What was the hardest time with having a baby ? Time frame...

raskind17 · November 2010

Early on, newborn stage?

3-6months?

Now?

Alex17 · November 2010

The sleep deprivation that occurs in the first couple weeks was the hardest for me, so far.

Edited to clarify.

zeptattoo · November 2010

There are different challenges for each stage, but in terms of overall stress and a constant WTF mode, I'd say newborn.

Ivana_Stolichnaya · November 2010

So far? Newborn stage....hands down.

I was clueless about babies, didn't know her needs and different cries and was sleep deprived.

kimberleigh30 · November 2010

Alex17:

The sleep deprivation that occurs in the first couple weeks was the hardest for me, so far.

Edited to clarify.

Same here

raskind17 · November 2010

Thanks ladies! I feel the same just wanted to make sure I wasn't alone!!

sunflowergrl · November 2010

Def. 4-6 months.

I was lucky in the beginning, had a TON of help, so I was able to get all my sleep. Plus DD was an awesome sleeper.

Around 4-6, she stopped sleeping so well, we had many nights where she was up every hour so that's when I became sleep deprived. Not to mention, during the day she was frustrated because she coulnd't get anywhere (she was a late crawler) so she would just cry whenever she wanted to get somewhere. She also had bad separation anxiety during this age.

Now that she's mobile, and STTN (for the most part) again, she's a very happy camper. Which in turn, makes momma a very happy camper! )

amg2007 · November 2010

Newborn without a doubt! Sleep deprivation + pretty severe PPA for the first 3 months made things terrible!

vshadd00 · November 2010

I think between 3-6 months was the hardest. I think it was because she was frustrated because she was trying to learn to roll and sit. She was very demanding. 6 months plus has been cake.

Newborn to 3 months was the easiest for me. She slept, ate, slept and just hung out with me or in her swing.bouncy.

sasky · November 2010

For me, from birth until about 4 weeks was the hardest. Dealing with recovering physically, breastfeeding issues, sleep deprivation, feelings of being overwhelmed, having little sense of schedule or routine, and just having NO IDEA what to do sometimes.

Since then every day seems to get easier.

jrlandrigan · November 2010

Alex17:

The sleep deprivation that occurs in the first couple weeks was the hardest for me, so far.

Edited to clarify.

I agree but also agree with other post about each stage having it's own challenges. The lack of sleep def. has it though. I remember getting about 3-5 hours of broken sleep each night at an hour each 'shift' and DH wasn't really helpful at night

ella.mabel · November 2010

Totally newborn. Trying to figure out breastfeeding, dealing with visitors, sleep deprivation, WHY IS SHE CRYING???

mlf625 · November 2010

4-5 months.

I had easy, sleepy newborns that decided to NEVER SLEEP around 4 months. DS went from STTN 8 hours to being up every hour. I expected the newborn stage to be hard so I was taken off guard when the 4 month wakeful hit.

Sizzline · November 2010

2-4 months was the hardest for us. Marissa was super colicky, and would cry every single day for hours at a time. Nothing soothed her. It was very difficult as a new mom to see how upset she was and being able to do nothing about it. I felt like a total failure. Plus that was when I went back to work, and since I was still BFing every 2-3 hours at night, I was even more tired than when we brought her home from the hospital.

anukindaluv · November 2010

Newborn. I don't do well with little to no sleep.

sunflowergrl · November 2010

mlf625:

4-5 months.

I had easy, sleepy newborns that decided to NEVER SLEEP around 4 months. DS went from STTN 8 hours to being up every hour. I expected the newborn stage to be hard so I was taken off guard when the 4 month wakeful hit.

Do we have the same child???? That wakeful hit HARD!

kcisthebombdotcom · November 2010

Now. I thought the newborn phase was really easy. They lay there, nap, and eat. Now I'm chasing a mobile child that doesn't want to sit still, throws temper tantrums, and wants to get into everything. Going anywhere is about a million times harder since I have to bring things to keep him entertained, worried about food instead of formula, etc.

I also had a really easy newborn that didn't cry a lot and slept well so that probably factors into my opinion.

Bottle Of White · November 2010

The first 9 months, true with both kids. Something happens at 9 months, and all of a sudden, they're less difficult to care for. Maybe because they're getting more communicative? I don't know. But 9 months is magic.

IronRangeBride · November 2010

Those first 4 weeks were awful and the most difficult for me. BF issues, lack of sleep, my constant questioning of my own parenting decisions, etc. I'm hoping when DS arrives it won't be such a battle with things.

aliciamariel · November 2010

Newborn was difficult, but I expected it to be rough. What go me was about 6/7 months. I was just ragged. So tired, and he was becoming more demanding. He could get around, but still needed so much from me. I was trying to make all my own baby food, pumping for hours a day, chasing after him, trying to make sure I did all the stuff I'm 'supposed' to do, and just ran myself into the ground. I stopped pumping (FREEDOM!), figured out some shortcuts for other areas in my life, added in some Gerber, and life has been much better since.

ablou · November 2010

KC_13:
Now. I thought the newborn phase was really easy. They lay there, nap, and eat. Now I'm chasing a mobile child that doesn't want to sit still, throws temper tantrums, and wants to get into everything. Going anywhere is about a million times harder since I have to bring things to keep him entertained, worried about food instead of formula, etc.

I also had a really easy newborn that didn't cry a lot and slept well so that probably factors into my opinion.

THIS!!!!
Teething has also been a *** on a stick.

The only thing that confused me about the newborn thing was that nobody told me that when he was brand new (like, still in the hospital brand new), when he cried, 9x out of 10 he was hungry. I had NO idea!!

kcisthebombdotcom · November 2010

ablou:
KC_13:

Now. I thought the newborn phase was really easy. They lay there, nap, and eat. Now I'm chasing a mobile child that doesn't want to sit still, throws temper tantrums, and wants to get into everything. Going anywhere is about a million times harder since I have to bring things to keep him entertained, worried about food instead of formula, etc.

I also had a really easy newborn that didn't cry a lot and slept well so that probably factors into my opinion.

THIS!!!!
Teething has also been a *** on a stick.

The only thing that confused me about the newborn thing was that nobody told me that when he was brand new (like, still in the hospital brand new), when he cried, 9x out of 10 he was hungry. I had NO idea!!

Yes, I forgot that all important part. The week he cut his top two teeth he slept far worse than anything I dealt with in the newborn phase. He cried all night long for hours on end and no teething rings/motrin/orajel worked. At least with a newborn you have to get up and feed them every few hours, but they sleep somewhat at night. That was the case for me anyway-I know some newborns are up all night long.

uofibabe · November 2010

The first 4 months.......by the end of 4 months he became alot more predictable and then finally became a 12 hour sleeper thru the night!! the 24/7 crying for 3 months straight was insane!!! I really dont do well with less than 8 hours straight of sleep!!!

Now the only time I stress is when DS is sick....when to take him to the dr and when not to take him etc. DS has pink eye and an ear infection right now - boo!

itkatydid · November 2010

NEWBORN hands down! No sleep + learning to BF + PP baby blues + isolation + No smiling only crying, sleeping and eating baby = a time I'm not sure I can convince myself to go back to. He is so great now though it is all worth it!!!! I remember it getting a lot better at 9 weeks old.

Corrine10 · November 2010

newborn stage by far for me. All of the hormones driving me crazy along with not knowing what my baby needed and being stuck inside every day since it was so cold.

AMYfromKY · November 2010

I'd say the 8-11 month range. He had some major eating issues and it was a super stressful time.

ESD_0707 · November 2010

Month 1 was very difficult. Each month has been better and better since then!

lilsunshine · November 2010

I think newborn was the hardest. I was recovering from a c-section, had a bruised rib and was learning to breastfeed. DD was also very colicky, she cried nonstop for 4 hours everyday for 4 months. I was so blessed my mom stayed with me for the first 2 months. Her help was invaluable.

Mereou12 · November 2010

The newborn stage was definitely rough, but for me, months 7 & 8 were by far the worst.

When DS was a newborn, I expected to be sleep deprived. It still sucked, of course, but I was at least somewhat mentally prepared for it. At that stage, I just slept when he slept and didn't give a damn about how my house looked, how I looked, or anything of the sort. No one expects anything from the mother of a newborn. Plus, I had help -- my mom came to stay for 3 of his first 6 weeks. I knew it would eventually pass.

But by the time he was 7 months old, I was beyond exhausted. I'd been a single parent for 5 months while my husband was deployed, and I was simply run ragged. We went on a few trips that threw his sleep completely out of whack, and he started waking in the middle of the night not just to eat, but to play. It would be 3 AM and it would take 2 hours to get him back to sleep. At least when he was a newborn, I'd nurse him and he'd go back down without any effort. But at 7 months, I rocked, shooshed, and walked him around the house for HOURS. And he suddenly decided that he hated the carseat, so going anywhere was a nightmare. And he required not only constant attention, but constant entertaining. I was wrecked, and it led to a complete and total mental breakdown that landed me in therapy.

The dark period went on for about two months, until we finally got up the nerve to do the Ferber method. It broke my heart to let my child cry, but it absolutely saved my sanity.

Sorry for the novel of a post...I've never really let it all out like that before!

honeybee111 · November 2010

Definitely the first month. Sleep deprivation, post partum hormones, etc. I was a mess. Now that I think of it, the details are kind of fuzzy to me - I've probably blocked them out, but I do remember it was traumatizing!

Que*Syrah · November 2010

So far birth-4 months. Once the colic was gone things got easier and now that his reflux doesn't bother him things are totally easy.

He still only sleeps in 2-4 hours spurts though so I'm still functioning on no sleep.

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