For the new young mommy... The 411.

FOR: my bestie Julie and co-worker Lauren. (soon to be mothers who know nothing about motherhood... me 8 years ago.)



Julie with my Mykaila after she was born

with so MANY books, websites, shows and a zillion celebs and friends telling you what motherhood will be like- who knows what to believe?  Well, after having two kiddos, a boy and a girl, my pair...

...here's my NEED TO KNOW.....

Lamaze and childbirth classes may be fun for you beginner mommy's, BUT trust me when I say, they really do not work. You will go into the hospital doing what your body tells you because you will not be in control of it anymore like you think... to a certain extent, sure, but when baby wants out, you can't help but throw everything you learned in class out the door!

Childbirth/Lamaze/Breastfeeding101- 2006

make sure your couch is comfortable, you will see a lot of it in the coming months... years. (with baby, infant, toddler, child) especially if you plan on being a stay at home mommy OR will be on maternity leave for like FOREVER.

a diaper genie is a magical invention, this was one of my most used shower gifts. (hides the nasty diaper aroma smell that baby just let loose that extends throughout your house)

Dr. Dre headphones and a locked bathroom door = a vacation. (even now... as they are older, bathroom time seems to be family time. I can't go in peace. So lock lock lock your door as much as you can)

a messy house doesn't make you a bad mother... it makes you a mother that needs sleep. (I am a neat freak when it comes to my space. Can you say OCD? And when they are just learning how to crawl/walk, the mess will never subside... it just keeps getting bigger because when baby sleeps, you NEED sleep! UNTIL they reach the age where they DO NOT sleep. Napping isn't even a part of your vocabulary and the mess gets worse BUT you can "manipulate" play time. My kiddos KNOW that after they play with one lot of toys, they MUST clean that tornado up before they make another separate one. You just have to train them!

the first two months are NOT how motherhood will be. (yes, it's a beautiful thing, but at the same time, you aren't getting your beauty sleep. YOU and your other half MUST take turns or you will be overwhelmed. Can you do it? Sure can.)

it's ok to prefer sleep over a shower (Like I said, we all need our beauty sleep OR you will become a mommy monster. Showers will come last because you have so much to do before baby gets up.)

 

La Leche specialists are wonderful sources of info... but very fanatical...  sorry they are :-) Take advice from the mother who breastfed both children for two years.

First attempt at breastfeeding at the hospital

Breastfeeding Pro.

breastfeeding is wonderful for your child but may suck for you. Most of my friends tried breastfeeding but found out it wasn't for them as it didn't last past the hospital. Breastfeeding is much more than what you think or see on TV. It isn't pretty at first and it hurts like HELL in the beginning as your child is sucking the crap out of your boobs. The worst is when the milk actually comes in after having the baby suck and suck and suck it out... then they become ENGORGED. Ouch! BUT after you pass this stage, your milk comes out so much, you won't be able to stop it and will have to wear breast pads. YUP, I said it, booby pads, unless of course you want the milk to leak all through your shirt and people stare at you because you have white spots around your nipples... Oh yes, the Joys of motherhood.

crying fits are normal at any point in time until your child probably gets married. Still happens to this day and I don't just mean my 4 year old, my 7 ALMOST 8 year old has her crying fits every so often too. I don't think it will ever go away. It's a growing norm for me now.

keep your kid barefoot as long as possible and when you buy shoes, buy a pair made for BABIES, not for fashion. TRUE STORY.

BUT MOST OF ALL... enjoy the 3am moments when it's just you and the baby... these moments go by quickly. I'm thankful that my children still enjoy these moments with me. Regardless of their age, they will always be my babies. You know me, I believe Life is Like a Camera. I try to snapshot every moment I can, those memories will never come back, they will only be remembered. What better to remember them with a photo.