New beginnings

Being a first time mom is probably one of the biggest experiences that I have had in my life. Nothing else has really changed me like becoming a mom. I was the person that said I am never having kids. Something happened to me when I met my husband and started to get into my late twenties. I started to think "hey! I want a baby!" And so we decided after much talk to get pregnant and we started on our journey to meet and raise our first baby together.

I had absolutely no idea what to expect and all my mommy friends just told me all the great things about having a baby. So I have a couples things to keep in mind for those of you out there that are new moms and are worried and don't know what is ahead.

1. Take the meds

I had a C-Section for health concern reasons and I can't speak for natural birth but if you are having a C-Section, one its ok there is no perfect way to have a baby and two its going to hurt afterwards. You will be expected to get up and move around very quickly and its much much easier if you take the pain meds. Know that your baby will be ok if you are breast feeding. Pain meds really helped me a lot in the first week. Even though you aren't supposed to over do it you still have to get up to go to the bathroom!

2. Sleep when the baby is sleeping

This I can not stress enough. Let the laundry and dishes get a little behind. Nothing is more precious than sleep and you will need it to care for your baby. They will wake up at least 3 times or more at the beginning and we will feel like a zombie if you don't get naps in during the day. This was one of the things that really helped me was to just nap as much a possible during the day. The first couple of weeks are crazy and napping will help a little bit.

3. Co-Sleeping

I know that Co-sleeping is not for everyone but it turned out to be a life saver for me. Having my baby in the room with me at night was I believe the best decision that I could have made. It made getting up at night less taxing, faster to get to my baby and easier to put her down and get back to sleep. If you are thinking about it consider it because it got me back into my normal sleep routine much faster and I need it to function. Plus it saved us a room and a bunch of furniture that we would never use.

4. Night Sweats

No one ever told me about this. Every night I would sweat so much for like the first month and then it slowly tapered off until the end of the second month. There isn't much that I can say to really give you a tip on how to deal with it so this is just a warning!

5. Snacks and let others help

It can be hard the first month or 2 to eat properly. Especially if you are breast feeding. I recommend that you have ample snack and water at your side so that you can easily access them when you need them. Getting up and down after a C-section will still be weird and difficult for weeks to come. The other thing is that you need to let other people cook and clean for you or at the very least hold the baby and change a diaper, if you insist on doing the cooking and cleaning. I personally took all the help I could I was a zombie mess most the time.

6. You are doing a great job!

It is such an emotional time. Especially if you don't have a significant other to stay home with you or when your significant other eventually has to go back to work. The first days I was home alone with my baby were really strange for me. I felt alone but also consumed by the new love in my life. I was fully engulfed in taking care of her that I didn't have a chance to do anything. I was fully of hormones and emotions and I was battling with the side of myself that was use to cleaning and taking care of the house and the side that was just too tired to do anything. I felt useless at times and the change in routine really didn't feel right for a year. So know this momma you are a rock star! You had your baby and you are walking an unknown path that no one can navigate but you and your path is completely unique. You are doing your best that that is all that you can do. That is all you need to do. Your baby loves you!