Notes For First Time Moms To be From A First Time Mom Part 2

To read part 1 where I give you my notes on Pregnancy, Delivery & After the birth please click here or scroll down ;)

Part 2 is all about your first 3 months of mommyhood... again this is mainly based on my own findings, thoughts and experience.

ready? Here we go!

After you have the baby you may still be super swollen, have cankles, a pouch and your rings may not fit.... it will take a while but your body will even itself out. (in my case the swelling and weight went away after 1 week)

Getting discharged from the hospital at 10pm is NOT the best idea so try to see if you can leave earlier.

Its wise to install your car seat before you are even close to your due date just in case...

You will be slightly freaked out when placing your newborn in the car seat for the first time... Its totally different than the doll you practiced with.

Once you get home your first thoughts will be.... now what?!

All you will want to do is sleep but chances are you will spend all night (perhaps for the first week or 2) making sure your baby is breathing....

Before your baby arrives you may think getting up every 1-3hrs to feed will be the most annoying thing ever.... its annoying but you wont care because your motherly instinct to take care of your child will get you through it.

If your mother (or motherly figure, close friend or any family member for that matter) offers to come stay with you for the week say YES! Even if they are there to just hold the baby so you can eat or shower you will be SO thankful for the help.

SITS baths are helpful, needed and give you an excuse for some me time.

The Peri bottle they give you at the hospital will be your new best friend.

You may think your 7 pounder will fit newborn sized clothing because they are a good size... they will be swimming on them for a while to come.

The sleepers (or mittens) that cover the hands are a godsend for babies that love to scratch themselves

Have baby mittens so your baby wont scratch but they keep slipping off? Use baby socks instead ;)

You don't have to bath your newborn everyday at this stage

Newborn bedtime routine?... huh? 

If you plan on breastfeeding.. a good BF'ing pillow is a great thing!

Sometimes you wont know what the heck your baby wants or why they are fussing/crying and thats ok you are just getting used to each other

You and your baby WILL get to know each other in the first few weeks and things will seem a bit less foreign 

Having a few ready made or concentrate formula cans (go online for samples before your due date) at home even if you're planning to breast feed is a good idea because not all babies are BF'ing champs right away.

Same with bottles (make sure the nipples are stage 1) and newborn pacifiers don't hurt either if you want to introduce them.

Those freezer meals (or fresh cooked meals ppl bring over) really will come in handy in the first few weeks.

Everyone and their mom will want to come visit you and baby right away... pick and choose who will come visit and its ok if you need some time to adjust before you let the rest of the world in.

When you do get to take a shower.... take 2 minutes to yourself... breathe deep and smile because you were so brave and so strong to have brought a precious life into this world and its the most amazing feeling in the world!

Every time your baby grabs your finger it will melt your heart.

You will look down while holding baby and think WOW we made you... often

You will become a diaper changing pro because your baby WILL poop as soon as your put a fresh diaper on, do up all the buttons on their sleeper, take them downstairs, sit down and start to relax.

The first few times you bathe your baby you will be scared shitless even though they gave you that 5 minute demo in the hospital.

Every week your baby grows your will find yourself saying "I cant believe she's a week(2,3..etc) old already"

Getting newborn photos is such a great memory even if its a photoshoot at home.

Baby acne IS normal and will usually go away by itself

If you don't clean under your baby's neck properly it will have a funky smell so be sure to really get in there. (a bit of diaper rash cream can help too)

You will be told a 100 different things by a 100 different people on how to raise, bathe, feed, sleep train & parent your child... DO do whats best and what works for you and your baby.

The baby blues is totally normal for the first 2-3 weeks after baby.. any longer and it may be post partum so chat with your dr about it.

Crying for no reason what so ever means you are totally normal...

You may not think your baby is "fun" at first because all they do is sleep, eat & poop... just wait because one day soon they will become more than that and it will be wonderful.

Your bedtime may shift from midnight (pre-baby) to 8pm (post-baby) and thats ok :)

They grow so fast that by the time your baby is 3 months you will look at newborns as if they are SO tiny forgetting you were just there.

Now that you are on mat leave and home with the baby... your baby will be your best friend and you will find yourself having full conversations with them.

You will have a million questions everyday about your baby & parenting... Join an online forum such as babycenter.com (.ca) so you can chat with other moms who have babies the same age as you. Its been one of the best things ive done.

I'm sure I'm missing a lot but this is just some of the notes I could think of in my mommy brain!!

I want to end by saying be sure to enjoy your new miracle... they are the best little thing(s) in the world.