admin Becoming a mom is seriously the best blessing ever. When I was pregnant, I spent most of my time preparing for my little mans arrival–getting the nursery ready, buying all the necessary baby items, and daydreaming about all the snuggles I’ll be giving once he was here in my arms. It’s so exciting and a little scary the further along you get in your pregnancy when you have the realization that you are going to be a mom soon. You build up all these expectations of what it is going to be like but what I came to find out is there are a lot of things that I never expected.
I thought it’d be fun for those that are expecting to let you in on a few surprise feelings and actions I never thought I would experience being a new mom. I hope other experienced moms can have a laugh and relate to this as well. Below is a fun little list of unexpected things I never knew I would do or feel when I became Luke’s mama.
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- Googling & Analyzing my baby’s poop: I know this sounds CRAZY. When I say it out loud, I can’t help but laugh. But it’s true. I was constantly worried Luke’s poop wasn’t normal. I am not the only one believe it or not. There are a lot of forums on this matter. I actually plan on devoting a whole post to baby poop so stay tuned.
- I constantly checked on my son during naps and night time sleep to make sure he was still breathing and okay: For the first month or so, when Luke would nap in the other room, I couldn’t help but check every 10 minutes or so to make sure he was good. I was probably the reason he always woke up, lol. I got smart and ended up getting a Webcam so I didn’t disturb him but could always have my eyes on him. At night, I had him right next to me and what felt like every thirty minutes I was checking on him. Over time, I finally let my guard down but the paranoia is real mamas! Below is the webcam we have and absolutely love!
- Go to extreme measures in trying to get my son to nap: I never knew how important naps were until I had my son especially since my son was NOT a natural sleeper. I constantly struggled trying to get him to nap. There were days where all I felt like I was doing was trying to get him to sleep. I’d go on drives while playing Ed Sheeran (Luke would always fall asleep to him). I’d literally have him sleep in his bassinet in our hall bathroom because it was the darkest room in the house and I could have the fan going on at all times (can’t believe I am admitting this). I would bounce him on a yoga ball singing silent night for thirty minutes until he dozed off. I’d rock him in his car seat while shhhing for what seemed like an eternity. I’d even try to use a baby carrier and walk around the house but he wasn’t a fan. THE STRUGGLE WAS REAL.
Through it all, I learned what finally worked and learned some awesome tips/tricks that eventually turned my anti-napper to a champion napper. You can learn more about that here —> How I Got My Baby To Nap
- Worry and obsess over every little weird, scary thing my baby boy did as a newborn: No one prepared me on all the weird, scary things that newborns do so naturally I turned to google and found out the hard way. What I learned is when and doubt, just call your baby’s pediatrician. The nurses have so much patience for first time moms so don’t ever feel like your question is too silly.
- Write down every poop and pee diaper, record my baby’s sleep, and when he nursed: My thoughts about this pre-baby would be that just sounds crazy. But it’s not at all. It’s actually super beneficial because you want to make sure baby is getting enough to eat especially if you are breastfeeding. You also want to see how frequent and how long your baby is nursing because that will tell you if baby has a good latch and is getting enough. Recording sleep actually helped me figure out Luke’s sleep pattern and helped me crack the code on when his sleepy time was for naps and bedtime.
I used a great app called baby tracker. It’s free and really easy to use. It was my lifesaver and I still use it.
- Do the craziest things and make the weirdest sounds to get him to have his first laugh: Ever recorded a video of you trying to get your baby to laugh and realize how ridiculous you sound? That was me everyday. But I have some pretty great videos and pictures so I’d say it’s worth it. The things we do for our little ones.
- Never thought I would love routine so much until I had a baby: If you know me at all, I am not the most organized or plan it out kind of person. I usually go with the flow. When I became a mom, that all changed. I now can only function on a routine with my little man and that’s the way he likes it. His sleep is better and he is all around happy since I’ve implemented a routine which in return makes me a very happy mama.
- You appreciate the little things more: Like how much more I appreciate showers, getting ready, having a hot cup of coffee, and doing laundry/house chores while Luke slept was an escape for me, lol.
- I never knew I’d miss my baby when I put him down for a nap: I knew he needed sleep and I needed my me time but it never fails that there were times where I’d be looking at pictures of him while he napped. Motherhood can be weird.
- Never knew I’d struggle with leaving my baby with someone else while my hubby and I went out on a date night or anywhere in general: I am getting better but I struggle with real mama guilt leaving my baby. It’s weird and I know it’s ridiculous but it’s just how I feel.
- Never knew I’d get insanely jealous when someone else holds my baby: This was a feeling I had in the beginning when I first had Luke that sometimes resurfaces every once in awhile. I don’t know if it was part of postpartum depression/anxiety but it was such a weird feeling to have. I had to constantly remind myself that it was not a rational feeling to have and I need to share my baby. It was hard but thankfully it went a way…for the most part.
- Never knew I’d be such a control freak (working on it): Oh my gosh, you guys, this is such a difficult thing for me to deal with. I know it’s my number one contributing factor to my anxiety but I CAN’T HELP IT. I am such a control freak when it comes to Luke especially trusting others to do what I ask. I don’t like it. But letting go and releasing some control is something I am working at every day.
- Never knew that my love for my baby boy continues to grow every single day: I knew I would love him the moment I saw him but I didn’t know just how much my heart could grow for this little guy. It’s crazy and what everyone says is true, it’s an unconditional love that is out of this world.
- Every time I go shopping, the baby section is the first place I go to: The days are gone where I buy stuff for myself. It’s so easy to spend money on my little guy that I never have much left over for me but I just can’t help it. I do have to remind myself that it’s okay to spend some money on me too.
- Never knew the emotional roller coaster that motherhood can be: Motherhood is absolutely a blessing but it is hard. All the emotions you experience is crazy especially in the beginning. I remember there were times where it’d be a long day of cluster feeding and no naps that led me to sobbing my eyes out because I was so tired. Or even days where I had to sit Luke down and walk away because the feelings of frustration began to rise. It’s hard to admit but it’s completely part of the journey of becoming a parent. All the beautiful moments make me forget all the tough ones though. All the firsts, all the snuggles, and all the memories. It’s the best feeling in the world to watch Luke’s personality and curiosity for the world grow. It’s so exciting to see the wonder in his eyes and to experience all his firsts with him. I feel so blessed and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Expecting mamas for when the time comes and you are dealing with so many emotions or finding yourself doing crazy things just know I’m right there with you. I hope you enjoyed this post and got a laugh or two from my experiences. I would love to hear from other mamas about any weird or unexpected actions or feelings you’ve experienced when you first became a mom. Comment below. <3
