5 Things I wish I knew Before bringing baby home
The following 5 topics are things I wish I would have planned for more or done more research on:
Colostrum: I had heard about this “liquid gold,” however, I did not research enough or pay much attention on it’s benefits or that there were whole kits on collecting colostrum. I ended up having an unexpected c-section which actually could have delayed my milk supply from coming in, so when it did come in I had no idea it was the colostrum. I found out later people called it “liquid gold,” due to it being nutrient rich and packed with antibodies to prevent infection. We had to use formula for the first few days, since my babygirl wouldn’t latch. I ended up pumping the colostrum and pouring it into regular breastmilk bags and froze it instead of the colostrum milk collector kits. If I could go back I would tell myself to pump it and put it into a bottle since our babygirl was taking bottles at the time.
Anxiety that comes with being a new parent: As a first time mom, I was anxious when other people would hold my baby once I got home especially because some people would wear strong perfume and cologne. I would get anxious because I would try to nurse my babygirl while we had visitors but she did not latch right away so I would just give up and make her a bottle, I feel like this caused my supply to stay low. The anxiety I felt going out the first time with our babygirl and wondering if my husband and I would know what to do if she cried. Thankfully our babygirl has done great when we’ve gone out but that doesn’t mean the anxiety wasn’t there. My husband helped me a lot with calming down and feeling less overwhelmed.
Sleep when the baby sleeps is not realistic: We got blessed with having babygirl during summer as both my husband and I are teachers, so sometimes we would take turns napping, since we had the privilege of both being home for two months with her. However, let me tell you our babygirl did not like to sleep, she is not a fussy baby at all but her wake windows were long or she would only sleep 10-15 minute increments. We joke saying she has FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Newborns eat every 2-3 hours because of how tiny their tummy is but man our babygirl would fight her sleep, as soon as we transferred her from our arms to the bassinet she’d wake up. Often we found ourselves nap trapped, which she would last longer sleeping in so there was no chance for us to take a nap out of fear of dropping her. Trust me when I say coffee is your best friend, especially if breastfeeding and having to wake up multiple times a night.
Emotional Ups & Downs: I honestly did not think this would affect me, since I’m a very happy person. But man I would get sad, then angry for random things and then overjoyed just staring at my baby and realizing she really is my daughter. For this one, I’m still not sure how we could have planned ahead for it but as a new parent maybe speak to your spouse on what you two would do during this emotional rollercoaster the woman goes through. I ended up getting a color by page devotional to help me destress and find a time to myself in the evenings. While my husband cared for our daughter, I’d go outside by the pool, play worship music while I worked on the coloring devotional.
Breastmilk/Formula & How long it lasts: it wasn’t until our babygirl’s 2 week check-up that we thought of the question on how long breast milk and formula last in room temperature and breastmilk refrigerated/frozen. I’ll share a breastmilk storage guideline I found on the cdc website below this list. For formula, you have to read your formula’s container as each one is different.
**I know these may not be the typical things of “what I wish I knew before bringing baby home” but looking back these are just some of my thoughts. Make sure to ask your “village,” for advice, support, and if you are feeling overwhelmed. I know my village would be more than happy to have shared their insights on the topics above, and as babygirl grows I am still learning more each day from my village and my motherhood experience in general. Comment below what are things you as a first time mom did not expect when bringing baby home? Or as a momma to be, what do you wonder about when bringing baby home?
