What I Wish I Had Known Before Becoming A Mommy!

Me before Baby A was born. Completely clueless of what lay ahead.

We all dream of these precious little bundles of joy...and our babies absolutely are....but there is so much more to being a parent....

So much more other parent's don't tell you.

I swear, they don't tell you because they are laughing at the unsuspecting new parent....maybe some kind of sick joke....

or they just forget about those things because no one ever told them.

Well, I am here to tell YOU what I wish I knew before becoming a parent.

Enjoy.

1. When pregnant people want to touch your belly, but once your baby is born...it gets worse....people touch your baby....with out asking you. ALL. THE. TIME. ( Did I mention my baby was born during FLU season?)
2. The exorbitant amount of unsolicited advice...from your parents, your in laws, your friends, your family, co-workers...and yes, even strangers....the stranger the person it seems, the more advice they give you. The worst advice I ever received was " If your baby gets stopped up, give them Karo syrup." Um, No.
3. YOU DON'T NEED ALL THAT STUFF. You know, all the stuff the stores make you think you need for a baby? YOU DON'T NEED IT. Don't stress if the crib isn't up right away, half the time a newborn wants to sleep next to your bed in a co-sleeper or pack n play.... or if your baby is anything like mine....my chest was the perfect place to be.
4. Going along with the last point. You don't need stage 1,2,3 through 1000 nipples for your bottles. You don't really. I swear it is a sales gimmick. My daughter stuck with stage 1 and 2....she prefers stage 1 still at 1 1/2 years old.
5. One thing you do seem to need a thousand of is PACIFIERS....that is if your kid is a pacifier kid. Some kids don't like them. Some need them and they get lost all the time. I wish we had bought a pack of 10 when Baby A was born.
6. You need a good front carrier. Try them on if possible before picking one. The Moby Wrap was good, but wrapping is a pain. I think a Mei Tai would be a better solution...or a Baby K'Tan.
7. Wrap your belly after having your baby! I did not right away and my belly did not want to go back. Also wrapping is great if you end up with Diastasis Recti...look it up. I had it but didn't even know what it was until Baby A was a few months old & I hadn't been wrapping my belly. Wrap it, it really does help. I still wrap mine now and its helping with the skin. Not just any wrap will do though, make sure to get the right one for you. ( I tried another and it did not work, however I got a Fit Splint recently and it's already helping!)
8. Sleep when the baby sleeps. Ok, so I heard this a lot and didn't believe people. Really, if your baby is not sleeping at night, neither are you. Newborns sleep a lot during the day, take advantage for an hour or two, it really does help.
9. You will lose a lot of sleep for a long time. A really long time. Even if they sleep through the night, you end up staying up later into the evening to get things done. Anticipate it and rest up before the baby comes.
10. Babies cry for no reason at all. Baby does not need something every time he or she cries, sometimes they just want to be in your arms. Enjoy the cuddles, enjoy your baby. 
11. On the crying subject, you are just as new to being a parent as your baby is to this world. Relax. It is okay if you do not understand your baby's cries. Just do your best. You really will get the hang of it!
12. Changing table covers are unnecessary. They really are and just get messy and gross. I ended up having to constantly wash it. I use a changing pad with a wipeable portable changing mat over it, it works much better. The changing table cover was tossed 1 week after Baby A was born.
13. Other moms will tell you that you are doing everything wrong. Ignore them. Go with your gut. Only take advice you ask for.
14. DON'T BE AFRAID TO SAY NO. If you don't want someone to hold your baby, say no. Honestly, I went 3 days almost going insane because I didn't know how to say no. If your doctor gives you advice you don't agree with, say no. It is YOUR baby and no one has a right to tell you what to do or to hold or touch or do anything for or about or to your baby without your permission.
15. Your body will take a long time to "bounce back". People kept telling me your body will bounce right back. Some people get lucky and it does, other people have to bust a$$ to get their bodies back. Relax, your body will do what it is meant to do, but it could  take a couple of years. Just keep that in mind when you look in the mirror.
16. I read a thousand baby books. They didn't apply to my child. I am now getting rid of the baby books....some kids are by the book and some write their own books. Ditch the books.
17. You cannot schedule every kid. My baby is a baby that defies schedules. She doesn't like routine unless it's her bedtime routine, and that is not the same time every night. Each kid is different. Find your baby's natural "schedule" and go with it. Don't stress trying to get the perfect routine. Our kids are so intuitively smart, let your child guide you on this one.
18. Food before 1 year old is just for fun. It really is. If your baby is breastfed, solids are not completely necessary. Our daughter wasn't ready for solids when we were told to give them to her at 4 months old. So we stopped the solids and re-introduced them at 10 months old. She didn't really start eating solids for 3 meals a day until after 1 year old.  
19. You can dream and picture your child as much as you want while pregnant....but to hold your baby in your hands is a bigger miracle than you can ever imagine. It is indescribable.
20. Take lots and lots of pictures. You will want to remember every single moment. We literally took pictures every day of Baby A's life up until this point, and still do take tons and tons of pictures. I wish we had taken more videos. Do that too. You will want to remember.

Whatever happens, know that every parent and every situation is different. You will laugh, cry, want to scream, smile, and feel like the luckiest person in the world.

You will go through a whole world of emotions in such a short time after your baby is born.

Enjoy the ride and remember that it is okay to ask for help. It is okay to not know everything.

And it is okay to say no to people who are offering advice or horror stories....or for any reason at all.

Your baby is yours and such a miracle.

Congrats to all the new mommies and daddies out there!!

What are some things that you wished you had known before your baby was born?

Be Happy Healthy & Strong,

Lolli