What is the one thing you wish you were told..

[Woodstock]

Each baby is so different and the same rules dont apply

[joanne62]

You don't have to be perfect.

[RealGoneKid]

At first, you feel like you've been hit by a train. This is totally normal

As long as you and baby have sleep, food and are washed, there is no right or wrong way to do things. You will be bombarded with (largely) well-meaning (but often quite bonkers and totally contradictory) advice. Ignore any that doesn't suit you and your baby. Every baby and every new mum is different.

Rest whenever you can and ignore the housework. If people come around to "help" give them the Hoover, not the baby Unless, of course, you need a break (we all do, it's not a sign of failure ), in which case, give them the baby and have a break.

Enjoy!!!

[Anne]

Sleep whenever the baby sleeps, and employ someone else to clean the house!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.

[Peony]

Your relationship with your OH will change significantly and it may be tough for a while. People really don't admit that it's not always a bed of roses.

[bubbasweet]

Can't comment post-birth obviously, but my only advice is to get all your baby stuff sorted sooner rather than later. Getting out of bed post-30 weeks is becoming increasingly difficult, and I didn't realise quite how limited my mobility would become (although I have got SPD, which doesn't help). I was convinced that all I had to do was just keep moving and I would remain fit and active up until she's born

[mrsdunny207]

Not having a 'natural' delivery doesn't make you a failure and using formula doesn't make you a bad mother.

[Faith]

I am actually quite glad I didn't know anything beforehand. It meant I could potter along happily doing what worked for my baby and me without any preconceived notions of whether I was doing it right or wrong

I didn't know anyone with a baby, had never held a baby, didn't know how often a baby fed, slept, anything. So breastfeeding worked because I just stuck the baby on and left her there . I knew even less about bottles, and how to sterilise/make them up, so I didn't try them.

The people I got to know post-birth who struggled were the ones who had loads of people around them telling them that the baby should be sleeping through by x weeks, feeding every 4 hours, starting weaning, never did mine any harm... I know one girl who was breast-feeding fine, but gave up because her mum was saying he baby should be sleeping through at 6 weeks, so it must be her supply. He was exactly the same on bottles, so they went to hungry baby milk, then to rusks in the bottle, then to early weaning at 3.5 months

Don't listen to anyone, so what works for you!

[Peridot]

Make decisions that matter in the here or now not how you might feel about them in years to come.

Agree with lots of others ones like enjoying 1 baby and not realising the effect on your relationship etc.

[Rosa]

Its hard to narrow it down!

I would say that it's not meant to be easy, don't expect to be a natural.

And a big one for me would be "you might not be able to breastfeed" I expected it would all go swimmingly even up to the first few days of my babies lives, then it all went wrong and I was fairly depressed it all, which made the early babyhood a bit of a sad time for me.

Don't go to child friendly cafes with your baby... you will HAVE to go to them for years later on, enjoy the grown up stuff while you still can!

Enjoy sleeping when your baby does, cause if you go on to have a number 2 you will not get the chance and be kicking yourself for not appreciating it first time round

Oh and new babies feed ALL THE TIME. When they said roughly every two to three hours at our BF group that sounds all well and good but if you start feeding, the feed can last over an hour so its only another hours until the next one starts!

Almost everything is a phase which will either sort itself out over time, or you can take action to resolve pretty quickly.