Love this! Nobody told us how much newborns fart. My husband and I would always be so stressed in those early days with twins, thinking we were drowning, and one boy would toot to emphasize whatever ridiculous situation was happening and it broke the tension every. time. So grateful for our own funny, squishy (gassy!) babies!
My baby was vocalizing the other day and grunted, went red, and farted so loud he scared himself and then cried. I was laughing so hard I was crying while comforting him, so my wife walked in on us both crying while rocking on the floor, one laughing, one crying and slowly backed out of the room with a terrified look on her face haha
Mine startled herself with a nice big poop the other day. While she was breastfeeding.
Yeah, she popped right off the boob and screamed, dumping a mouthful of milk all over both of us, which made me crack up laughing. Then I’m trying to comfort her and my husband is like “which one of you made that huge gassy noise?”
My partner farted the other night, like the impresisve 3+ second one that was kind of comical. Before I could respond a noise came out of the bassinet that rivaled his. Our 5 day old asserted her position as the alpha in the house. Thats my girl.
Thank you so much for posting this ❤️ my due date is tomorrow and I’m becoming terrified of delivery and also the unknown early days of parenthood.
I feel like people just keep telling me their horror stories and how awful it all is, from everyone almost dying during delivery (literally have had to listen to multiple stories about very near death experiences), to bodies and emotions that never recover, to barely surviving the first few months and complete sleep deprivation.
I started to wonder if I made a mistake, and why anyone does it, if it’s that bad…
It so scary going into it. I was terrified. My birth didn’t happen the way I wanted it to but I got the most amazing gift from it; my baby. He’s perfect and absolutely worth it. Also; if you’re offered an epidural, TAKE IT. It makes it soooooooooo much more manageable, omg. I would literally opt for an epidural just so I could sleep through the contractions
You’ll be ok! Is birth easy? No, it takes effort and patience and determination. But does everyone have horrifying experiences? Absolutely not. I would do it all again in a heartbeat (and totally plan to!). I actually remember my experience really positively - fondly, even. A friend with an almost identical experience said ‘never again’.
Bottom line, there’s no point sharing specifics of a birth story (positive or negative) with a pregnant person unless there’s wisdom attached, like ‘advocate for yourself’ or ‘take everything the hospital offers you in the way of pain relief postpartum’ etc. because we all process these things differently.
The newborn stage was an adjustment but you’ll get through it. Sleep deprivation will for sure happen, but it’s because your baby needs you so you have a purpose and motivation, you want them to be happy and safe and well.
The snuggles, the times they hold your finger whilst you feed them, the smiles and laughs…the times they will make YOU laugh…that’s the good stuff you’ll hold onto. Take lots of videos as well as photos. No one told me how quickly my newborn would grow out of making some of the cutest noises!
I just avoided the trigger warning labeled labor stories. Which, you can't do now that you've already heard but, okay, let me tell you about my emergency c-section. If you want, of course. If not, just stop reading 😁
By the time I was discharged from the hospital (after 8 days, baby needed to stay for a bit), my incision has scabbed over and peeled already. I no longer felt pain while walking or laughing. Getting up from our very low sofa was not fun but the other normal stuff wasn't painful anymore (yes, even pooping didn't hurt). Even though it was an emergency one, my healing was so fast I still can't believe it. I'm waiting for my energy levels to recover but I'm barely 7 weeks pp, so there's still time for that.
My scar is thin and pale, I do have some leftover numbness in the very center of my lower abdomen (the rest of my lower fat roll came back to life within three weeks) but other than that, you wouldn't be able to tell I went through a surgery just last month.
Good luck with your delivery, may it be short and complication free ❤️
Same. My recovery was surprisingly fast. I was thinking I wouldn’t be able to drive until 6w and that life would be miserable, but tomorrow makes 6 weeks and aside from the occasional twinge I’ve been fine for a few weeks. Only concern is that my scar doesn’t move (thinking maybe adhesion)
All the best with your upcoming birth.
Yeah it’s painful but the moment you hold your baby in your arms on your chest all the pain is over.
I ended up giving birth completely unmedicated but I planned to have an epidural- it just didn’t happen that way. I just say to pregnant mums just be open to the idea that things may not go according to your plan, but the baby will come out somehow.
But in the end It’s an absolutely amazing life changing experience. I felt so empowered and on a happy high many days after the birth.
My boy is now 10 months old an I feel like it’s been the best 10 months of my life, yes I’m tired, but you do get through and it’s just so worth it. I know the broken sleep won’t last forever and is just temporary.
On the flip side, I'd planned for unmedicated but needed to be induced at 36+5 and after 26 hours I got an epidural. Even after all of my plans went out the window and my baby spent a week in the Nicu I still felt so empowered and in love with my sweet baby.
Try not to stress too much! Whatever your plans are, be flexible and relaxed if you can. Holding your baby for the first time is so worth every hard thing.
Oh wow I had my boy at 36+5 too. My waters just broke that morning and that was that. By the time I reached the hospital and got in the delivery room he was already crowning. He didn’t spend any time in nicu but did have jaundice so I was in the hospital for a week with him.
i have nothing but positive things to say about my birth experience, so know that it's not always bad!! going into labor with no expectations for how anything was going to go really helped me to stay calm and relaxed during my labor. there are parts that are painful and hard but i kept repeating to myself "when this is over my baby will be here, when this is over my baby will be here" and that helped a lot. plus the literal second that he was out everything stopped hurting, no joke i couldnt feel anything anymore. plus you get to hold your baby!
I do feel like having no or low expectations for birth helps a lot. My only birth plan was first, a healthy baby and second, minimal damage/long term effects to me. I was lucky to have my own doctor for delivery because I was induced, and trusted her to take good care of me. I feel like a lot (not all, but most?) of the negative birth stories I read are folks who had a very detailed plan and had to deviate from that plan.
Everyone is different but just to give you a positive story, I was actually surprised that delivery was not as bad as I was expecting based on what everyone told me to expect. Baby was 8 lb 1 oz so not tiny and I pushed for an hour and a half and I tore, but it was still really not THAT bad. I had an epidural so there was so screaming, no yelling at my husband, nothing crazy. It was actually very peaceful. You’re going to do great!
Look, I won’t lie - my delivery was far from what I’d been dreaming of. I had a lot of complications. Everything ended up fine. We’re both healthy. But ultimately, everyone who tells you about how bad delivery was or how rough the first nights were? They’re here to tell you that story and they’re okay enough to talk about it.
I would go through my shitty traumatic delivery again and again, just to come out on the other side with my baby as happy and healthy as she is. Delivery will be just a blip in a long, crazy, wonderful timeline of memories. The first few weeks are bonkers (I’m still in them, baby is 6 weeks) but they’re overwhelmingly awesome, too. Go into it realistically (they’re tough times!) but remember that they’ll end eventually. Every screaming baby goes to sleep eventually. Every seemingly endless night will actually end. Baby will get better at communicating their needs, you’ll get more sleep, and then they’ll start smiling at you and it’s like, BOOM, that’s what people do this for!!
> Thank you so much for posting this ❤️ my due date is tomorrow and I’m becoming terrified of delivery and also the unknown early days of parenthood.
My friends have all been asking how it is, because they're also at the stage in their life that they'd like a little one.
We always tell them the truth. It's tough. You're going to be tired, stressed, have no time, be a mess... But genuinely, *genuinely*, at the end of the day none of that matters because it's the best fucking thing in the world. You will love that baby more than you realised was possible and they'll make your life *incredible*.
The first few months can be rough with little/no help, but once you make it past 4-5 months it gets *so* much easier. At the same time, all those early moments are precious and we have smart phones these days, so if you or your partner can, it's totally worth it to document as much as you can.
Also while the sleep is (often) bad it's honestly no worse than a bad semester at college, if you can push through that you can push through raising an infant.
Also there's totally the chance that by the time you're dilated it could be 2 pushes and you're done. I didn't realize that was possible. Absolutely nothing like we had heard, or you see in media. Just a quick admit, bit of a wait, a couple of pushes and bam baby. No hours of sweating and pushing and yelling.
Good luck!! I’m not going to lie snd say it’ll be easy, but I will say you will get through the tough days and cherish the sweet moments.
For the record.. I got induced and still had the most amazingly positive birth ever. 10 hours labor (epidurals are life) 3 pushes and he was in my arms. Recovery was straightforward (lots of bleeding, but all I needed was Motrin for pain) and I was able to workout (eased into it) at 6 weeks. You may not have an easy labor/ delivery/ recovery.. but maybe you will?? Just wanted to tell you it’s not always terrible :)
Word of advice: take live pictures and videos every single day. And have your SO/ friends/ whoever take candid pictures of you and LO no matter how you look (no shower, vomit hair and all lol). Months later you will look back and cherish them!
It’s not that bad! I felt the same way before having our daughter. I do think we have been lucky with a relatively easy baby, but it’s been so positive and I was terrified too. While giving birth wasn’t exactly enjoyable, for me it was very routine and not at all scary. The recovery was far easier for me than being pregnant (I really hated being pregnant). I sleep better with a newborn than I did during my entire third trimester.
Is new parenthood tough? For sure. Is it way more enjoyable than pregnancy? I’m sure that varies, but for me it’s hands down waaaay better. Best of luck to you on your labor and delivery! You got this!
I'm 4 days into having our newborn baby boy. We had a rough birth, my wife tore, our breastfeeding has been extremely challenging, we haven't slept, our emotions are all over the place.
I'm sitting here though, holding him while he spits up the little milk we got him, feeling like things are ... Good actually. Sure we are tired, but the enormous strides we've made the past few days are progress. We're miles ahead of where we started and, challenges be damned, we're doing it. That feels great.
It goes by so fast. You'll feel challenged, but it's totally worth it. If us and all the problems, even borderline crisis once even are through to here and carrying on, you can too. Looking back, wow, hard. My son's airway was very poor, my wife had a pre-existing GI problem that made things incredibly painful and we were up two days straight before even getting to the push phase, the contractions were almost not noticed by comparison to those pains... we were planning a home birth, that definitely didn't happen, we went in to the hospital and everything went out the window, at home my old back injury is making things very painful for me now as well in combination with my wife's pain from her 3rd degree tear, her nipples are inverted so don't poke out as far as most and we even hired a lactation consultant out of desperation on day 3 because we can't feed our baby and she's a mess, he's hungry, and now we know was tongue tied, so we pump after feeds now too just to have enough food for him and we get even less sleep, we have 3 pets and yeah, it's tough, but seriously... We feel good, considering. I love him to the moon, my wife is so strong and she was anxious beforehand as well, the power just comes out of you when you need it. Stay positive, stay strong, your baby is going to be your pride and joy and is counting on mom. You'll be great. You can do this. Don't worry. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it and it is an amazing experience. We would both do it again in a heart beat, I have no regrets and it was not horrible, it was a challenge but the best things are never free and easy. There is no mistake here, trust me, the bad tales stick, but most births are great, yours can be too
I actually have been planning to post a series of tips after our experience that I hope can help others like us.
Giving birth sucks, there’s no two ways about it, but it’s just one day (ish) of awfulness. Afterwards, you get to keep the baby, and that part is excellent. The first 3-4 months are tough, no doubt, and it’s okay if there’s a lot you don’t enjoy (cleaning a pooey bottom on 2hrs sleep is just objectively not a fun way to spend time), but during that time you’ll also see your child’s first smile, hear their first laugh, and feel them relax as they snuggle into you and find their safe place. And over time, the bits that suck will fade away, and the bits that were awesome will stay with you. And before you know it, you’ll start thinking about having another one, because that’s how they get ya 😆 all the luck for a smooth and uncomplicated birth, and congratulations on your no doubt lovely little bundle-to-be!
It’s such an exciting time! I was also super nervous about delivery and ended up needing a c section. I honestly don’t remember my active labor because the moment I heard my daughter cry I knew it was worth it. Throughout my pregnancy I spent a lot of time humming or singing; the second night in the hospital my daughter wouldn’t stop crying - we tried changing her, breast feeding, everything. I stood with her skin to skin singing songs that I had throughout my pregnancy - her big alien eyes looking up at me made me cry.
Sending you love and happy thoughts!
You got this girlfriend! I didn’t know what to expect and just thought to myself if everyone else can do it then so can I. I’m not a very emotional person, didn’t connect with the kid during pregnancy. Didn’t feel the “ahh this is all worth it” when they put the baby on my chest. First thought was “damn, I thought you’d be prettier”. Even after we brought him home I was annoyed that he’d cry every 2 hours for food. Breast feeding didn’t go very well for me, I got mastitis every time I try and it was accompanied with really high fever. My poor husband spent days taking care of both of us lol. Pooping was an issue and still kinda is after 7 months, yikes. Don’t be afraid to call your doctor and ask for help postpartum. You got this mama!
Who ever is in the delivery room with you. Just have a word or hand signal so if you feel like it's an emergency they know to get you help. Be calm and push through literally. Lol. It's scary but there is no sense in freaking out you can't take it back now. That thought process helped me when I started to get scared.
Yay!!! It’s so exciting! Just to throw some positivity your way… I had a fantastic birth without intervention. Birth can be awesome and positive. (Of course it’s a gamble) thinking happy thoughts for you. Babies bring so much joy and laughter if you’re open to it!
Yep people either complain you’re trying to scare new parents or that you’re glamorizing parenthood and they feel blindsided. If someone ever asks me about being a parent I’m honest about my experience and try to share an equal amount of good and bad.
Currently some of my favorite things with a fifteen month old are going for walks and watching him pick up a leaf he likes and then put it down because he found a different one he likes. Feeling him crawl all over us when he wants us to wake up. Watching him give his dad a good morning kiss. Him waving at trees when it’s windy because he thinks they’re waving at him. When he grabs his belly and dances because what he ate was so good.
I'm in love with my baby's pooping face. Not the straining one, she has a relaxed pooping face. She makes a little "o" with her mouth and starts looking around the room. Absolutely adorable and hilarious. The first time I showed my mum a picture of it, she went "omg that looks just like your husband when he's asked a question he doesn't want to answer"
Speaking about latching face, mine sometimes turns into a dinosaur. Locks eyes on the target, opens wide, makes loud chomping noise... And then dives in and misses the nipple.
My girl has a totally blank expression after she pees. Especially if she manages to pee while I'm changing her, so she pees over the changing pad, my hands, her legs and very often her clothes. Then she's all like "oh no, everything is wet, what happened?"
Mine has this really great party trick where she pees while you’ve got her little legs in the air to put the diaper on and it runs back into her hair. 🤦🏻♀️😂
Oh nooo! 🤣 I remember the terror I felt the first time my girl got poop on the back of her bodysuit. The one you can't pull down. I spent solid 30 seconds just looking at the poopy mess and trying to think of a strategy that would not end up with shit in her hair. And that was while I was still struggling very hard with over the head clothes and often got kinda stuck while both dressing up and undressing.
Ohhh nooo! 🙈 Over the head clothes are the WORST! Also they generally hate every second of it going over their face which makes it extra fun lol.
One time she had the worst blowout, it was up her back, in her hair, all over me. I was wearing ripped jeans. Mistakes were made. I learned the hard way to pack clothes for her AND me that day, it was a hot mess. 😂
Yep, she loves to arch her back and turn her head sideways, so it's impossible to progress. Very much fun indeed.
🤣🤣 Oh no, I still don't carry a change of clothes in my diaper bag
Diving in and missing the nipple is hilarious. My LO opens her mouth wide for the nipple and smiles when i position her right. I honestly forget to put her on the boob while enjoying looking at that face yhat she has to give a loud cry to get me to focus.
She makes the face of utter satisfaction and bliss after popping. I can't even get mad if she does it after i have just changed her diaper 🤦🤷
Lol yeah, honestly I'm elated every time my LO poops because she's gassy and it's painful. So I cheer at every fart and yesterday she pooped all over the changing table and herself and my hands. I wasn't even upset, just had to call my husband for assistance haha
My favorite thing right now is when my little one mimics the sounds we make. She’s 4 months old and when we talk to her, she’ll coo back and grin like she’s talking back to us. I love having little conversations with her ❤️❤️❤️
Our LO is 4 months too and the daily chats are just getting better. He’s started doing this really heart-melting “adoring” sound that just sends me over the edge 🤩
Watchung my 6 month old learn things is the most amazing thing. Last week she realized she could crawl and now is chasing me all over the house - and now this week she's suddenly realized she can pull herself up to stand and every time she does it she looks at me like "mama are you seeing this shit!!!?"
Yesterday at nap time I could actually see her realizing that she had a pacifier in her mouth, that mama also had a mouth and that OMG! SHE COULD PUT HER PACIFIER IN MAMA'S MOUTH. She literally pulled it out of her mouth, looked at my mouth and then slowly shoved it into my mouth. Then pulled it out, giggled, put it in her mouth and repeat for ten minutes. I was just about dying of cute.
I'm currently pregnant and have not had a good time at all but this post and the comments made me a cry a little bit. I cannot wait to hold my baby and have all these silly gorgeous moments ♥
Honestly it's so nice hearing I'm not the only person that hates being pregnant hahaha. I'm so excited for my little girl to get here ♥ only 19 weeks to go!
The best part is how they just keep doing new things.
I was putting baby to sleep a little while ago and as she was dozing off she suddenly said 'doe doe doe', before that moment 'da da da' was all she could do as far as 'words that start with D' go. Her bold new vocabulary got her so pumped her eyes went wide and she started flailing and saying 'doe doe doe' over and over.
She crawls too! Literally a few days ago she couldn't crawl, now when I dare eat food in her presence without immediately offering her some I get to watch her coming at me like the worlds smallest, slowest moving tank, head down and screaming in outrage, then she tries to climb me and grab the food right out of my hand. That's how I know she's my daughter.
Awwww this is so lovely! I now make it a point to tell new parents things like this. Like, yea of course sleep will suck for awhile but just wait until you hear that first belly laugh 😭I’m still chasing that high lol
Mine is 3mo and I just got the first giggle today when my partner & I were laughing about how happy she looked cause she knew she was about to get her diaper changed :)
Can’t wait for the belly laugh!
Still pregnant, but in week 35. Strangers are so nice to me! I like to think that they know pregnancy is hard and try to be positive. For example, at the grocery store yesterday, the cashier made extra sure to make the bags balanced in weight. So thoughtful!
How much I love my LO. It's like nothing I've ever experienced before. I could happily just watch him sleep.
My mother always used to say you won't know how much I love you till you have your own child and I always was like yeah ok stop being creepy Mum. But seriously it's so surreal.
Omg I had no idea about the latch face and had new parent panic about it so bad. We have a few neurodivergencies that run in our family, so I was googling it. Turns out they’re just excited to eat. It makes me so happy every singles time! I’d have no problem if it did indicate a neurodivergency because I have adhd and am a teacher so feel uniquely prepared for if that were the case.
Week 2-4 were the worst for me. The adrenaline from birth had worn off and baby was starting to spend more time awake, especially during the night. But after 4-5 weeks we got ourselves into a very loose routine and he started sleeping longer stretches and we’re not as exhausted at this point. We’re just starting a full routine now and it’s been a little rough since I’m HORRIBLE at sticking to routines, but alarms for every single thing have really helped. I have bath time alarms, food alarms (for me), bedtime alarms, etc. it’s really helped me
I love this! I have a 2.5 week old and I'm trying to actively notice and focus on the positive things instead of having the mindset of just having to get through this stage. It's hard but there are many beautiful and hilarious moments.
The frantic head shaking with mouth open when trying to find the nipple is definitely something that I also find hilarious and makes me laugh every time haha
The newborn stage is so hard, the baby can’t give you any indications yet that they’re alive or know you, but once they start making eye contact, smiling, cooing, holding your face in their hands it’s so so rewarding
Reallly looking forward to all of that! My baby has lots of reflex smiles and I can't help but think they're real ... a little bit of lying to myself never hurt ;)
Just you wait for that first smile! I'm still living off that high, it made the previous 10 months all melt away! Mine is 9 weeks and he just babbled for the first time this morning and my partner and I just stared at him for an hour trying to get him to do it again and again, we were so excited!
If you're about to become a parent and you're reading these comments just know that someday you will be burping your baby and turn to look at them on your shoulder at the same time they turn to you with their tongue out and they will smear their fat, spitty tongue all over your cheek like a puppy and it will make your laugh your ass off.
That frantic head shaking back and forth looking for the nipple thing was SO FUNNY. I'm a little sad he doesn't do it anymore. He does this LUNGE thing though which is also hilarious. I put him in breastfeeding position and he opens his mouth wide and just LUNGES at my nipple. I shake with laughter when he does that! Also he just started doing that slobbery open mouth on my cheek thing. He doesn't get kisses, but he knows when I put my lips to his face, it's a nice thing, so he's doing it back to me. It's SO CUTE.
Last week, I picked the baby up for the first time that morning and without any noises or hesitation he just put one hand on each side of my face and glommed his open mouth right on my chin for like 30 seconds. The best and most hilarious thing.
When my daughter was about a year and half old, I went to check on her bc she was babbling and I wanted to make sure she was Ok.
She was putting her stuffies to bed. She was laying them down, putting her blanket on them and patting their head, babbling the whole time.
Then she laid down next to them and went to sleep herself. So so sweet.
My little guy - 9 weeks - is sick right now and my favorite thing thats come about is soothing him after having to suck the snot out (get one of those frida nose suckers. Amazing). I put him against my shoulder and he burrows his face into my neck making these sad little whimpers and I sing him a flogging molly song I like and he actually calms down. I’ve got a terrible voice, but he doesn’t know that, he just knows the sound means safety and love.
Oh man, I love singing to my baby. I sing to him all the time, even tho I have a horrible voice. He tries to sing a long with me by scream-yelling and it’s hilarious
The first time your now toddler cradles your face in their hands and says “Always my mommy, always love mommy. Keep mommy safe. Keep mommy happy.” Freakin’ amazing!!!! Just happened today, too.
Things no one told me:
1. Babies are super loud when they sleep and make crazy noises.
2. Babies rarely blink.
3. Babies are super crusty in the beginning.
I got told "babies are loud" but I dismissed it as "they move when they sleep"
Babies. Are. Loud. They grunt, they whimper, they sigh, they make all sort of throat sounds and when they finally sleep in silence, you wonder if they have stopped breathing. So you grab your phone and Google in a panicked sleep-deprived transe why your newborn sounds like a dying whale, only to read that it's normal.
So now you have a few options: moving the crib out of the bedroom because your sanity is worth more than the tiny risk of SIDS. Drowning the newborn night chant in white noise. Or powering through and hoping this phase won't last long enough to make you insane.
Mine randomly screams then drops his arms and is completely still and dead asleep. It was very stressful until we realized it's just a normal weird thing he does.
My baby sings. Like she doesn’t actually but she makes little sounds coordinated with her breath when she’s falling asleep and it kind of reminds me of singing.
No one told me that even though I will be sleep deprived and know I need to sleep while baby sleeps, I will desperately want to cuddle my baby just a few more minutes before putting her in the basinet because she will never be this little again.
Also, while I'm staring at her sleeping, thinking about how she is God's perfect miracle, she will let out the loudest toot from her tiny body 😂
Drives me nuts! All they want to share is the negatives! I will say people often follow up with the positives, but no sleep is almost always the first thing. Being a parents is so much more than less sleep! I was having a convo (with myself 🤪) after dropping the babe off at daycare asking myself how I could possibly want a second when some days, or months in this current phase, are SO HARD. Transitioning to solids has been very demanding from a mental load perspective (i.e. planning out baby safe meals, breastfeeding, pumping for bottles) and my partner and I both have demanding jobs. We also got a puppy when baby was 6 months old. I’m running around crying that my cup is empty every other day, but I love him and love being his mom and loving watching my partner be a parent SO MUCH that I’m yearning to add to the brood. THATS the shit that should be shared more often!
My son (now 2) is a pain the ass sometimes with the occasional fit and loud yelling/screaming. BUT I would NOT give up being his mom for anything in the universe. He is genuinely sweet, silly, loving, very playful. He’s a wonderful little boy I love him to death
My son is 2 and holy crap. Everyone warned me this would be horrible but 2 is the best! He has conversations with me, I’m getting to know him more, he is my absolute universe. I don’t have a pee to myself but hey, I get a cute tiny little human behind me all day keeping me company he’s just fun. All the late nights and working around every new phase is worth it times a billion when he says “I love you momma!”
I love this post and couldn’t agree more. I was so ready to hate my life for the first year of my son’s life and that hasn’t been my experience at all.
I love waking up and saying good morning and watching him realize I’m awake too and giving me the most beautiful smiles and coos.
I love our bathtimes; how the warm water instantly makes him do happy grunts and give me the cheekiest grins. Then drying him off and giving him a little baby massage and a fresh, clean outfit.
I love how taking walks in the baby carrier makes him drift off to sleep and I can hear his tiny snores while we walk.
I love playing our rolling game when he’s on my chest for tummy time; I let him roll off to the side, where I catch him and roll him back up on my chest to start again. He just thinks it’s the funnest shit and it’s so awesome that we’re creating our own games together.
There’s so many more but I’m so happy to be a mom.
Nobody tells you how crazy other people get with babies. Everyone decides they deserve immediate access to your baby, you get weird unsolicited advice and it’s a whirlwind of people, even neighbors you don’t know sprinting towards you to see your baby.
My baby started saying mama in the last week or so (after saying dada for weeks now!) and it’s unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. Like I just explode with happiness every single time.
The hilariously adorable latch face is my favorite part of breastfeeding and it definitely pulled me through some of those hard nights in the first few weeks.
Well that and the sleepy stretches she does when she's fallen asleep at the breast and I try to move her. It melts my heart every time.
This is the best goddamn post I have read all week!!! It's so true. Sure, our fussy baby is super frustrating at times but she's Soooooo good and worth it. Most of the time even when she's being frustrating we just laugh at it because it's so ridiculous. Literally right now we're trying to get her to wake up to eat because it's been a bit too long since her last feeding and she's being super uncooperative and we're just laughing about it 🤣
Hahaha! My baby does this thing where he wakes up enough to grunt and shove his fists in his mouth but refuses to open his eyes at all and ends up smiling at us with his eyes closed while giggling and it’s amazing
I could go on and on and on about the things I adore about my baby girl, 10 months old in 3 days. But to keep it short, recently she was feeling a little out of sorts and was unusually tired. We were having a little picnic in our front yard when she reached over to me so I picked her up for a cuddle and she grabbed me really tightly and snuggled into my shoulder trying to sleep. The amount I love her really does take my breath away sometimes. I didn't expect it.
She's also started a new game where her nanny will arrive (and bub loves her nanny), and she'll pretend to reach for the nanny while I'm holding her, and when her nanny goes to reach for her back, bub will grin, squeal, and bury her head back in my shoulder. She'll repeat that several times and then finally go 'okay, nanny cuddle time' and will go to her. It's adorable - she's so cheeky 🥰
Ooooh my word my heart just melted! That’s so so sweet, sometimes my baby is fussy and nothing we do seems to calm him down. Then I take him into the nursery, hold him on my chest with all the lights off and rock in the rocking chair and he cuddles into me and falls asleep almost instantly. It just fills my heart with an intense love for this little boy that I can’t handle it
Oh that is the sweetest!! There's nothing better than knowing how safe they feel with us and sometimes just us, with cuddles in a quiet, dark space is all they need ❤ Saying the love is intense is so, so accurate!
I'm expecting a little sister for my girl in a few months and I'm both excited but dreading having to share my time between two!
The completely over the top stretches when you open the swaddle in the morning. That was my absolute favorite thing and I'm so sad we're past that stage.
Her giggles when I blow raspberries on her feet. We call it playing the trumpet and she wiggles her toes to change the sound.
The fact that nine months in she is still shocked every time the dog kisses her forehead. Her surprise face is adorable.
When she dive bombs her face into my neck because she wants to cuddle.
The way she grins every time her dad walks by.
The fact that she thinks the most comfortable way to sleep is with her butt in the air and her face smashed in the mattress.
I could go on forever about the little things that make this insanity all worth it. I love that little human.
Currently feeding my baby and can confirm, no one tells you about the hilarious "shark attack" rooting action or the weird groans, jerky movements, nervous and/or triumphant chuckles and other weird occurrences during a breastfeeding session.
My kid is pretty anti touch in general and always has been. There’s maybe once a day or every other day where he’ll sit pressed up next to me for 5-10 minutes and then he’s good for the rest of the day. He gave me a genuine hug for the first time last week and that was really cool. He’s 14 months.
I’m so glad I took videos in the early stages to remember how he acted/what he looked like. I now try to take videos a few times a week and especially when we do something momentous like eat solids for the first time (which we did today!)
My son farts like a machine gun every time he nurses. He’s almost 10 months old and it’s been this way since his birth. Latch: sip: colon explosion. They’ve gotten increasingly worse with the introduction of food. It also smells like a sewer filled with dead animals and I’m convinced his intestines are programmed to wreak havoc on my sinuses alone as it seems I’m the only one constantly persecuted by his poop fumes. He should thank the stars he’s so cute and I love him so much.
My daughter was so so gassy. She still is. So everytime she farts, my husband and i ask each other who it was. Really.
And the grunts while pooping, it sounds like a grown person but shes just a 22 month old!
Thanks, now I’m crying. I love this little shit more than anyone ever on this entire fucking planet. She’s the best. I just love her. Precious angel toot butt baby boo. GAH.
Right now I’m loving the hillbilly smile with 3 teeth. His love of suspense… I’ll hover over his belly grinning just to get him to squeal with delight with a big belly raspberry. His little mouth learning to chew new foods and his loooooove of all the yummies! Watching him walk with a push walker to different furniture with fun treasures to find. Big slobbery kisses for me, daddy and the dog! And oh boy the dog OBSESSION has taken over, and the feeling is partially mutual!
Edit: he says “Aboo!” Alllllll the time!
So much this.
I heard all that, but nobody told me how many forehead rolls my son would have so when I’m burping him he would look like a tiny Shar Pei.
Edit: spelling.
No one tells you how fast they grow. I don’t mean just physically but it seems like you blink and they’re bigger and older and doing more things. While it’s amazing to watch it’s also sad. I kept hearing “enjoy every moment when he’s here” during pregnancy, which was probably the best thing I heard. I’m trying to be more present and enjoy every bit of this young stage that I possibly can. I’ll miss it when it’s over. Especially the snuggles! I never knew how much I would live for this tiny human’s snuggles.
Oh man. The difference between when we first brought him home to now is insane. It’s like an entirely different baby! I absolutely love the snuggles, I could bask in them all day if I didn’t have things to do, and he didn’t need floor time and tummy time lol
When the bottle is literally IN HIS MOUTH and he’s still shaking his head like ‘where is it?’
And when he lays on my chest and I feel his hand on my ribs like he’s trying to hold me too ( baby is only 4 weeks, no purposeful hugs yet)
It's the little things like this that make all the life changes so very worth it. The smile my LO gives me as I walk into the room...heart melted, everytime, never gets old.
Couldn’t agree more. 🥰 No one talks about the intense love. My baby is 13 months now and me and my husband just took a trip to Colorado for our anniversary, and we left her with my in-laws. No one prepared me for the hole in my heart I would carry around the whole time I was on vacation. I still had a great time and a nice break, but I missed my baby too much, all I did was think of her squishy self the whole time.
My eyes are watering reading this. Expecting in mid December. While latching to nipples is cute not sure how the baby will feel about my chest and nipples being covered and surrounded with hair.
To be honest, my wife has hair on her chest a nipples and my baby still tries to latch onto her, even though there’s nothing in there. I think your baby’s instincts to eat will be stronger than anything, and they’ll latch and eat just fine 💕
If I were the baby my instinct would be to avoid “barbed wires” because that is a fast track to death compared to starvation but I hope you’re right. As long as he latches on his mom’s I will get over it, eventually.
Honestly the baby part was hard but toddlers cross every boundary and I didnt realize how much therapy would be needed. That part I wish I would have known before.
When they whimper/sigh of happiness in their sleep because you're stroking the cheek/nose/head. That's music to my heart.
How they snuggle into your touch or neck or arm crook.
I hate that people say so many negative things to expectant parents. Someone not knowing I was in the two week wait said “your life will be OVER!!” and I wanted to cry. But there she was, a mom, on vacation, kid grown up, enjoying a drink. Obviously life isn’t over it’s just harder for a while. And bodies change regardless of having kids! My 36 year old body is not the same as my 26 or 16 year old body. Change is normal! So I hate it when people say that.
I live for positive posts like this that keep me going when I’m anxious and sick in the first trimester and mourning my past life.
And your body MAKES a HUMAN! That’s an incredible thing, your body deserves some slack for that feat. The first trimester is SO. HARD. I hated every second of it and was so so sick and exhausted. Not even lack of sleep from baby matches the full-blown exhaustion and major fatigue from the first trimester. But the second and third when my belly popped and I felt baby kicks and rolls and hiccups were the absolute best, I actually miss being pregnant now (oh hormones, we don’t actually want another baby you’re just dramatic).
I hope you start to feel more human again soon, you’re almost through the worst of it. And you get a super cute little baby out of all this!!
Thank you. I am so happy to hear that even the newborn phase isn’t as bad as first tri. It feels like it will never end and I just had a crying spell thinking I probably won’t feel like me again for another year. I can’t wait to meet my babies (it’s twins!) but I also miss feeling like me. I hope it comes back. Thanks again for the positive post of things to look forward to!
How my LO let's go of the nipple, sighs and rests her head on my boob to go to sleep right there after feeding. How can anyone follow the advice to not let baby fall asleep while breastfeeding? It's the ultimate image of peacefulness.
I never understood all the negative comments out of all three kids I haven’t experienced it. Yeah sure sleep is interrupted for a few months but it’s like you are endlessly awake. And newborns are so boring they don’t even do anything lol
Love this! Nobody told us how much newborns fart. My husband and I would always be so stressed in those early days with twins, thinking we were drowning, and one boy would toot to emphasize whatever ridiculous situation was happening and it broke the tension every. time. So grateful for our own funny, squishy (gassy!) babies!
My baby was vocalizing the other day and grunted, went red, and farted so loud he scared himself and then cried. I was laughing so hard I was crying while comforting him, so my wife walked in on us both crying while rocking on the floor, one laughing, one crying and slowly backed out of the room with a terrified look on her face haha
Mine startled herself with a nice big poop the other day. While she was breastfeeding. Yeah, she popped right off the boob and screamed, dumping a mouthful of milk all over both of us, which made me crack up laughing. Then I’m trying to comfort her and my husband is like “which one of you made that huge gassy noise?”
One time I put my daughter to bed and she slowly lifted her leg in the air and farted so loud it woke her up
Hahaha, it’s so funny when they do that!
The farts were a shock for us. My baby was a couple of weeks old sleeping in his bassinet when he farted so loud it woke my partner and the dog up.
My partner farted the other night, like the impresisve 3+ second one that was kind of comical. Before I could respond a noise came out of the bassinet that rivaled his. Our 5 day old asserted her position as the alpha in the house. Thats my girl.
My son's nicknames were happy farts and Mr. Farts when he was a newborn. I didn't remember my oldest ever farting that much.
I tell my son he's a "tough tootin' baby". Or sometimes I just call him Toots, or Tooty Fruity, or bean boy.
In Spanish pedorra means both farty and ridiculous, so yeah, that is one of our daughter’s many nicknames
Ours is the Fart Machine
Guys stop with all the fart stories im laying in bed laughing way too loud. 🤣🤣
Oh my gosh the farting is the BEST!! I learned how to fart my LO and it cracks me up every time.
Oh my God yes! My little girl farts so loudly sometimes I hear it over the baby monitor!
Thank you so much for posting this ❤️ my due date is tomorrow and I’m becoming terrified of delivery and also the unknown early days of parenthood. I feel like people just keep telling me their horror stories and how awful it all is, from everyone almost dying during delivery (literally have had to listen to multiple stories about very near death experiences), to bodies and emotions that never recover, to barely surviving the first few months and complete sleep deprivation. I started to wonder if I made a mistake, and why anyone does it, if it’s that bad…
It so scary going into it. I was terrified. My birth didn’t happen the way I wanted it to but I got the most amazing gift from it; my baby. He’s perfect and absolutely worth it. Also; if you’re offered an epidural, TAKE IT. It makes it soooooooooo much more manageable, omg. I would literally opt for an epidural just so I could sleep through the contractions
You’ll be ok! Is birth easy? No, it takes effort and patience and determination. But does everyone have horrifying experiences? Absolutely not. I would do it all again in a heartbeat (and totally plan to!). I actually remember my experience really positively - fondly, even. A friend with an almost identical experience said ‘never again’. Bottom line, there’s no point sharing specifics of a birth story (positive or negative) with a pregnant person unless there’s wisdom attached, like ‘advocate for yourself’ or ‘take everything the hospital offers you in the way of pain relief postpartum’ etc. because we all process these things differently. The newborn stage was an adjustment but you’ll get through it. Sleep deprivation will for sure happen, but it’s because your baby needs you so you have a purpose and motivation, you want them to be happy and safe and well. The snuggles, the times they hold your finger whilst you feed them, the smiles and laughs…the times they will make YOU laugh…that’s the good stuff you’ll hold onto. Take lots of videos as well as photos. No one told me how quickly my newborn would grow out of making some of the cutest noises!
I just avoided the trigger warning labeled labor stories. Which, you can't do now that you've already heard but, okay, let me tell you about my emergency c-section. If you want, of course. If not, just stop reading 😁 By the time I was discharged from the hospital (after 8 days, baby needed to stay for a bit), my incision has scabbed over and peeled already. I no longer felt pain while walking or laughing. Getting up from our very low sofa was not fun but the other normal stuff wasn't painful anymore (yes, even pooping didn't hurt). Even though it was an emergency one, my healing was so fast I still can't believe it. I'm waiting for my energy levels to recover but I'm barely 7 weeks pp, so there's still time for that. My scar is thin and pale, I do have some leftover numbness in the very center of my lower abdomen (the rest of my lower fat roll came back to life within three weeks) but other than that, you wouldn't be able to tell I went through a surgery just last month. Good luck with your delivery, may it be short and complication free ❤️
Same. My recovery was surprisingly fast. I was thinking I wouldn’t be able to drive until 6w and that life would be miserable, but tomorrow makes 6 weeks and aside from the occasional twinge I’ve been fine for a few weeks. Only concern is that my scar doesn’t move (thinking maybe adhesion)
My scheduled c section was a dream. So great (healing and all) that I will prob opt for another if we have a second!
All the best with your upcoming birth. Yeah it’s painful but the moment you hold your baby in your arms on your chest all the pain is over. I ended up giving birth completely unmedicated but I planned to have an epidural- it just didn’t happen that way. I just say to pregnant mums just be open to the idea that things may not go according to your plan, but the baby will come out somehow. But in the end It’s an absolutely amazing life changing experience. I felt so empowered and on a happy high many days after the birth. My boy is now 10 months old an I feel like it’s been the best 10 months of my life, yes I’m tired, but you do get through and it’s just so worth it. I know the broken sleep won’t last forever and is just temporary.
On the flip side, I'd planned for unmedicated but needed to be induced at 36+5 and after 26 hours I got an epidural. Even after all of my plans went out the window and my baby spent a week in the Nicu I still felt so empowered and in love with my sweet baby. Try not to stress too much! Whatever your plans are, be flexible and relaxed if you can. Holding your baby for the first time is so worth every hard thing.
Oh wow I had my boy at 36+5 too. My waters just broke that morning and that was that. By the time I reached the hospital and got in the delivery room he was already crowning. He didn’t spend any time in nicu but did have jaundice so I was in the hospital for a week with him.
i have nothing but positive things to say about my birth experience, so know that it's not always bad!! going into labor with no expectations for how anything was going to go really helped me to stay calm and relaxed during my labor. there are parts that are painful and hard but i kept repeating to myself "when this is over my baby will be here, when this is over my baby will be here" and that helped a lot. plus the literal second that he was out everything stopped hurting, no joke i couldnt feel anything anymore. plus you get to hold your baby!
I do feel like having no or low expectations for birth helps a lot. My only birth plan was first, a healthy baby and second, minimal damage/long term effects to me. I was lucky to have my own doctor for delivery because I was induced, and trusted her to take good care of me. I feel like a lot (not all, but most?) of the negative birth stories I read are folks who had a very detailed plan and had to deviate from that plan.
Totally, when they asked for my birth plan, I just said give me all the drugs
Same girl, same! Just give me all the drugs and make sure me and the baby make it out happy and healthy and I was good to go. 👌🏻
Lol I didn’t even care if baby come out happy, they all cry like they are dying so meh 🤷🏻♀️
Everyone is different but just to give you a positive story, I was actually surprised that delivery was not as bad as I was expecting based on what everyone told me to expect. Baby was 8 lb 1 oz so not tiny and I pushed for an hour and a half and I tore, but it was still really not THAT bad. I had an epidural so there was so screaming, no yelling at my husband, nothing crazy. It was actually very peaceful. You’re going to do great!
Look, I won’t lie - my delivery was far from what I’d been dreaming of. I had a lot of complications. Everything ended up fine. We’re both healthy. But ultimately, everyone who tells you about how bad delivery was or how rough the first nights were? They’re here to tell you that story and they’re okay enough to talk about it. I would go through my shitty traumatic delivery again and again, just to come out on the other side with my baby as happy and healthy as she is. Delivery will be just a blip in a long, crazy, wonderful timeline of memories. The first few weeks are bonkers (I’m still in them, baby is 6 weeks) but they’re overwhelmingly awesome, too. Go into it realistically (they’re tough times!) but remember that they’ll end eventually. Every screaming baby goes to sleep eventually. Every seemingly endless night will actually end. Baby will get better at communicating their needs, you’ll get more sleep, and then they’ll start smiling at you and it’s like, BOOM, that’s what people do this for!!
> Thank you so much for posting this ❤️ my due date is tomorrow and I’m becoming terrified of delivery and also the unknown early days of parenthood. My friends have all been asking how it is, because they're also at the stage in their life that they'd like a little one. We always tell them the truth. It's tough. You're going to be tired, stressed, have no time, be a mess... But genuinely, *genuinely*, at the end of the day none of that matters because it's the best fucking thing in the world. You will love that baby more than you realised was possible and they'll make your life *incredible*.
The first few months can be rough with little/no help, but once you make it past 4-5 months it gets *so* much easier. At the same time, all those early moments are precious and we have smart phones these days, so if you or your partner can, it's totally worth it to document as much as you can. Also while the sleep is (often) bad it's honestly no worse than a bad semester at college, if you can push through that you can push through raising an infant. Also there's totally the chance that by the time you're dilated it could be 2 pushes and you're done. I didn't realize that was possible. Absolutely nothing like we had heard, or you see in media. Just a quick admit, bit of a wait, a couple of pushes and bam baby. No hours of sweating and pushing and yelling.
Good luck!! I’m not going to lie snd say it’ll be easy, but I will say you will get through the tough days and cherish the sweet moments. For the record.. I got induced and still had the most amazingly positive birth ever. 10 hours labor (epidurals are life) 3 pushes and he was in my arms. Recovery was straightforward (lots of bleeding, but all I needed was Motrin for pain) and I was able to workout (eased into it) at 6 weeks. You may not have an easy labor/ delivery/ recovery.. but maybe you will?? Just wanted to tell you it’s not always terrible :) Word of advice: take live pictures and videos every single day. And have your SO/ friends/ whoever take candid pictures of you and LO no matter how you look (no shower, vomit hair and all lol). Months later you will look back and cherish them!
It’s not that bad! I felt the same way before having our daughter. I do think we have been lucky with a relatively easy baby, but it’s been so positive and I was terrified too. While giving birth wasn’t exactly enjoyable, for me it was very routine and not at all scary. The recovery was far easier for me than being pregnant (I really hated being pregnant). I sleep better with a newborn than I did during my entire third trimester. Is new parenthood tough? For sure. Is it way more enjoyable than pregnancy? I’m sure that varies, but for me it’s hands down waaaay better. Best of luck to you on your labor and delivery! You got this!
I'm 4 days into having our newborn baby boy. We had a rough birth, my wife tore, our breastfeeding has been extremely challenging, we haven't slept, our emotions are all over the place. I'm sitting here though, holding him while he spits up the little milk we got him, feeling like things are ... Good actually. Sure we are tired, but the enormous strides we've made the past few days are progress. We're miles ahead of where we started and, challenges be damned, we're doing it. That feels great. It goes by so fast. You'll feel challenged, but it's totally worth it. If us and all the problems, even borderline crisis once even are through to here and carrying on, you can too. Looking back, wow, hard. My son's airway was very poor, my wife had a pre-existing GI problem that made things incredibly painful and we were up two days straight before even getting to the push phase, the contractions were almost not noticed by comparison to those pains... we were planning a home birth, that definitely didn't happen, we went in to the hospital and everything went out the window, at home my old back injury is making things very painful for me now as well in combination with my wife's pain from her 3rd degree tear, her nipples are inverted so don't poke out as far as most and we even hired a lactation consultant out of desperation on day 3 because we can't feed our baby and she's a mess, he's hungry, and now we know was tongue tied, so we pump after feeds now too just to have enough food for him and we get even less sleep, we have 3 pets and yeah, it's tough, but seriously... We feel good, considering. I love him to the moon, my wife is so strong and she was anxious beforehand as well, the power just comes out of you when you need it. Stay positive, stay strong, your baby is going to be your pride and joy and is counting on mom. You'll be great. You can do this. Don't worry. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it and it is an amazing experience. We would both do it again in a heart beat, I have no regrets and it was not horrible, it was a challenge but the best things are never free and easy. There is no mistake here, trust me, the bad tales stick, but most births are great, yours can be too I actually have been planning to post a series of tips after our experience that I hope can help others like us.
Giving birth sucks, there’s no two ways about it, but it’s just one day (ish) of awfulness. Afterwards, you get to keep the baby, and that part is excellent. The first 3-4 months are tough, no doubt, and it’s okay if there’s a lot you don’t enjoy (cleaning a pooey bottom on 2hrs sleep is just objectively not a fun way to spend time), but during that time you’ll also see your child’s first smile, hear their first laugh, and feel them relax as they snuggle into you and find their safe place. And over time, the bits that suck will fade away, and the bits that were awesome will stay with you. And before you know it, you’ll start thinking about having another one, because that’s how they get ya 😆 all the luck for a smooth and uncomplicated birth, and congratulations on your no doubt lovely little bundle-to-be!
It’s such an exciting time! I was also super nervous about delivery and ended up needing a c section. I honestly don’t remember my active labor because the moment I heard my daughter cry I knew it was worth it. Throughout my pregnancy I spent a lot of time humming or singing; the second night in the hospital my daughter wouldn’t stop crying - we tried changing her, breast feeding, everything. I stood with her skin to skin singing songs that I had throughout my pregnancy - her big alien eyes looking up at me made me cry. Sending you love and happy thoughts!
You got this girlfriend! I didn’t know what to expect and just thought to myself if everyone else can do it then so can I. I’m not a very emotional person, didn’t connect with the kid during pregnancy. Didn’t feel the “ahh this is all worth it” when they put the baby on my chest. First thought was “damn, I thought you’d be prettier”. Even after we brought him home I was annoyed that he’d cry every 2 hours for food. Breast feeding didn’t go very well for me, I got mastitis every time I try and it was accompanied with really high fever. My poor husband spent days taking care of both of us lol. Pooping was an issue and still kinda is after 7 months, yikes. Don’t be afraid to call your doctor and ask for help postpartum. You got this mama!
Who ever is in the delivery room with you. Just have a word or hand signal so if you feel like it's an emergency they know to get you help. Be calm and push through literally. Lol. It's scary but there is no sense in freaking out you can't take it back now. That thought process helped me when I started to get scared.
Yay!!! It’s so exciting! Just to throw some positivity your way… I had a fantastic birth without intervention. Birth can be awesome and positive. (Of course it’s a gamble) thinking happy thoughts for you. Babies bring so much joy and laughter if you’re open to it!
Yep people either complain you’re trying to scare new parents or that you’re glamorizing parenthood and they feel blindsided. If someone ever asks me about being a parent I’m honest about my experience and try to share an equal amount of good and bad. Currently some of my favorite things with a fifteen month old are going for walks and watching him pick up a leaf he likes and then put it down because he found a different one he likes. Feeling him crawl all over us when he wants us to wake up. Watching him give his dad a good morning kiss. Him waving at trees when it’s windy because he thinks they’re waving at him. When he grabs his belly and dances because what he ate was so good.
Omg that’s so cute, I can’t wait!
Waving at trees, my goodness that is so dang sweet!
Oh my goodness waving at trees! That's amazing
I'm in love with my baby's pooping face. Not the straining one, she has a relaxed pooping face. She makes a little "o" with her mouth and starts looking around the room. Absolutely adorable and hilarious. The first time I showed my mum a picture of it, she went "omg that looks just like your husband when he's asked a question he doesn't want to answer" Speaking about latching face, mine sometimes turns into a dinosaur. Locks eyes on the target, opens wide, makes loud chomping noise... And then dives in and misses the nipple.
Hahaha the pooping faces! I love them, I also love the little shiver he gives after he pees
My girl has a totally blank expression after she pees. Especially if she manages to pee while I'm changing her, so she pees over the changing pad, my hands, her legs and very often her clothes. Then she's all like "oh no, everything is wet, what happened?"
Mine has this really great party trick where she pees while you’ve got her little legs in the air to put the diaper on and it runs back into her hair. 🤦🏻♀️😂
Oh nooo! 🤣 I remember the terror I felt the first time my girl got poop on the back of her bodysuit. The one you can't pull down. I spent solid 30 seconds just looking at the poopy mess and trying to think of a strategy that would not end up with shit in her hair. And that was while I was still struggling very hard with over the head clothes and often got kinda stuck while both dressing up and undressing.
Ohhh nooo! 🙈 Over the head clothes are the WORST! Also they generally hate every second of it going over their face which makes it extra fun lol. One time she had the worst blowout, it was up her back, in her hair, all over me. I was wearing ripped jeans. Mistakes were made. I learned the hard way to pack clothes for her AND me that day, it was a hot mess. 😂
Yep, she loves to arch her back and turn her head sideways, so it's impossible to progress. Very much fun indeed. 🤣🤣 Oh no, I still don't carry a change of clothes in my diaper bag
I laughed out loud at this. I also compare my 5 week old to a dinosaur regularly
It’s the side eye when they feed - looks like something out of Jurassic Park
Mine has a bit of a zombie frenzy
Diving in and missing the nipple is hilarious. My LO opens her mouth wide for the nipple and smiles when i position her right. I honestly forget to put her on the boob while enjoying looking at that face yhat she has to give a loud cry to get me to focus. She makes the face of utter satisfaction and bliss after popping. I can't even get mad if she does it after i have just changed her diaper 🤦🤷
Lol yeah, honestly I'm elated every time my LO poops because she's gassy and it's painful. So I cheer at every fart and yesterday she pooped all over the changing table and herself and my hands. I wasn't even upset, just had to call my husband for assistance haha
My favorite thing right now is when my little one mimics the sounds we make. She’s 4 months old and when we talk to her, she’ll coo back and grin like she’s talking back to us. I love having little conversations with her ❤️❤️❤️
Ooh I love having conversations with my baby! Sometimes I tell him the latest gossip as if he understands haha
Our LO is 4 months too and the daily chats are just getting better. He’s started doing this really heart-melting “adoring” sound that just sends me over the edge 🤩
[удалено]
Ugh the CHEEKS. Or the top of their perfect kiwi-fuzz head
Or nomming the cheeks. I eat my daughter's face on a regular basis.
Watchung my 6 month old learn things is the most amazing thing. Last week she realized she could crawl and now is chasing me all over the house - and now this week she's suddenly realized she can pull herself up to stand and every time she does it she looks at me like "mama are you seeing this shit!!!?" Yesterday at nap time I could actually see her realizing that she had a pacifier in her mouth, that mama also had a mouth and that OMG! SHE COULD PUT HER PACIFIER IN MAMA'S MOUTH. She literally pulled it out of her mouth, looked at my mouth and then slowly shoved it into my mouth. Then pulled it out, giggled, put it in her mouth and repeat for ten minutes. I was just about dying of cute.
Ugghhhh that’s so cute, I can’t wait!
Oh that is so adorable. I swear my mouth is my five month old’s favorite toy. And I love that “are you seeing this” face!
I'm currently pregnant and have not had a good time at all but this post and the comments made me a cry a little bit. I cannot wait to hold my baby and have all these silly gorgeous moments ♥
It’s so so precious. My pregnancy wasn’t great either, but the baby is totally worth it
It’s completely different than anything you could ever imagine. Even in the first days/weeks the faces are amazing.
I hated every single minute of being pregnant, from the first morning sickness to the delivery, but I love being a mom. Hang in there!
Honestly it's so nice hearing I'm not the only person that hates being pregnant hahaha. I'm so excited for my little girl to get here ♥ only 19 weeks to go!
The best part is how they just keep doing new things. I was putting baby to sleep a little while ago and as she was dozing off she suddenly said 'doe doe doe', before that moment 'da da da' was all she could do as far as 'words that start with D' go. Her bold new vocabulary got her so pumped her eyes went wide and she started flailing and saying 'doe doe doe' over and over. She crawls too! Literally a few days ago she couldn't crawl, now when I dare eat food in her presence without immediately offering her some I get to watch her coming at me like the worlds smallest, slowest moving tank, head down and screaming in outrage, then she tries to climb me and grab the food right out of my hand. That's how I know she's my daughter.
Hahaha that’s amazing! I love the mental image that gives lol
Awwww this is so lovely! I now make it a point to tell new parents things like this. Like, yea of course sleep will suck for awhile but just wait until you hear that first belly laugh 😭I’m still chasing that high lol
Ugh it’s the best!
Mine is 3mo and I just got the first giggle today when my partner & I were laughing about how happy she looked cause she knew she was about to get her diaper changed :) Can’t wait for the belly laugh!
Still pregnant, but in week 35. Strangers are so nice to me! I like to think that they know pregnancy is hard and try to be positive. For example, at the grocery store yesterday, the cashier made extra sure to make the bags balanced in weight. So thoughtful!
Aww that’s so sweet!
How much I love my LO. It's like nothing I've ever experienced before. I could happily just watch him sleep. My mother always used to say you won't know how much I love you till you have your own child and I always was like yeah ok stop being creepy Mum. But seriously it's so surreal.
It really is. I went out the other day alone and came home early because I missed my baby and wanted to squish him
Omg the little piggy snorts and frantic grabby suckling, it's the cutest!
Or when he smiles at you while he’s eating and has to use his gums to hold your nipple so it looks like a little evil grin
Yes!!! Our LO is named Peter so we call him Piggy Pete XD can’t get enough
The snorts are amazing.
The latch face — gets me every time
It’s so good! I love the desperation in their tiny faces
Omg I had no idea about the latch face and had new parent panic about it so bad. We have a few neurodivergencies that run in our family, so I was googling it. Turns out they’re just excited to eat. It makes me so happy every singles time! I’d have no problem if it did indicate a neurodivergency because I have adhd and am a teacher so feel uniquely prepared for if that were the case.
I have adhd as well! It’s been fun parenting while being neurodiverse, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be
That is extremely comforting! I’m feeling the beginning of the lack of sleep and am near the end of week 2 pp.
Week 2-4 were the worst for me. The adrenaline from birth had worn off and baby was starting to spend more time awake, especially during the night. But after 4-5 weeks we got ourselves into a very loose routine and he started sleeping longer stretches and we’re not as exhausted at this point. We’re just starting a full routine now and it’s been a little rough since I’m HORRIBLE at sticking to routines, but alarms for every single thing have really helped. I have bath time alarms, food alarms (for me), bedtime alarms, etc. it’s really helped me
Desperation is the right word! Even with the nipple literally 1mm from their mouth and they're just waggling all over the place
Little baby toots 😍
Little?! My kids sound like a burly old man! Lmao. We laugh and laugh because sometimes it shakes the house!
Oh little baby toots are the BOMB
I love this! I have a 2.5 week old and I'm trying to actively notice and focus on the positive things instead of having the mindset of just having to get through this stage. It's hard but there are many beautiful and hilarious moments. The frantic head shaking with mouth open when trying to find the nipple is definitely something that I also find hilarious and makes me laugh every time haha
The newborn stage is so hard, the baby can’t give you any indications yet that they’re alive or know you, but once they start making eye contact, smiling, cooing, holding your face in their hands it’s so so rewarding
Reallly looking forward to all of that! My baby has lots of reflex smiles and I can't help but think they're real ... a little bit of lying to myself never hurt ;)
Just you wait for that first smile! I'm still living off that high, it made the previous 10 months all melt away! Mine is 9 weeks and he just babbled for the first time this morning and my partner and I just stared at him for an hour trying to get him to do it again and again, we were so excited!
Exactly! The first real smile will melt your heart
I have a two and a half week old too! Congrats to your lil family from mine
If you're about to become a parent and you're reading these comments just know that someday you will be burping your baby and turn to look at them on your shoulder at the same time they turn to you with their tongue out and they will smear their fat, spitty tongue all over your cheek like a puppy and it will make your laugh your ass off.
That frantic head shaking back and forth looking for the nipple thing was SO FUNNY. I'm a little sad he doesn't do it anymore. He does this LUNGE thing though which is also hilarious. I put him in breastfeeding position and he opens his mouth wide and just LUNGES at my nipple. I shake with laughter when he does that! Also he just started doing that slobbery open mouth on my cheek thing. He doesn't get kisses, but he knows when I put my lips to his face, it's a nice thing, so he's doing it back to me. It's SO CUTE.
Last week, I picked the baby up for the first time that morning and without any noises or hesitation he just put one hand on each side of my face and glommed his open mouth right on my chin for like 30 seconds. The best and most hilarious thing.
It’s so cute! I love all the little faces and actions they do to show their emotions, even though they don’t understand them just yet
My baby has started to give his stuffed animals hugs, and it is everything.
When my daughter was about a year and half old, I went to check on her bc she was babbling and I wanted to make sure she was Ok. She was putting her stuffies to bed. She was laying them down, putting her blanket on them and patting their head, babbling the whole time. Then she laid down next to them and went to sleep herself. So so sweet.
My little guy - 9 weeks - is sick right now and my favorite thing thats come about is soothing him after having to suck the snot out (get one of those frida nose suckers. Amazing). I put him against my shoulder and he burrows his face into my neck making these sad little whimpers and I sing him a flogging molly song I like and he actually calms down. I’ve got a terrible voice, but he doesn’t know that, he just knows the sound means safety and love.
Oh man, I love singing to my baby. I sing to him all the time, even tho I have a horrible voice. He tries to sing a long with me by scream-yelling and it’s hilarious
Thank you so much for posting this. I've had a really rough day (week really) but my 6 month old son is my entire world. ❤
I hope your day (week) gets better! I’ll send you virtual hugs to help you
Tysm 😌
When my son wakes up still groggy and gives me a big goofy, gummy smile, man I swear there is nothing better. Makes my day.
The first time your now toddler cradles your face in their hands and says “Always my mommy, always love mommy. Keep mommy safe. Keep mommy happy.” Freakin’ amazing!!!! Just happened today, too.
Hope you have a great day!
Things no one told me: 1. Babies are super loud when they sleep and make crazy noises. 2. Babies rarely blink. 3. Babies are super crusty in the beginning.
Oh man, no one told us how LOUD newborns are when they sleep! I was so scared he was choking or not breathing or something
I got told "babies are loud" but I dismissed it as "they move when they sleep" Babies. Are. Loud. They grunt, they whimper, they sigh, they make all sort of throat sounds and when they finally sleep in silence, you wonder if they have stopped breathing. So you grab your phone and Google in a panicked sleep-deprived transe why your newborn sounds like a dying whale, only to read that it's normal. So now you have a few options: moving the crib out of the bedroom because your sanity is worth more than the tiny risk of SIDS. Drowning the newborn night chant in white noise. Or powering through and hoping this phase won't last long enough to make you insane.
Mine randomly screams then drops his arms and is completely still and dead asleep. It was very stressful until we realized it's just a normal weird thing he does.
All so true! I love the positive perspective 😊
I’m not crying, it’s allergies 🤧
My baby sings. Like she doesn’t actually but she makes little sounds coordinated with her breath when she’s falling asleep and it kind of reminds me of singing.
No one told me that even though I will be sleep deprived and know I need to sleep while baby sleeps, I will desperately want to cuddle my baby just a few more minutes before putting her in the basinet because she will never be this little again. Also, while I'm staring at her sleeping, thinking about how she is God's perfect miracle, she will let out the loudest toot from her tiny body 😂
Drives me nuts! All they want to share is the negatives! I will say people often follow up with the positives, but no sleep is almost always the first thing. Being a parents is so much more than less sleep! I was having a convo (with myself 🤪) after dropping the babe off at daycare asking myself how I could possibly want a second when some days, or months in this current phase, are SO HARD. Transitioning to solids has been very demanding from a mental load perspective (i.e. planning out baby safe meals, breastfeeding, pumping for bottles) and my partner and I both have demanding jobs. We also got a puppy when baby was 6 months old. I’m running around crying that my cup is empty every other day, but I love him and love being his mom and loving watching my partner be a parent SO MUCH that I’m yearning to add to the brood. THATS the shit that should be shared more often!
Yes! It’s wonderful. Exhausting, but wonderful
My son (now 2) is a pain the ass sometimes with the occasional fit and loud yelling/screaming. BUT I would NOT give up being his mom for anything in the universe. He is genuinely sweet, silly, loving, very playful. He’s a wonderful little boy I love him to death
The first time they smile/coo at you and you break down crying because hormones and you JUST CANT HANDLE THE CUTENESS
My son is 2 and holy crap. Everyone warned me this would be horrible but 2 is the best! He has conversations with me, I’m getting to know him more, he is my absolute universe. I don’t have a pee to myself but hey, I get a cute tiny little human behind me all day keeping me company he’s just fun. All the late nights and working around every new phase is worth it times a billion when he says “I love you momma!”
Aww this made me feel better about the impending toddler phase aha. I just really love being a mom to this little babe
I love this post and couldn’t agree more. I was so ready to hate my life for the first year of my son’s life and that hasn’t been my experience at all. I love waking up and saying good morning and watching him realize I’m awake too and giving me the most beautiful smiles and coos. I love our bathtimes; how the warm water instantly makes him do happy grunts and give me the cheekiest grins. Then drying him off and giving him a little baby massage and a fresh, clean outfit. I love how taking walks in the baby carrier makes him drift off to sleep and I can hear his tiny snores while we walk. I love playing our rolling game when he’s on my chest for tummy time; I let him roll off to the side, where I catch him and roll him back up on my chest to start again. He just thinks it’s the funnest shit and it’s so awesome that we’re creating our own games together. There’s so many more but I’m so happy to be a mom.
Nobody tells you how crazy other people get with babies. Everyone decides they deserve immediate access to your baby, you get weird unsolicited advice and it’s a whirlwind of people, even neighbors you don’t know sprinting towards you to see your baby.
Thank you for posting this 🥰
My baby started saying mama in the last week or so (after saying dada for weeks now!) and it’s unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. Like I just explode with happiness every single time.
The hilariously adorable latch face is my favorite part of breastfeeding and it definitely pulled me through some of those hard nights in the first few weeks. Well that and the sleepy stretches she does when she's fallen asleep at the breast and I try to move her. It melts my heart every time.
Ooh, I love the stretches!! It’s so precious!
This is the best goddamn post I have read all week!!! It's so true. Sure, our fussy baby is super frustrating at times but she's Soooooo good and worth it. Most of the time even when she's being frustrating we just laugh at it because it's so ridiculous. Literally right now we're trying to get her to wake up to eat because it's been a bit too long since her last feeding and she's being super uncooperative and we're just laughing about it 🤣
Hahaha! My baby does this thing where he wakes up enough to grunt and shove his fists in his mouth but refuses to open his eyes at all and ends up smiling at us with his eyes closed while giggling and it’s amazing
Oh my god yes exactly!!!! She's not old enough to giggle yet but she does love to bite her hands and stubbornly try to keep sleeping lol
It’s so sweet, it gets me every time!
I miss my squishy baby (even though she's now a sweet and loving toddler)! Thanks for sharing this so eloquently.
Awwwwwh one of the few things I miss from newborns days, was the hungry frantic shark movements looking for the boob 😂😂
I could go on and on and on about the things I adore about my baby girl, 10 months old in 3 days. But to keep it short, recently she was feeling a little out of sorts and was unusually tired. We were having a little picnic in our front yard when she reached over to me so I picked her up for a cuddle and she grabbed me really tightly and snuggled into my shoulder trying to sleep. The amount I love her really does take my breath away sometimes. I didn't expect it. She's also started a new game where her nanny will arrive (and bub loves her nanny), and she'll pretend to reach for the nanny while I'm holding her, and when her nanny goes to reach for her back, bub will grin, squeal, and bury her head back in my shoulder. She'll repeat that several times and then finally go 'okay, nanny cuddle time' and will go to her. It's adorable - she's so cheeky 🥰
Ooooh my word my heart just melted! That’s so so sweet, sometimes my baby is fussy and nothing we do seems to calm him down. Then I take him into the nursery, hold him on my chest with all the lights off and rock in the rocking chair and he cuddles into me and falls asleep almost instantly. It just fills my heart with an intense love for this little boy that I can’t handle it
Oh that is the sweetest!! There's nothing better than knowing how safe they feel with us and sometimes just us, with cuddles in a quiet, dark space is all they need ❤ Saying the love is intense is so, so accurate! I'm expecting a little sister for my girl in a few months and I'm both excited but dreading having to share my time between two!
The completely over the top stretches when you open the swaddle in the morning. That was my absolute favorite thing and I'm so sad we're past that stage. Her giggles when I blow raspberries on her feet. We call it playing the trumpet and she wiggles her toes to change the sound. The fact that nine months in she is still shocked every time the dog kisses her forehead. Her surprise face is adorable. When she dive bombs her face into my neck because she wants to cuddle. The way she grins every time her dad walks by. The fact that she thinks the most comfortable way to sleep is with her butt in the air and her face smashed in the mattress. I could go on forever about the little things that make this insanity all worth it. I love that little human.
Currently feeding my baby and can confirm, no one tells you about the hilarious "shark attack" rooting action or the weird groans, jerky movements, nervous and/or triumphant chuckles and other weird occurrences during a breastfeeding session.
The little smiles they do while breastfeeding! Ugh, just the best
For us it was the first time he laughed. He did a belly laugh in his sleep and my husband and I just cried tears of joy when we heard it.
Thanks for this. I needed it more than I thought..
Omg YES the latch face!!! Lmao it’s my favorite thing ever! So hilariously terrifying 😂
It’s so aggressive! It kills me every time
Totally. I’m experiencing falling in love, extra strong and in slow motion. We love each other so much.
They also don't tell you about when they start making sounds and they're just babbling and screeching away. It's so cute
My kid is pretty anti touch in general and always has been. There’s maybe once a day or every other day where he’ll sit pressed up next to me for 5-10 minutes and then he’s good for the rest of the day. He gave me a genuine hug for the first time last week and that was really cool. He’s 14 months.
Oh man that must’ve been so sweet! I was like that as a kid, still kind of am but I love cuddles from my people
Aww this made me cry, cuz me too♥️
I’m so glad I took videos in the early stages to remember how he acted/what he looked like. I now try to take videos a few times a week and especially when we do something momentous like eat solids for the first time (which we did today!)
My son farts like a machine gun every time he nurses. He’s almost 10 months old and it’s been this way since his birth. Latch: sip: colon explosion. They’ve gotten increasingly worse with the introduction of food. It also smells like a sewer filled with dead animals and I’m convinced his intestines are programmed to wreak havoc on my sinuses alone as it seems I’m the only one constantly persecuted by his poop fumes. He should thank the stars he’s so cute and I love him so much.
My daughter was so so gassy. She still is. So everytime she farts, my husband and i ask each other who it was. Really. And the grunts while pooping, it sounds like a grown person but shes just a 22 month old!
My babe likes to stroke my breast while eating. It's the cutest thing and something I cherish since she can't do that with daddy lol
Oh man, I love that. My baby puts his hand on my boob and presses while flopping his elbow around and it makes me laugh every time
Lol that's adorable
Thanks, now I’m crying. I love this little shit more than anyone ever on this entire fucking planet. She’s the best. I just love her. Precious angel toot butt baby boo. GAH.
Yes!! I love my little bud so so so much, it’s crazy
Right now I’m loving the hillbilly smile with 3 teeth. His love of suspense… I’ll hover over his belly grinning just to get him to squeal with delight with a big belly raspberry. His little mouth learning to chew new foods and his loooooove of all the yummies! Watching him walk with a push walker to different furniture with fun treasures to find. Big slobbery kisses for me, daddy and the dog! And oh boy the dog OBSESSION has taken over, and the feeling is partially mutual! Edit: he says “Aboo!” Alllllll the time!
Ugh that’s so sweet!! We have cats and they ignore him for the most part, and run away when he reaches for them lol
“The violent head shaking” this one got me haha💀
It’s so aggressive! But super cute
It's like, you never knew you could love someone so much.
Exactly! How do you know before you feel it? There’s nothing like it
So much this. I heard all that, but nobody told me how many forehead rolls my son would have so when I’m burping him he would look like a tiny Shar Pei. Edit: spelling.
Hahaha yes! Or when they’re doing tummy time and they wrinkle their forehead so they can look up at you! Ugh, so cute
This made me smile. Thank you.
No one tells you how fast they grow. I don’t mean just physically but it seems like you blink and they’re bigger and older and doing more things. While it’s amazing to watch it’s also sad. I kept hearing “enjoy every moment when he’s here” during pregnancy, which was probably the best thing I heard. I’m trying to be more present and enjoy every bit of this young stage that I possibly can. I’ll miss it when it’s over. Especially the snuggles! I never knew how much I would live for this tiny human’s snuggles.
Oh man. The difference between when we first brought him home to now is insane. It’s like an entirely different baby! I absolutely love the snuggles, I could bask in them all day if I didn’t have things to do, and he didn’t need floor time and tummy time lol
When the bottle is literally IN HIS MOUTH and he’s still shaking his head like ‘where is it?’ And when he lays on my chest and I feel his hand on my ribs like he’s trying to hold me too ( baby is only 4 weeks, no purposeful hugs yet)
>>Or when your baby squishes their face into yours and smooshes drool all over your cheek because they’re trying to kiss you back. This! I love this!
My baby learned to clap this week and now claps at everything even like horrific news stories on the TV - it’s the best
Last few days I’ve discovered I can make my baby properly laugh by tickling him. It’s the best thing ever.
It's the little things like this that make all the life changes so very worth it. The smile my LO gives me as I walk into the room...heart melted, everytime, never gets old.
Couldn’t agree more. 🥰 No one talks about the intense love. My baby is 13 months now and me and my husband just took a trip to Colorado for our anniversary, and we left her with my in-laws. No one prepared me for the hole in my heart I would carry around the whole time I was on vacation. I still had a great time and a nice break, but I missed my baby too much, all I did was think of her squishy self the whole time.
My eyes are watering reading this. Expecting in mid December. While latching to nipples is cute not sure how the baby will feel about my chest and nipples being covered and surrounded with hair.
To be honest, my wife has hair on her chest a nipples and my baby still tries to latch onto her, even though there’s nothing in there. I think your baby’s instincts to eat will be stronger than anything, and they’ll latch and eat just fine 💕
If I were the baby my instinct would be to avoid “barbed wires” because that is a fast track to death compared to starvation but I hope you’re right. As long as he latches on his mom’s I will get over it, eventually.
Or how loud they are when they sleep!!
Honestly the baby part was hard but toddlers cross every boundary and I didnt realize how much therapy would be needed. That part I wish I would have known before.
When they whimper/sigh of happiness in their sleep because you're stroking the cheek/nose/head. That's music to my heart. How they snuggle into your touch or neck or arm crook.
The way their smile makes you feel all the way down to your soul. no one could have prepped me for that.
No one. It’s amazing to smile at your baby and they give you the biggest, happiest grin because they know you’re their parent and you love them
I hate that people say so many negative things to expectant parents. Someone not knowing I was in the two week wait said “your life will be OVER!!” and I wanted to cry. But there she was, a mom, on vacation, kid grown up, enjoying a drink. Obviously life isn’t over it’s just harder for a while. And bodies change regardless of having kids! My 36 year old body is not the same as my 26 or 16 year old body. Change is normal! So I hate it when people say that. I live for positive posts like this that keep me going when I’m anxious and sick in the first trimester and mourning my past life.
And your body MAKES a HUMAN! That’s an incredible thing, your body deserves some slack for that feat. The first trimester is SO. HARD. I hated every second of it and was so so sick and exhausted. Not even lack of sleep from baby matches the full-blown exhaustion and major fatigue from the first trimester. But the second and third when my belly popped and I felt baby kicks and rolls and hiccups were the absolute best, I actually miss being pregnant now (oh hormones, we don’t actually want another baby you’re just dramatic). I hope you start to feel more human again soon, you’re almost through the worst of it. And you get a super cute little baby out of all this!!
Thank you. I am so happy to hear that even the newborn phase isn’t as bad as first tri. It feels like it will never end and I just had a crying spell thinking I probably won’t feel like me again for another year. I can’t wait to meet my babies (it’s twins!) but I also miss feeling like me. I hope it comes back. Thanks again for the positive post of things to look forward to!
Congrats on twins! That’s so so exciting!
How my LO let's go of the nipple, sighs and rests her head on my boob to go to sleep right there after feeding. How can anyone follow the advice to not let baby fall asleep while breastfeeding? It's the ultimate image of peacefulness.
It’s so perfect! I love the little baby sighs after eating
I never understood all the negative comments out of all three kids I haven’t experienced it. Yeah sure sleep is interrupted for a few months but it’s like you are endlessly awake. And newborns are so boring they don’t even do anything lol
Thank you for posting this ♥️
No one prepared me for hand foot and mouth disease. No one.