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Babies: 6 - 9 Months
someflower6
member
what was the newborn period like for you?
someflower6
member
i'm not gonna lie. the newborn period was NOT FUN for me. i was a first time mom and i really thought that mothering would come "naturally" to me... that i would be able to sail through it with grace and finesse...
WRONG.
it did not come easy AT ALL. if my LO was awake, she was crying. no matter how much rocking, bouncing, swaying, etc i did, she pretty much just cried. breastfeeding? big fat fail. plus in addition to all the physical challenges of dealing with a crying newborn and not getting any sleep, i was pretty much a mental basket case. i had major anxiety/depression issues, i second guessed every thing i did, and i often felt like i had no control over my own life.
thankfully, things are so much better now. somethings did get easier, but mostly i just learned to DEAL better.
so i'm just wondering, what was the newborn/new mom period like for you?
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Re: what was the newborn period like for you?
I'm sorry, but it was awful. I did not enjoy it. It wasn't until maybe 4 months that things started going a little bit smoother.
I did BF, but I felt like that's all I did all day, all night. I felt trapped at home, barely had time to shower let alone do housework or cook. My DD would take forever to put to sleep (upwards of 30 minutes) and then would only sleep for 30-40 minutes.
We plan on having 2 kids, but I am not looking forward to having to do that part again. And having a toddler running around at the same time? I don't know how other women do it.
100% this! It did get alot better when she was 6 weeks old. DD had a lot of issues with breastmilk and then formula. It was a lot of trial and error, but she was finally put on a hypoallergenic formula. That seriously made a huge difference.
This was us too! DS breastfed nonstop and I felt like all I did was sit in the glider. He was also a poor sleeper and had the terrible witching hour every night. It didn't get better until after 3 months.
All of that except it was 5 months before we started getting a handle on Lo's formula. We got really bad BFing advice. My LO was boarn 7 1/2 lbs was 6 lbs 14 oz when she left the hospital and at 2 weeks she was only 7lbs 1 oz. We basically starved her for the first 2 weeks of life following all of the "advice" from the breastfeeding crew at the hospital. Needless to say, our first 2 weeks was the most horrible thing I've ever experienced, including labor. Next baby I'll be following my own rules for BFing, even if it's not the "typical" way. And if I fail, at least I'll have formula to fall back on. He/She is getting feed this time no matter what!
All of this. And add in constant spitting up - I mean constant.I was so tired of being barfed on. And screaming, not crying, but SCREAMING in the car seat AND the stroller. I cried. A lot. I felt isolated. I felt like my DH and I made a huge mistake because we had such a great life before. I swore off a second child (and I'm still not convinced we'll have another).
I was so in control of my life. Confident. Happy. And then this little puker comes into our life and rocked my world.
And then at 6 weeks he looked at me and smiled. And then I fell in love.
But it was still hard for the first 4 months. It's still hard. I feel like now we have a better handle on things, but the memories of the first few months are still fresh in my mind and I'm thankful for my IUD!
Exactly as all of you have said, it was hard! I started to feel more comfortable as a mom when DD was about 3 months. Things are definitely more natural now, but in the beginning it was really rough.
I often referred to myself as DD's milk cow because that's how I felt. If she wasn't napping in her swing she was attached to me.
Now when I think back it doesn't seem so bad, but at the time it was close to misery. I kept telling myself back then that it was just a phase and it would pass, and I tried to make the most of it.
My DH and I also hated the newborn period too. I hate saying that, but it was not fun for us at all. Once he hit about 3 months things started to get more and more fun.
Mom to Carter (6), and Calianne (1).
Proud VBAC, natural birth, breastfeeding, cloth diapering momma!
The first two months were brutal. I didn't anticipate the incessant worrying I did about BF and my supply and the pressure I put on myself to EBF. DS wasn't colicky but he was high strung and there were night where DH and I just about cried along with him because we didn't know what else he could possibly need. Add in sleep deprivation and recovery from the delivery and things were less than awesome. By about 8 weeks though, things started to click. We started supplementing, DS started gaining weight and being in a better mood and more interactive. We found our groove as parents and grew more confident in our abilities. (although DH still has issues picking out an outfit, go figure). I know my friends that had gone before tried to explain all of this to me, but I don't think I really got it until I lived it.
The second time will be harder in some ways because of two kids needing you and easier because you know what to expect and when to give in.
When I first became a mom, it wasn't so bad. DS#1 was a VERY good baby from the start. He slept a lot and was very happy. He pretty much only cried for a bottle or if he was tired, and both of those were very easily remedied. Maybe the first two weeks weren't so good, but after that they were fine.
DS#2 was a different story. He cried and/or fussed an awful lot. I swear that boy NEVER slept. I mean, truthfully was a terrible, terrible sleeper. It lasted for 3 months. It was rough and it was hard, especially being a working mom (yes, I went back at 4.5 weeks)
At 3 months he stopped fussing so much. 3.5 months he actually started sleeping at night (not THROUGH the night, but he consistently slept AT night) 4 months he started sleeping for longer stretches. 6 months he started sleeping in the crib, and just recently started sleeping completely through the night (8-10ish hours).
It's been slow progress, but he is eventually getting better and better :-)
Cam 6.6.10 - Autism, Global Developmental Delay, Mixed Receptive/Expressive Communication Disorder
I LOVED the newborn period, both babies where no problem at all. They where and still are happy babies - they never did alot of crying or fussing. My DH only stayed home with me for a week to help and family would come visit from time to time. I had my daily schedule down packed and around 6 weeks I was able to put them on schedule and have them in bed by 6pm and around 3 months they pretty much STTN. I was able to clean the house, shower, do laundry, etc. I even hung out with my girlfriends once a week!!
I just knew with two that it would be HARD but boy was I wrong.