Motherhood is a Game of Trial and Error
Here are a few of the things that I have learned so far as a mother.
1. (and this is by far the MOST important) You have to do what works best for you, your new baby, and your hubby. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad for the decisions that you make, because it is a tough transition and in those first few weeks you have to just do what you can to get through them and survive. Also, if some of the ideas that you had about raising your little one change, don’t beat yourself up over it.
2. Even though it was as loud as a rock concert inside the womb with all of that blood rushing around and two heartbeats to listen to, it doesn’t mean that you won’t keep your little one up at night. I highly suggest having your baby stay in your room with you as long as you can so that he/she can hear the rhythmic sounds of your breathing while he/she sleeps (and so that you aren’t constantly worried if he/she is still breathing , but if after several weeks they aren’t gradually sleeping longer at night it could be that you are keeping them up. (Every time Aiden woke up I would talk to Brandon about it and sometimes cry a little, no doubt making it hard for Aiden to go into deep sleep, I was also (and still do) turning over in bed like I still had a huge old belly to heft around. No doubt quite noisy.
3. Cloth diapers are a money saving idea. They have to be changed more frequently then disposable and they are giamongus on a 2 1/2 month old baby. I still plan to utilize them when he is a little bigger.
4. In the realm of feeding there are several choices, formula, breastfeeding, and breastmilk in a bottle. If you don’t have someone to feed the breastmilk in a bottle while you pump then you will feel like a moo cow, but just because you can’t breastfeed anymore does not mean that your baby has to go without breast milk. Buy a good breastpump so that your baby can drink breastmilk while you are out on a date with your hubby. (I reccomend a Medela brand pump, but compare pumps maybe there is a better and less expensive option.)
5. MAKE TIME FOR YOUR HUBBY! He misses alone time with you just as much (if not more) as you miss alone time with him. Go on regular dates and leave baby with grandma (or another reliable babysitter).
6. Carriers make life easier. There are many different styles and prices and some can even be homemade. Find one that works best for you. I originally made a mai tai style carrier. It can hold up to like 100 lbs. (as if I would ever carry that much weight with my back problem) but it is somewhat inconvenient to put on so I plan to get a different one to use until Aiden is a little bigger. But, if you have a little one who always wants to be held and can’t ever get stuff done then a carrier is a perfect solution.
7. Making your own baby food will allow your little one to have a wider variety of foods to eat then the choices that you have at the grocery store. (Hey, I know that Aiden won’t be eating solid food for 3 1/2 more months but I am so excited for the wide array of flavors that will hit his little taste buds.) Plus most of them can be frozen for 3 months! Sweet!
8. Bathing a baby is a lot of fun.
9. Changing a baby is a new adventure each time…You never know what will come out of either end while you do it. 🙂
10. Babies grow too fast. I must admit that I shed a few tears when Aiden grew out of his first set of clothes. You have to cherish every single moment.
11. You can never take too many pictures of your child.
12. Document what you can because you will want it when your child is grown and chances are they will be grateful and delighted to hear about their childhood.
13. Babies are so full of the spirit and have a testimony already. Aiden smiles at pictures of Jesus and I can tell that he knows his brother Jesus Christ and loves him. What a precious gift for me as a mom.
Lastly, you will never know such a great love as the love you can feel for your spouse and your children. It will never cease to amaze you as it continually grows and your heart is able to grow with it. You will look at this little bundle in your arms and wonder at how you can love someone so much when you barely even know him/her and then you will look up at your spouse and your love for them will grow because they are a part of creating that little miracle in your arms. It is a wonderful and blessed thing to be a part of a family. There are no words to describe the majesty and divinity of a family. Just know that families are as close to heaven as you can get to on earth.
Well, I will stop rambling on now. I just figured that since I always have a million questions it would be neat if I tried to put forth information so that other people with a million questions might be able to find an answer that they are seeking.