Best bits

[bluemarie87]

Okay so recently I've been down.. quite badly. My baby is coming up to 8 weeks.
I know people's babies are different and peoples opinions are different but what's the best parts of being a parent? And what age did it all become easier for you? I'm aware easy is never going to come but just thoughts to try and cheer me up pls x

My son is 2 and he's the easiest he's ever been. He was a terrible napper as a baby and had terrible reflux. Now he doesn't need a nap and keeps all his food down. He entertains himself, is very happy and funny and excited by little things like sitting in a toy car at tesco. I'm pregnant now so bracing myself for impact!

When baby turned 3 months, I started to find things a bit easier but tbh it wasn't until he turned 10 months that I really thought 'I've got this, I can do this!'. When he turned 10 months he started sleeping through the night every so often and I think for me this really was the key to feeling better - I'm one of those people who really struggle with no sleep.

He's 18 months now and really is an absolute joy, a really caring and beautiful boy with a kind and gentle heart. I love being a mummy. I think I always have, it was just the sheer physicality of the early days that came as a shock to me.

My DD is only 1, but she makes us laugh every single day. She's hilarious and her laugh is infectious.

Honestly, she was a very easy baby so we've been v lucky, but I'd say that around six months, once she was able to sit up herself, things got a bit easier, or at least more enjoyable, than those newborn weeks/months in the sense that she was quite happy sitting playing with toys by herself so I could get stuff done. There's a big change around 12 weeks too, when they become a lot more interested in what's going on around them and start interacting with you more, and you feel less like it's one-way traffic and more like there's a back and forth relationship growing there.

Also once weaning started - she LOVES food and we had a great time introducing her to new foods. I found that whole process really fun (albeit messy!).

The thing is that everyone's baby is different. Easy babies can stay easy or become difficult toddlers. Difficult/high needs babies can stay difficult or become easy toddlers. So everyone's experience will be totally different. I try not to think about it as getting easier or harder, but just things changing, and it's all temporary.

I found the first few months incredibly difficult with my DS, I didnt start to properly enjoy him until around 6 months. He's 21 months now and he is so funny and we love being around him. I'm writing this with a 5day old on my chest, preparing to go through it all again. It can be so hard but on the down days just remember it does get better. And if you're feeling really low, definitely speak to your GP, I did and it made everything much better x

Yours is in or near the smiling at you stage. Has that happened yet?

My 10 week old is now smiling when he sees me and it melts my heart.

@Gobbycop yes he's started smiling which is lovely.
I have seen the doctor and I am on antidepressants which I don't mind to admitting to as I've found the whole experience overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time and my anxiety is sky high. I adore my baby but it's such hard work. He doesn't sleep brilliantly through the night and it's tough!
I'm aware all babies are different it's just nice to hear some positives. There's so many negatives that people don't tell you until you've given birth or got pregnant. I know in the long run the positives will outweigh the negatives but my god it's hard this stage! X

I think sleep is a massive factor tbh. I know people say 'Didn't you know little babies don't sleep?' and of course you know that on an intellectual level, but I don't think anything really prepares you for what that actually feels like when it's night after night. DD has always been a good sleeper, but a close friend who had a baby around the same time really struggled because her DD would only sleep in 45-min bursts for weeks. She went to the doctor thinking she had PND and the doctor suggested that she was perhaps just exhausted and running on empty, which it turned out was actually the case. Her DC suddenly started sleeping three-hour chunks v the 45-min ones and she said she felt back to her old self again –she was just absolutely knackered, and that level of tiredness affects everything you do. So don't underestimate how much being tired can affect things - make sure you are getting as much rest as you can, even if that means taking it in shifts to get some solid chunks of sleep.

Hi OP I remember trawling these boards a year ago asking posters when it got easier. DD is now 13 months and things are so so much better. I agree with PP that a huge part of it for me was sleep. She was an awful sleeper until she was one (sorry) and we did controlled crying. In three nights things improved drastically - she still wakes once or twice a night but she goes to bed at 7pm and settles quickly when she wakes up. The key thing is I'm not lying in bed, knackered, but too anxious to shut my eyes as I know I'm going to hear the crying and have to get up again.

It's so hard at the beginning especially if you have a baby which cries a lot. Now DD is in a proper routine (ish), is funny and happy and although she's still demanding she sleeps ok and has a two hour nap at the same time every day. When she's awake she doesn't just lie there screaming.

This has been a bit of a ramble but it does get easier - my advice is to try and give yourself something to look forward to once a month for the first year. Before you know it you'll have a little toddler and things will be much more normal.

I've found it just gets easier and easier, baby bit was the worst. She's nearly 6 now. But others found the toddler bit harder than the baby bit so it's hard to say how it'll be for you.

For me, 12 weeks things became easier and I found a flow. That fog in the early stages with sleep deprivation feels relentless but it does change. I think I enjoyed 5 months onwards the most, DS is 3 and it just keeps getting more fun!

I’m sorry you’re having a tough time OP, and I get it (mum of 3 here, the youngest 7 months).

What is it you’re finding hardest? Lack of sleep for you? Figuring out your baby’s sleep / routine? Lots of crying? Change of identity for you?

6 months + is brilliant in my opinion, once they can sit up to play, naps are more regular, they start to really interact and develop a personality and just give more back really.

The massive smile and the run towards you with arms outstretched when you collect them from nursery.

What @DesLynamsMoustache said.
I didn't enjoy the small baby time.
Don't get me wrong - I can coo over a tiny baby with the best of them, but that is very different from being responsible for them 24/7 and being sleep deprived.

Be kind to yourself - it does get easier.