I did my best to prepare myself for having a baby, and I did my best to listen to advice from those who came before me, but there are still some things that surprised me!
1) I was adamant about Eli NOT having a pacifier until he was 12 weeks, in order to establish breastfeeding...well in the hospital he had an instatiable need to suck! We asked the nurse about it, and she told us to try it for a day and see how it went! Success!!
2) I am glad we didnt wait to introduce the paci, because at 3 months old he hardly will take it now!! We just went out and bought a MAM brand, a NUK and he has a soothie, and he hardly will take any of them! He gags on the NUK, and we are still not sure about the MAM. I wish he would take one of them though, because....
3) he HATES the car. I always assumed babies loved the car, it was supposed to lull them to sleep blah blah blah...it was even recommended to us to put him in the car if he's fussy and drive him to sleep. Not. Gonna. Happen.
4) The witching hour SUCKS! I hadnt experienced this before Eli, but from about 7 or 8 weeks until he was 12 weeks or so, he would scream his head off from around 4-8pm everyday. It didnt seem to matter what we did, he was inconsolable. Geoff and I would tag team back and forth because it would get so frustrating!!! He's outgrown it now, thankfully!
5) Sleep-He is awake a lot at night! Sometimes he wants to nurse every 1 1/2-2 hours...its frustrating for my sleep to be so broken up, but it doesnt seem to bother him! On the flip side of that, he sleeps a lot some days, but I am never sure how long he'll sleep so I dont know if its worth it to try and squeeze in a nap, or just unload the dishwasher?
6) how much I love baby-wearingng/cloth diapering/co-sleeping. I hesitate to label myself as practicing attachment parenting, but we closely align with that method of parenting :o) I have a moby wrap which I LOVED when he was little and squishy, but then I got a beco carrier and a maya wrap and I love them too! I like the beco for long trips, or if I am standing stationary for a long time, like grocery shopping or church. I like the maya wrap around the house or for quick trips to the store, etc. The maya is smaller and easy to slip on and off, so its great for the diaper bag! He easily falls asleep in it too, which is awesome for me
7) Cloth-I wanted to cloth diaper from the beginning and Geoff was adamantly against it. It was one thing that I wanted but I wasnt going to push too hard because there were other things that mattered more to me. But, when Eli turned 3 weeks old, Geoff was surprised by how much waste diapers generated and by how quickly our stash of disposables was dwindling! We never bought diapers, thankfully because a lot of people gave us them as a gift. We went through them so fast though! Anyway, one night when Eli was about 3 weeks old Geoff just decided he wanted to try cloth. We were scheduled to go down to the Springs for my best friends bridal shower so we stopped by a local cloth diaper
store and got set up with 24 prefolds, a snappi, 4 Thirsties Duo Covers and a wet bag. We agreed to try it for a week and see if we liked it. Geoff agreed to do the laundry and we never looked back. I am always surprised when he speaks up, even as he is doing the laundry and says he is so glad we switched. Its not as big of a deal as I thought it would be, even when we take trips down to the springs, we just use a large zip bag and wash when we get home!
8) co-sleeping...I know a lot of people are anti co sleeping...but in the hospital Eli wouldnt sleep except with me. I remember crying and telling my mom I dont think I can come home and put him in the crib! She agreed and went out and bought me an
arms reach co sleeper. He sleeps in that most of the night, but at around 5 am he starts wanting to cluster feed again so I put him next to me in bed and we cuddle. I love having him in there and am not sure what to do once he outgrows the co sleeper...
9) breastfeeding. I hated it at first. It hurt, he wouldnt latch on the left side at all and I was scared to death he would starve :o) Now I love it. I am surprised by how much I love it. I cant imagine mixing him a bottle of man-made formula when my body is so capable of taking care of him. Not that there is anything wrong with formula, nor am I passing judgement on formula feeding moms. I just love how perfect breastfeeding is for us. I understand how hard it is for women to breast feed and why only 20% or so of women are still breastfeeding at 6 months. I remember my mom telling me that its ok if it doesnt work out, I dont have to breast feed. I was hell bent on doing it though, no matter what, and I am glad I did!
10) number 10 is how rewarding being a mom is. I heard a mix of either 1) enjoy your freedom now while you can because you wont get to do anything for the next 18 years! or 2) being a mom is awesome. For me both are true! haha. I am putting off school at the moment and hoping to go back in the fall, and finish up. No one told me how amazing being a mom is. I dont think anyone can tell you or prepare you for how amazing this little person can be. He is laughing, smiling and cooing and his giggles melt my heart. Especially at 2am! haha!
