pretty much sod the housework and everything else!

If babies didn't grow into toddlers I'd have another one I'm finding the toddler stage much more challenging!

I loved it! I think if you have a halfway reasonable baby and no other children those early months are the easiest (after the first couple of weeks, which are a bit chaotic).

Like you I was over prepared to struggle in the early days, so it all came as a pleasant surprise. We will not discuss some of the subsequent stages, for which I was not so thoroughly braced.

Exactly all the cuddling. Amazing. You're right though you often hear bad stuff about the newborn stage but then if I'd had a different baby it might have been harder anyway who knows!!

With, dd, no. Ds, yes

i think as a mum it's so individual, i'm very energetic and an never still, so i loved the 1yr upwards stages, yet the baby part i hated!! my dds are 9 and 7 now and each day is better than the last.

don't beat yourself up, you may hate this stage but love the toddling stage which loads of people hate.
For me, the lack of sleep was horrific

Dd was an easy newborn. No colic or sleepness nights. She started teething just before 4 months so had a few bad episodes with that, plus a sleep regression which seems to have finished now. All in all if you have an easy baby it’s not too hard (so far). The hardest part for me has been keeping the day filled otherwise I just plonk myself in front of the tv and try and entertain dd with books, toys, then nap then repeat. I could easily go stir crazy if I didn’t go to three or four baby classes a week.

I loved every single second. Anxiety was the only downside.

DS would sleep clutching my little finger. If he was hungry he would start sucking it. He would feed back to sleep and I would be so disappointed he didn’t stay awake longer.

Couldn't sit down for ages as I'd been sewn up to tightly and didn't heal for 6 months, was anaemic and had to go for iron transfusions at the hospital for a week afterwards. Breast feeding was awful - he took a whole bottle of formula after feeding for an hour on me one night and that was it - done by 1 month. He had severe reflux too. I was super tired all of the time and I thought he cried a lot and seemed unhappy. recently I looked back at some early photos and actually he was quite a smiley baby! He'll be 4 this week and now I think he is the best thing ever!

I loved the baby stage, even if DS was colicky for a few weeks and I was exhausted... peak enjoyment was from 3 months until about 18 months, now he’s a headstrong toddler with zero fear and I’m heavily pregnant it’s not a good combination 😂

Thank you all for these lovely stories. Very precious times indeed.
Is it the toddler face I should e scared of then? :) Lol