As of yesterday, my baby girl is three months old. My first three months of motherhood have flown by and I have learned a lot. Here are just five things that I have learned as a new mom.
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1. Breastfeeding is not Easy
During pregnancy, breastfeeding seemed like a no-brainer. If you have ever been around puppies right after they are born, they just have this instinct and seem to know exactly what to do. I thought this would be similar for babies, and it is to a certain extent. Mila latched pretty quickly in the hospital, but once my milk came in, things changed drastically. Every time I tried to get her to latch, she would get so fussy. I was fighting just to get her to eat every feeding. Finally, I took the hand pump that was given to me at the hospital and pumped a few ounces for her. To my surprise, she took the bottle without any problems.
I immediately ordered an electric pump and pumped exclusively for almost two months. I didn’t even know that exclusively pumping was an option for feeding a baby. It is a lot of work, but I wanted so badly to make breastfeeding work. I kept trying to get her to latch every few days or so, and one day she figured it out.
The reality is that breastfeeding is not as simple as it would seem. A lot of women have issues with supply, latching and other issues that prevent them from effectively feeding their babies. Most of these issues can be worked out with the support of a lactation consultant and/or other mamas that have been there.
2. Babies go through Developmental Leaps
Prior to Mila’s birth, I had never heard of developmental leaps. Basically, a leap is a period of time in which your baby is learning something new. These periods usually last a few days or even weeks. If your baby is going through a developmental leap, he or she will be more fussy and clingy because they are experiencing the world in a new way. For example, babies are not born with the ability to see things that are more than a few feet in front of them. There is a leap in which that changes. Instead of seeing the world from a limited perspective, something clicks in their brain that allows them to see more.
I highly recommend studying the developmental leaps if you are expecting a little one. The best resource for this is a book called “The Wonder Weeks.” If you are not much of a reader, there is also a Wonder Weeks app that will give you information on each leap and a calendar to help you track them.
3. Facebook Groups can be a Huge Help
New mothers need support and help to navigate this unfamiliar place in their lives. For me, I needed support when my baby wouldn’t latch. I had never heard of exclusively pumping, and I needed help. I found an awesome group just for women who exclusively pump (jackpot!). There were tons of mamas there that had been there, done that. They were so helpful to answer all of my questions. We also decided to give cloth diapering a try. There are so many good groups that offer support for cloth diapering, and now we are doing it successfully with no issues. Also, there are usually groups for mothers of babies who are born in a particular month and year, so that mamas can walk through it together with the support of one another. During my pregnancy, I even found a group for local expecting moms where we could talk about specific doctors and services available in my area.
4. You Can Never Have Too Many Burp Cloths
I remember getting some homemade burp cloths at my baby shower and not even knowing what they were. Now, I don’t know how I would live without them. I even wish I had more. It seems like the baby and I are always covered in spit up or drool at this point. It is even worse for babies that deal with reflux, which can give them projectile spit up. Just take it from me and make sure you have lots of burp cloths.
5. All Babies Are Different
It is easy to Google anything that you or your baby may be going through and get a million different answers. You may see that someone’s baby is sleeping through the night at 6 weeks while your 8 month old still isn’t sleeping through the night. The spectrum of what is normal is really wide, so don’t worry if you see that someone else’s baby is doing something that yours isn’t yet.
I was so worried the first time that my baby went two days without pooping. I thought she was constipated. However, it is totally normal for breastfed babies to go up to 6 days without pooping. It is also normal for them to poop several times in one day. Now my baby only poops once every 3 days are so, and I don’t mind it at all.
If you are expecting a little one, I hope that this will be helpful to you. Motherhood is not always easy, but it has been my favorite adventure so far.
