- Tips and Tricks
The Realistic Truth About Life With A New Baby.
Life with a new baby is incredibly exciting but also absolutely terrifying! It is one of the biggest changes you will ever experience and one that no matter how hard we try and prepare for, can be a massive shock!
There are so many parenting books and well-meaning friends offering advice for your upcoming life with a new baby that it can be totally overwhelming. The reality is that until you have the baby in your arms the advice can just be words with little understanding.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for reading up and learning all you can but once my eldest got to around the 1-year mark I felt like I had spent a lot of time reading what he should be doing and not so much time learning from him himself.
When I was pregnant with my second child I swore not to open a Parenting book but instead pay more attention to his (and my) needs at that present time. That made my life with a new baby so much more relaxed, enjoyable and less demanding. If you want to know what the realistic truth is about life after baby number 2 then check out this post: 10 Things To Expect When Having Baby Number 2
From my experience of having 3 babies, I have now put together 9 points that I think every parent should be aware of. I hope from reading these that a new Mum or Mum to be can realise that if your baby isn’t sleeping or you don’t know what to do then it is totally ok. It happens to all new Mums sometimes but the important thing to remember is that each phase will pass!
The Realistic Truth About Life With A New Baby.
1. Yes newborns sleep a lot but there will be the odd day(s) where they don’t sleep at all. It will probably be the day you are already the most tired. By the way, your lack of sleep doesn’t end when your child is school-aged.
2. Just when you are thinking they are regularly sleeping through the night they will stop. This will be the night you finally treat yourself to that well deserved glass of wine or two!
3. Spend a ridiculous amount of money on a gorgeous outfit for them to wear to Cousin Emily’s wedding? Don’t bother, they will have the biggest poo explosion ever – somewhere between you putting it on them and you leaving the house to go.
If you like this post then check out: 9 Shocking Confessions of How I’m An Imperfect Mummy
4. There are going to be times that you just don’t know what to do with them, As I write this my 6-month-old is lying in bed crying because I just don’t know what he wants. I thought he was tired but it seems maybe not?!
5. You are going to feel like everything that is written in the Parenting handbooks is impossible – It pretty much is!
6. They are going to totally surprise you. In the time it took me to write number 5 the baby stopped screaming and fell asleep (totally true!), soooo, I guess he was tired.
7. “They haven’t slept well today so surely they will sleep well tonight” WRONG! The quicker you get familiar with the term “overtired” the better. It turns out that the more tired a baby is the harder it is for them to fall asleep!
8. Try not to brag about something your baby does well. The second you do they will stop doing it.
9. On the plus side, it can also work the other way. So complain about what they don’t do that you would like them to do and they should start doing it!
Comments (6)
Amanda
July 14, 2018 at 8:52 am
Great advice. I remember thinking I would be so prepared as a Mum and had read all the books… but nothing can really prepare you. That first baby is a steep learning curve.
ImperfectMummy
July 16, 2018 at 9:47 pm
Absolutely, totally worth it though! x
Aleney
July 14, 2018 at 8:03 pm
So true! Especially the poo (and puke) explosions! I stopped buying anything new until that phase had passed
ImperfectMummy
July 16, 2018 at 9:46 pm
Yes, it’s not nice! x
Sharvari Paivaidya Mehan
July 15, 2018 at 11:46 pm
Absolutely agree with you. No 7 overtired baby equals even later bedtime at night is one I am still dealing with my toddler at 2yrs of age. I guess reading parenting books is great but one has to remember that each baby is unique and may not always fit the criterion in baby and parenting books.
ImperfectMummy
July 16, 2018 at 9:46 pm
Yes absolutly! We are lucky to have the resources there if we need them, we just have to make sure we apply the advice as necessary to our own little ones. x