Now that motherhood has been a part of my life for almost 5 weeks, I feel a little more confident about all things mom and baby related. Notice I said “a little more confident”… I still have a long ways to go, but looking back to when Monkey was just born, I have come a long way. There’s still so much for me to learn and room for my confidence to increase tenfold.
Motherhood is so unique that nothing except experience can really prepare you. You can read books, blogs, or listen to advice from parents, but it will not be the same when you have a child. It’s just something that you need to figure out on your own according to your needs and your baby’s needs. I have a feeling that motherhood is a constant learning experience that just makes you into a better mom day after day.
While I have no idea what the future holds or what obstacles will come our way, I do know that there were many things that no one told me about after childbirth, labor and delivery, and coming home with baby and what to expect. I hope to pass these things onto you so that you won’t be as surprised at some of them like I was.
And in no particular order, here are some things on what to expect after childbirth, labor and delivery, and coming home with baby that no one told me about:
1. I never expected motherhood to feel so lonely, especially in the beginning. Talk about being thrown into the unknown world of breastfeeding, poopy diapers, a squirmy newborn, and lack of sleep. It was a challenge to say the very least.
2. Unsolicited advice from everyone. If I had a dime for every time my mom told me that I was started on rice cereal when I was 1 week old because I consumed 32 oz of formula in one night & maybe, just maybe, that would be good for Monkey, I’d be rich.
3. Feeling possessive over baby, especially with in-laws. I feel like they are taking time away from me bonding with Monkey and I have no idea why. I do not feel this way with my mom or my husband. Perhaps it’s my hormones.
4. I had no idea that I would do laundry and the dishes at least one time every single day. (Stock up on dishwashing detergent & Dreft, or whatever detergent you use for your baby’s clothes.)
5. I never knew that I wouldn’t be able to drive for 6 weeks after giving birth. And this was a vaginal birth with a minimal tear that required just a couple of stitches. It made no sense to me really. The OB on call said that it was in case I was driving and had to brake fast that could be dangerous since I just gave birth. Despite me not understanding even after this explanation, I still followed and didn’t drive for 6 weeks.
6. Postpartum bleeding (aka lochia). Basically bleeding, like a really heavy period, for many days after giving birth. Once the heavy bleeding stopped, I was greeted with a lighter blood. This part was a complete surprise to me and one of the things I dreaded the most. Wearing a pad in your panties constantly really sucks & I felt like I smelled all of the time. I could do without this postpartum bleeding for sure. Consider yourself warned.
7. Feeling like a cow milking all the time. Not to knock breastfeeding at all, but pumping breastmilk was no fun. Talk about feeling like a cow being milked.
8. Hormones being so out of whack and having a hard time emotionally. Never expected this one at all. Again not to knock the ladies that suffer from the baby blues and postpartum depression, but I just thought I was strong enough to not suffer from this. As you and I both know, being strong has nothing to do with it. And who would have guessed that I would have to be on an anti-depressant for postpartum depression.
9. The bathroom experience. This one ties into the postpartum bleeding. After you go to the bathroom, you have to cleanse yourself and your lady parts with a squirt bottle full of warm water. Then pat area dry. Then spray dermoplast on the area. Then put a pad in your panties. Then put two witch hazel pads overlapping on the pad that is already in your panties. Then spray epifoam on the witch hazel pads. Pull up panties. Wash hands. Repeat every single time you have to go to the bathroom.
10. Being so tired, but not being able to nap during the day. I think I’ve adjusted for the most part to not sleeping as much as I used to, but in the beginning it was really tough. I’ve never been a napper before, but I thought that I’d be able to nap after giving birth. Well, I was wrong. I would be so freakin’ tired, go lay down in my bed while the baby was napping, even put on a sleep mask to block out the light, and still would not be able to fall asleep. So frustrating.
11. Feeling like a supermom to try to get everything done during the day.
12. Feeling like a guilty mom if I’m not holding little Monkey constantly.
13. It only took waking up once with leaky boobs & a wet tank for me to remember to wear nursing pads all of the time.
14. Amazed at the weight loss that seemed to virtually fall off, but feeling so flabby & out of shape & still wearing maternity clothes.
15. Hearing my baby cry sends shivers down my spine and that crying is only for two seconds until I figure out what it is that he wants.
16. Getting peed on isn’t nearly as bad or awful as I thought it would be. I feel proud for shielding the urine from Monkey’s face at my expense. Getting pooped on is another story though.
17. If parents or in-laws offer to stay with you and help out after you get home from the hospital, ask questions first. If they are willing to help out and cook meals, clean up, and let you sleep – say yes! If they expect you to do that stuff while they hold the baby – think twice about it. For real.
18. Think about whether or not you want visitors at the hospital. I was sure that I did, but then changed my mind once I was in the hospital. It was too much, with trying to get the hang of breastfeeding, changing diapers, etc. I had the nurse put a note on the door that said “no visitors please”. It was necessary to keep my sanity. (The same goes for when you arrive home too.)
19. Don’t worry about not returning phone calls immediately. Tell your husband to call or send out a text letting people know that you are doing just fine, but don’t feel obligated to call anyone back. At least I didn’t. Just last week I called my best friend back. If they are your true friends, even if they haven’t had a baby yet, they will understand. I promise.
20. In the hospital, especially when I was breastfeeding, I would feel awful, awful cramps in my stomach. I was informed that this was my uterus contracting to get back down to its original size and that breastfeeding helps it faster. The cramping hurt at times and then I would feel & notice a large amount of blood coming out. The lactation consultant, nursery nurse, and my nurse all told me that it was so normal.
21. Bowel movements. I was scared that the first bowel movement would hurt, but it did not at all. It took about 3 weeks postpartum for me to return back to being, um, regular on a daily basis. I tried to help things along, even bought & drank prune juice, which is as completely awful as I thought it would be.
22. Witch hazel pads (or Tucks) feel oh so good down there.
23. Initially I didn’t want to eat or drink anything after giving birth and for the first weeks after returning home. I think I was just having a lot of the postpartum blues and that affected my appetite. Glad to say that it is and has been back to normal for about two weeks.
24. The first week you come home with baby is the most rough. Remind yourself that it gets better every day.
25. It’s ok if you aren’t flowing with joy right away. I woke up from a nap during the first week & my initial thought was “damn, this is still my life”.
26. Night sweating. Talk about going from being 29 years old and in my prime to feeling menopausal overnight. Night sweating is no fun and still plagues me a few nights a week. I’m told it’s the blood volume adjusting back to normal and that it should stop soon. I can only hope. Tarzan even told me that I soaked his pillow and the sheets the other night. Gross & that just adds more laundry to wash.
27. No exercise until my 6 week appointment. It’s probably a good thing that this is a “rule” because I don’t know how I would have found the time (or energy) to exercise right after Monkey was born. I’m so completely jealous of those ladies who return to their skinny selves during this period because it just means that they have good genes and I don’t.
28. When I run errands, I walk around proudly. Yes, I have a flabby tummy postpartum, but that serves as a reminder that I carried my son for 9 months in a healthy atmosphere and that I have a healthy son waiting for me at home. There is nothing more empowering than knowing that I survived childbirth and that it was a great experience for me.
29. I had my tonsils out in 2004 and it hurt so bad. Someone once told me that having your tonsils out hurt worse than childbirth. Obviously I couldn’t agree or disagree with them since I hadn’t gone through childbirth then. Now having gone through childbirth, I can agree that having my tonsils out and the two week recovery period was a lot worse than having my son. Of course I do owe it all to the epidural.
30. I have become strangely comfortable with a houseful of clutter & baby items everywhere.
31. I have also become strangely comfortable with sharing my story of labor and delivery & breastfeeding with people that I hardly know.
32. Doing laundry & dishes daily has become something I look forward to because it gives my nipples a chance to rest (when I was breastfeeding).
33. Going out to walk the dog and forgetting to see what I look like before leaving the house happens more often than I would have ever thought.
34. I thought I was bad about not wanting people to touch my pregnant belly, but lady, don’t you even think about coming close or touching my baby! Back the eff off.
35. A lot of the baby stuff I just had to have is still sitting in the unused baby nursery upstairs.
36. I brought way too much stuff for labor and delivery at the hospital. I only used maybe a couple of things and the rest was just extra stuff for Tarzan to lug around.
37. You can never have enough batteries for all of the devices you use to keep your baby quiet, entertained, and asleep.
38. Two words for future moms that’ll be extremely helpful to you & you’ll thank me for this later: Prune Juice.
39. Don’t worry about pooping on the delivery table. I was worried about this and it didn’t happen. What did happen on my first push though was that I peed. On the table. On the nurse. And on my husband. My push was so hard that urine literally sprayed out of me. I had a good laugh about it since I was so worried about the other coming out. I never even thought of urine flying out and spraying everyone.
40. Being discharged from the hospital can take an entire day. Tell your nurse to call your dr. or the dr. on call to get things moving for you. If hours have passed, annoy her until you get an answer. And good luck to you if you are being discharged on a weekend. Seriously. Plan on waiting for a long time.
You might also want to read:
- If only I could go back in time, how I wish those moments after labor & delivery with Monkey were different
- Flooded with memories of labor and delivery this early morning
- Pregnancy Labor and Delivery: Pictures, the hospital stories, the nurse, and everything you wanted to know!
- Leaving the hospital: The days after and experiencing postpartum baby blues
- 29 ways to induce labor at home naturally without having to sit 9 hours in an uncomfortable Yoga position!
= a post from Mommy Jane 
= a post from Daddy Tarzan
{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post! I can relate to a lot of these. I would also add that I was shocked at how just looking at my baby during his first few days would be enough to induce a massive sentimental cry. Hormones are strange things!
Shannon at http://jbird-designs.blogspot.com/
thanks for this! im 36.5 weeks right now and this really was great to read. btw, are you posting any more PP pics??
I second those witch hazel pads. Ahhh. And I dreaded peeing after giving borth because it was an epic adventure. I had to squirt the peri bottle while peeing or it would burn. But first I had to get the water the perfect temperature. This meant waiting for the water in the sink to warm up, testing water, and doing a pee pee dance while listening to the flowing water sounds. Then, after filling the bottle, I had to position myself on the toilet very gently, squirt just the right amount on my vadge while peeing (not too fast or slow or you can run out of water too early or still have the burning). Then, pat pat pat dry, pull up the granny panties and apply the huge pad (I bought Always infinity later since they were sooo trim), then put the two overlaping witch hzel pads on. Next, a spray of the soothing stuff (I don’t remember the name) and pulling up the panties and pants. By the time this ritual was over it was almost time to pee again.
That sucked.
5.–I drove 5 days after I gave birth–and carrier the infant carrier too. I was never told that I couldn’t drive for 6 weeks.
9. –Wow, really? All I had to do was the warm water squirt, the pat dry, maxi pad, wash hands. I don’t even know what dermaplast is…?
Ahh, the joys! I can’t wait until I can experience them all myself (even the “bad” ones). You are amazing for taking the time to share your experiences with all of us. Thank you
Sounds pretty average, though I’ve never heard the driving prohibition. My midwife just told me to chill out for a couple days and let my body decide when it was ready for action.
I was surprised about the driving thing in your list. This is the first time I’ve encountered it. I drove a few days after both my kids’ births.
I have one to add. My first baby was perfect. My second is trying to make up for it. For the first 6 weeks he cried all. the. time. Not a few hours a day but every minute he wasn’t sleeping or eating. Everyone, especially my mom and mil, told me there is something wrong with him, or that I was doing something wrong, apparently they didn’t believe in colic. Once everyone pissed me off enough I brought him to the doctor who said “colic” and “it sucks but it’s normal”. Don’t listen to unhelpful people, even if they’ve had their own kids, they don’t know everything.
I was told no driving for 6 weeks. I ignored it.
Night sweats. Yippee! Forgot about those.
I was discharged on Labor Day weekend. Yeah. ALL day.
I agree on the driving thing. I had a C-section and was only told 2 weeks. We even live in a two story house, and I was told to take it easy, but was able to do the stairs slowly as long as DH carried the baby upstairs for me for the first 2 weeks.
Interesting…
I agree with Lori on #9. I only had to do the peri bottle, pad, granny panties, and wash hands. I’ll remember the witch hazel pads for next time though! I bet it would have been a little better on my tear. It was a 2nd degree tear and I swear the stitches were there for like 4-5 weeks before finally dissolving. That sucked.
The rest of your post is a total LOL for me, because I am/was *exactly* the same way with Jacob. He is 10 weeks old today and I finally realized how comfortable I am with motherhood now. Daddy is a college grad student & I’m alone with Jacob all day every weekday… This bothered me last week, the first week of class, but now I feel like I can handle it.
Oops, I made a mistake. In regards to driving, I meant 2 weeks. I wasn’t supposed to drive for 2 weeks. And you bet your butt that I was in the car alone when that 2 week time period was up!
Kim made me laugh out loud for real…sounds like fun
i certainly wish there was something we cud do to skip that part!!!
my mom told me it would never look the same after…im praying its because they didnt do these things back in her day! the horror!
Jackie – Yes, we’ll be doing another picture sometime soon!
Kim – Your description was head on. Way better about the detail than I was.
SO glad that part is over with.
Lori – Yes… see Kim’s explanation. AWFUL.
Kate – Thanks so much!
Tracey – Agree 100% on the advice from others, esp. moms. Sorry to hear about the colic & your family’s comments.
Kathy – Labor Day wknd? That has to be one of the worst times.
Mandi – Having more and more confidence with my son daily is such a good thing for me. I’m still having some issues with the whole depression thing, but the crying is down to a minimum lately, which is oh so good. Good job on the confidence thing, mama!
Sounds like you’re getting very well adjusted to baby life. No one ever told me about witchhazel! I’m jealous, all I was instructed to do was to spray water while going. Pat dry and change pad. My tear was very minor and I wasn’t told not to drive either, hell I was driving a week later for 2 hours to visit the grandparents.
The contractions while nursing were terrible. It hurt a lot too. Who knew AFTER you had your baby you’d still have contractions! And the night sweats are actually your hormone adjusting still. It takes OVER a year for your body to recover from child birth!
Good luck, hun! Sounds like you’re doing wonderful.
Everyone of those things is totally true-I’m right there with you. Things that drive me crazy are the advise that eveyone wants to give you on what to do although I have done many of the things that my mother has suggested and have had good success. Since my baby was eating 8 oz in one sitting, the rice cereal in the formula has helped to fill him up a little more and who knew that a little bit of water between his feedings now makes him more content especially when its been soo hot. As for taking care of myself, I’ve managed to lose all but 10 lbs-tummy flab is really bothering me too but the best motivator was to go and buy a pair of jeans that were tight and a few weeks later they look great. As for the homestead, we have been given so many things that this weekend I have to purge some of it to other spots in the house I swear if I stub my toe on the swing one more time…. Finally, how many outfits does a baby really need although I keep trying the cute outfits on him to see if the fit yet. Glad to hear your doing well.
Sooo honest, thank you for this. I am definitely not prepared and while reading one person’s experience cannot prepare me it will make that lonely time feel less lonely.
Great list! I’m only 3 months pregnant so like to see what I have to look forward to. When you’re looking for future blog post ideas, I’d love to hear about #35 and #36… what did you really need at the hospital and what baby stuff are you totally not using.
I also have one to add: you MUST buy bigger panties. I totally did not realize exactly how far south everything shifts. In fact, it was so bad I lived in those mesh panties the hospital provided for the four days I was there (c-section) and had to squeeze into one of my hubby’s pairs of boxers when I was discharged because even my largest pair of “fat panties” that I had packed didn’t fit me… not even close. This has been my new go-to piece of advice to any expecting mommies I meet.
Jane, I have to say that I think #6 was the worst along with the care thanks to that and stitches. Ick! I wanted to burn the bottle when I was done. Sort of a celebration. Aside from money, I think not wanting to deal with those again make me know that we are all set with two kiddos. Let me tell you I was so glad to see all of those and the need to only use pads gone!
Oh and the first birth I did have a BM while pushing. I was so nervous about it the second time around, but it was not an issue (thank goodness). Interesting that no matter what we read, you only really get some of these things when you experience them.
Great post!
I have to know.. what nursery items that you had to have aren’t being used?? We’re about to go make our registry and would LOVE any advice/tips!!!
(and wonderful, i’m now worried about pooping AND peeing on the delivery table, haha!)
What happened to the weekly pictures documenting your post partum weight loss? We’ve only gotten 1 and he is almost 5 weeks old!
So how do you handle the protective new-mommy issue? My sibling in-laws and significant others are coming up like 6 weeks after the birth and I’m so nervous. I know it’s important for family members to bond with the baby, esp since they live 12 hours away, but still. I’ve worked so darn hard for this baby (conceived via IVF, rough pregnancy) and I just know I’m going to want to keep him all to myself. Any suggestions???
Wow all these things that you never get told! Whilst having babies is a ways off for me, I’ll be sure to remember them and pass on links to friends and family when they have their babies
Thanks for the wonderful post Jane
I can hear you’re feeling better already! 
Keep up the great work Mommy!
lol. Most of these were really helpful & right on the nose, even for a C-section Momma, like me! I too brought waaay too much stuff to the hospital–especially clothing, heh.
And I wish I’d let my mom come over & help more. I really screwed myself by thinking I was a lot better off than I was…
And yep, you get used to the clutter & random baby stuff lying around! Also, people keep giving me MORE random baby stuff I don’t see myself using, or won’t need for a while, heh, so it all gets put…somewhere!
love the list it is all so true….
one more to add is newborns fart really loudly… I was not prepared for that at all
oh and having a a look below with a mirror during the last stage of pregnancy did not motivate me to get my baby out like the midwife suggested it would it just freaked me out….. my last stage of labor lasted 1 hour and 45 mins the doctors were getting ready with vacuum’s and forceps etc thank goodness none of that was needed in the end as they will only let you go for 2 hours here before the doc’s want to get involved
on the getting discharged matter it was 7 pm by the time they had the ok to let us go being a public patient I had a shared room, I had it to my self for the most part but in the afternoon of my 3rd day there I got a room mate with lady who has a c section- and a baby with complications that did not stop crying I did not want to spend a night there sharing a room she complained alot and was really stressed out (very selfish of me i know but i knew that me and my baby would be better off at home) plus everytime she used the bathroom it would be left with blood all over the floor… so not cool i was so happy to be heading home even thou it was 7 pm by the time we got discharged.
This post is great. All right on.
I have been following your blog for a few months now and have truly enjoyed it. My baby was born 2 weeks ago and I have been having a really tough time since then (baby blues, maybe PPD…) and can’t tell you how helpful reading your honest posts about your experiences has been to me. None of my friends had the blues so I don’t have anyone to relate to. It makes me feel better (not that I’m happy that you are going through the same thing though) to know someone else feels the same way I do. I absolutely adore my baby but just feel so lonely and isolated even though I have an amazing husband and parents helping out.
Glad you are feeling better and getting into the swing of things. I hope I get there in the next few weeks. Right now it feels like I’m stuck in the movie Groundhog Day.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, Jane! I am just entering my 28th week of pregnancy with my first child and am feeling very excited AND apprehensive about labour and becoming a new mommy! Reading your experiences somehow makes it less scary
Oh man the bathroom one is what was most surprising to me. Boy do those witch hazel pads feel good though, I sometimes would sigh out loud from the relief! And I also realized that squirting the water while peeing helped!
I’m so glad to hear about the night sweating thing- I didn’t realize there was an actual reason for that, I just thought I was weird….that’s one of the things I love about reading your blog, I find out stuff like that!
Jane I have to say thanks for the warning. Again when others will give me the BS about how everything went back to normal right away….. you tell me the truth…. I am so glad I found this blog and I can’t thank you enough. You are a wonderful help to me, you have given me both things to look forward to and things to dread!!!! Thank you!!!!
34. I thought I was bad about not wanting people to touch my pregnant belly, but lady, don’t you even think about coming close or touching my baby! Back the eff off.
Definitely my favorite lol. I am 37 weeks tomorrow so the timing for this post for me was just perfect. I have learned lots from your blog, even though I still am not “prepared” for what lies ahead I at least feel like I am more informed. Thanks
Hey, where did you find those witch hazel pads? When the free ones from the hospital ran out, I started looking around and cannot find them to save my life! I MISS THEM!
Mia – I’ll definitely write a blog post about those two things in the near future. Great idea!
Tori M – Ah, yes, the love of having granny panties. I remember T. and me going to Target to buy some granny panties & I honestly thought that there was no way that I would wear them. Boy was I wrong! The mesh panties from the hospital certainly did hold that big pad that I had to wear right after delivery in place!
Emily – Oops, didn’t mean to make you worry about pooping AND peeing
Hopefully you won’t do either of them! Here’s hopin’. And yes, I’ll write a post about the nursery/baby things that we haven’t used.
Madge – I’m afraid that my 1 week postpartum pic & my 5 wk postpartum pic will look the same. We haven’t actually taken another pic just yet, only because I haven’t had the approval from my OB to work out. My appt is tomorrow, so stay tuned for regular updates soon.
Jenn – Sorry you’ve had such a rough road with getting pregnant. My in-laws are here for a total of 2 weeks and I just keep telling myself that when they are gone I’ll have the baby back to myself. In the times that I want to shower and T. is working, I appreciate them being here bc they watch/hold the baby while I shower. I guess I just have to “pick my battles” and realize that even though i’m possessive they really mean no harm. Plus, it’s just 2 more people that are head over heels in love with my Monkey & that’s an awesome thing. Good luck to you!
Sarah – The witch hazel pads are sold at Walgreens, CVS, etc as Tucks pads. I think they are more for hemorrhoids but they are the same pads that we were given at the hospital. HTH!
My mom had her tonsils out in her early 30s and she wrote back (after I showed her this) that she would go through pregnancy again any time, but not getting her tonsils out again!!!
And she had 2 ‘natural’ births and 1 with some meds. I guess that’s kinda’ comforting to us expecting… 
Thank you so much for this blog – you are really a HUGE help to us expecting ladies!
Yes, it is all so true! Three more to add… First, no one told me not to get too excited about being able to sleep on my stomach again b/c it wouldn’t feel good while breastfeeding since my boobs would be so big and uncomfortable. Second, no one told me how hungry breastfeeding would make me! I was used to packing snacks to satiate me while I was pregnant but I am way hungrier now than I was then, I swear I can’t eat enough. You would think that would help the last 10 pounds of baby weight come off but the scale isn’t budging except on the unfortunate days when it ventures back in the wrong direction. Ugh! Lastly, no one told me that no matter how much you want the baby and love it, you’ll still envy those “on the other side” of parenthood. I sit in restaurants and just gaze at couples who haven’t started their families yet (or so it appears) and, not gonna lie, get really jealous sometimes…they don’t realize how carefree their lives are!
On the lonely part, during those nights when it is so hard to be awake and feeding my little one (or rocking him while he screams), I just imagine all the other women around the world doing exactly the same thing in that very moment. Even though I have no real connection to them, it somehow makes me feel better to know I’m part of an incredible community of women raising children and going through the same thing both today and throughout the ages. I also went to Mommy & Me yoga for the first time this week and it was the best experience to be with other mommies and their babies. It’s offered once a week but I wish it was offered way more often, I can’t wait for next week’s class to roll around!
Haha – I brought way too much stuff to L&D too! We also have a virtually unused nursery with a lot of unused things and our baby is 5 months old! I posted a lot of stuff on Amazon to sell.
Thanks for all of this GREAT info! I am 36.5 weeks pregnant, and am being induced in a week and a half (unless of course he comes on his own before then lol) , so all of this info is great! I have a few friends who have 5 week olds, so they’ve been giving me lots of good advice too!
Keep up this wonderful blog! P.S. Did you guys know you were mentioned in the note from editor in Pregnancy magazine?! CONGRATS!!
Thanks! wow! I love adding to the list of things “they don’t tell you beforehand!”
I definitely can identify with all of these. The one thing I didn’t know is that I should have Preparation H just in case (I know probably to much information but after having a baby. embarrassment of those things pretty much go out the window for me). It’s not just constipation that causes hemorrhoids. Also, the lochia reminded me almost like my water breaking in small gushes. The mesh panties and the pads they give you at the hospital were a life saver for me. I didn’t want to get them on mine. The regular pads just didn’t seem to absorb enough and felt worse than the pads. I grabbed a ton of them and was glad I did. Also, the weight thing is definitely irritating. I weigh much less than pre pregnancy and I still can’t wear my regular clothes. I’ve never had the experience of my tonsils removed but as for it hurting more, I had gal bladder surgery and another surgery, but nothing compared to child birth. But at least with child birth a wonderful thing comes after the pain. After surgeries the only good that comes out of it is less pain. I didn’t get the pleasures of an epidural though so I don’t know what no pain feels like (wish I did). When it comes to people touching my child I still have a problem with it with my daughter. You learn to let advice go in one ear and out the other and not to let people get to you.
Wow, thanks for this great list. I am currently in the “night sweats” phase and not enjoying it… Great to see that I have so much to look forward to =P
Thanks for sharing. It really sounds like you had a tough time with the hormones. Thankfully I had about a week of crying a little bit for no reason at all. I also am not breastfeeding, so I was able to get a lot of support from hubby with feeding, which meant a lot more sleep. But the physical recovery was brutal and still am coping. I had a wonderful delivery experience…thanks epi! However, when I got home it was tough. I had a 4th degree tear. Awful. It all seems like a distant memory now, and she’s only 3 months. Good luck and I enjoy reading.
Don’t forget baby’s first poop! That was a surprise for me.
Also, you will will not feel sexy after giving birth. You will not have time to want to feel sexy. Your spouse can wait.
You don’t want to look into the mirror during or right after. Talk to your spouse before hand about them not looking during labour either.
Toys that make noise will drive you crazy no matter how soothing they sound at first.
Don’t let people make you feel bad. You will be the mom that your little one needs. Your friend with a new baby may have an impeccable home and be going to mom and baby programs every day of the week. Just because they do doesn’t mean you have to.
Leave your little one with a suitable caregiver (Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles, good friends, etc) at least once a week so you can do something for you. Even if it’s just reading a book in the bath or watching a movie of your choice in another room. You will want to call/peek in a lot but you need the time away to appreciate your time with your baby.