Best and worst things about having a newborn

BumpCaitlin

Having a baby is amazing! But, let’s be real...it’s tough being a new mom.

Here, some of our Bumpies share the best - and worst - parts about having a newborn.

What are your favorite and least favorite things about those crazy first few months?

soccercutieangel

My least is not being able to figure out why he's crying I try everything and he's just not satisfied. The best is that he's has such a personality already

erikaluna01

My least favorite is the risk for SIDS. I'm in constant panic, making sure she's breathing all day and night! I also don't like the lack of schedule thus lack of sleep for me. I'm a zombie some days.
My favorite is how easy they are to care for (compared to my toddler). They eat, burp, pee/poop, and sleep! They're also so innocent and cute. She doesn't throw tantrums (yet) or refuse to eat any and all healthy food (again, compared to my toddler).

BumpCaitlin

soccercutieangel said:

My least is not being able to figure out why he's crying I try everything and he's just not satisfied. The best is that he's has such a personality already

Aw! It'll be so special to see how your LO's personality and little quirks stick with him and evolve as he grows  

SDJohnson26

My baby girl is only 10 days old but she is so calm and laid back she nurses every 3 hours at night and every 4 during the day I am able to do the things I need to do and even nap
the best thing seeing how her and her daddy interact he dances with her and sings to her and she lives it she is so calm with him and to see how happy he is is amazing
the worst thing is the breastfeeding she tore then up the first few days and they are starting to get better even though it so hurts when she latches but she will be getting her frenulum looked at next week for borderline tongue tie but I suffer the pain to have that bond with her

pistachio&blush

erikaluna01 said:

My least favorite is the risk for SIDS. I'm in constant panic, making sure she's breathing all day and night!

^this.... The thought of something, anything, bad happening to my baby is a constant worry.

gittybaby

The worst thing so far (FTM, 4th day into motherhood) has been trying to figure out why she's crying, or knowing the reason she's crying (hunger) but being unable to do much about it because milk hasn't come in yet.

The best thing is hard to choose from: those quiet moments of snuggles, the way she smells,'how soft her hair is, seeing my husband fawn over her, watching our parents become grandparents…the list goes on!

ewilson74

@gittybaby, try hand expression to really get that colostrum flowing and to bring in the milk (pull back, compress, relax, I am sure there are some good YouTube videos . My little guy would latch, but would be so comforted that he would fall right to sleep. I would hand express 3-4 mls of colostrum and finger feed so he could practice suckling (aided with a sryinge so that it wouldn't take too long). By day 3 my milk was in with a vengeance. Hand expression works better initially than a pump.

cam12345

Best so far is just her actually being quite a good baby, eat sleep poop eat sleep poop, I was cranky today about lack of sleep but it's not like she's screaming she's just a boob fiend, love her to bits!!! I need to focus on the good cause there's a lot of it

BumpCaitlin

cam12345 said:

Best so far is just her actually being quite a good baby, eat sleep poop eat sleep poop, I was cranky today about lack of sleep but it's not like she's screaming she's just a boob fiend, love her to bits!!! I need to focus on the good cause there's a lot of it

Sounds like your sweet LO has the pattern of baby-life down pat! Congrats on your well-behaved little girl  :-bd

RaquelOrnelas

My little sweet pea arrived 4 weeks EARLY (March 14 instead of April 10!) which was stressful for many reasons, including a stay in the NICU and dashes to Babies R Us for important items we hadn't purchased/received yet. I was SLEEP DEPRIVED because the new schedule was INSANE! Breastfeeding was CHALLENGING to say the least. The first few weeks she was "easy." She's now 6 weeks and has acid reflux. She's on Zantac but I don't see it relieving her pain, which totally SUCKS for both of us, poor baby. Every time she's in pain, I feel it too. I swear I've never done anything as challenging as being a new mom! And I consider myself a very strong, independent, professional woman who was competent, confident and secure. First-time motherhood has a way of turning that upside down.

RaquelOrnelas

So, to continue my comment, the WORST parts of having a newborn are sleep deprivation; the anxiety and pressure to breastfeed and pump and the guilt/shame/inadequacy if I choose to formula feed instead of breastfeed; not knowing why baby is crying; and finally, feeling terrible that she's in pain!

RaquelOrnelas

The BEST parts of having a newborn for me are: bathtime (she loves it!) hearing her darling voice coo, and yes believe it or not, her siren cry when she's hungry (it sounds so funny!); her gorgeous face, her amazing and crazy hair, her previous scent, and gazing into eachother's eyes!

RaquelOrnelas

I meant to type "precious" scent, not "previous" scent, LOL!

borgie05

Best: My son overall is pretty easy. He sleeps a ton and really only cries when he's hungry. He has the sweetest blue eyes (hope they stay that way) and the cutest little butt chin. He's a huge snuggle bug already and I absolutely love it! Worst: my overall anxiety about his well being. I'm constantly worried I'm going to give him late onset GBS or something. I didn't even think about SIDS! Guess that will be added to my list of many worries as well. It's tough loving something so much and being so scared of something bad happening to it!

BumpCaitlin

borgie05 said:

Best: My son overall is pretty easy. He sleeps a ton and really only cries when he's hungry. He has the sweetest blue eyes (hope they stay that way) and the cutest little butt chin. 

He sounds so sweet and absolutely adorable!!

jessiesickmen

The best part is seeing all the funny faces she makes! The worst part is having cracked nipples. I know it will get better, but it was rough at first!

BumpCaitlin

jessiesickmen said:

The worst part is having cracked nipples. I know it will get better, but it was rough at first!

Oh no!! Check out our advice here about how to deal with (and hopefully prevent!) cracked nipples: https://bump.ly/6003AGm7

sarahglynn

Best: the sweet way he studies my face and how he looks around for me when he can hear my voice but can't see me.

Worst: sleep deprivation and feeling like a vending machine! Currently feeding at 4:30am...

PinKT0912

Acid reflux sucks! My first child was also premature and had acid reflux and was prescribed Zantac, which didn't help. His Dr then prescribed Prevacid Solu Tabs and it worked wonders! I know not all situations are the same or that all drs prescribe the same thing but it's worth a shot. The other issue for us was laying him flat to sleep. The Fisher Price Rocker Sleeper is inclined and seemed to help with his acid reflux. Best wishes, I know how challenging it can be!

frenchyj

RaquelOrnelas said:

So, to continue my comment, the WORST parts of having a newborn are sleep deprivation; the anxiety and pressure to breastfeed and pump and the guilt/shame/inadequacy if I choose to formula feed instead of breastfeed; not knowing why baby is crying; and finally, feeling terrible that she's in pain!

Dislike!!! Don't EVER feel ashamed to formula feed your baby!! I hate hate hate judgemental mommies. We are ALL mommies doing our best to raise, protect and love our babies. Do what you can do and never feel guilty about doing your best! Hugs.

morninglory530

He's starting to smile (at one month old) and his cuddles are very sweet. He has a lot of fun other facial expressions and it's really neat to notice him growing and growing and how there are new things about him all the time as he becomes more aware of the world around him.

On the bad side: pee. Everywhere. And we're starting to get poopy blow-outs, too. Yikes. As a very driven, type A personality, I really struggle with how topsy-turvey my life has become. I feel like I can't get anything done and some days he needs to eat all the time and other days he's very chill and sleeps for long stretches. I know he's just a tiny baby and that's what babies do, but it's deinfitely been hard to have very little consistency or a sense of pattern in our schedules.

BumpCaitlin

morninglory530 said:

He's starting to smile (at one month old) and his cuddles are very sweet. He has a lot of fun other facial expressions and it's really neat to notice him growing and growing and how there are new things about him all the time as he becomes more aware of the world around him.

On the bad side: pee. Everywhere. And we're starting to get poopy blow-outs, too. Yikes. As a very driven, type A personality, I really struggle with how topsy-turvey my life has become. I feel like I can't get anything done and some days he needs to eat all the time and other days he's very chill and sleeps for long stretches. I know he's just a tiny baby and that's what babies do, but it's deinfitely been hard to have very little consistency or a sense of pattern in our schedules.

You're doing a great job, mama! It sounds like all the smiles and cuddles are making up for the pee and poopy blow-outs!

jlkapp85

Worst: him not latching yet. Only day 4, so lots of practice and patience!

Best: the snuggles!

pistachio&blush

frenchyj said:

RaquelOrnelas said:

So, to continue my comment, the WORST parts of having a newborn are sleep deprivation; the anxiety and pressure to breastfeed and pump and the guilt/shame/inadequacy if I choose to formula feed instead of breastfeed; not knowing why baby is crying; and finally, feeling terrible that she's in pain!

Dislike!!! Don't EVER feel ashamed to formula feed your baby!! I hate hate hate judgemental mommies. We are ALL mommies doing our best to raise, protect and love our babies. Do what you can do and never feel guilty about doing your best! Hugs.

I agree. My parents are actually trying to make me feel guilty about breastfeeding. For whatever reason they are against breastfeeding and are constantly suggesting that I "introduce formula as soon as possible," the "baby is still hungry" after I just feed him and today my mom said she "won't babysit unless he is on formula." My pedi said my baby has gained the appropriate amount of weight and there is no need to supplement. My husband and I have decided to take a break on the visits because of it.

gittybaby

Today is gonna be one of those days where the worst parts of caring for a newborn are prominent. We've been up almost every hour, on the hour since 11pm last night. I'm breastfeeding, and while I'm so thankful for my supply and the bonding time it gives us, I sometimes feel like just a pair of boobs. It's hard to feel the bond between us at 2am as her arms are flailing in front of her while I'm trying to get her to latch, and my boob is squirting milk uncontrollably like a sprinkler into her face.

Pumping is a pain, mostly at night when all I wanna do after I'm done feeding her is pass out, but my milk stash is always in the back of my mind, and I know that I have to pump at least a little in order to reach my goal of 10 oz of expressed milk a day. I hate having to dip into my stash, but I also savor any time I get outside the house, so I have to be a slave to the pump in order to maintain my freedom.

I'm also thankful for all her wet diapers, as they indicate that she is definitely getting enough to eat; but sometimes it's frustrating when she starts crying over the smallest bit of pee in her diaper, then cries even harder while you're changing it for her.

Silver lining today is my husband. I have such a new and fierce appreciation for single moms who are having to do all of this on their own. I don't know what I would do without my husband there to get me snacks or water while I'm feeding DD, or his broad shoulders that she prefers to fall asleep on in the middle of then night, or his "magic touch" when burping her. He's been my rock when I've been crumbling.

Annnnnd we're finally asleep again. Gotta go catch a wink or two! Hang in there mommas!