Having a baby is one of the most wonderful things that you are ever going to do. It’s true that they are a lot of work, and it’s true that they make a lot of changes to your everyday life. However, this is all worth it. That little baby is the very best part of you, even when it feels like you’re going out of your mind. If you are having a baby, one of the things that you are going to need to try and do before they get here is prepare yourself somewhat. It’s never going to be possible to be completely prepared, but if you know what to expect to some degree, this is going to make it a whole lot easier.
In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the things that you should expect when you have a baby, so keep reading down below if you would like to find out more.
Sleep Is Now A Distant Memory
The first thing that you are going to need to think about is the fact that you’re going to have to learn to survive on very little sleep. It’s not a myth that babies make it feel like you are awake all the time, it really happens. Now, this is not easy to cope with and your body may well struggle with the change, but you will always be able to do what is best for your baby as your instincts won’t allow you to do anything else.
There are some people who will simply let the newborn dictate everything such as when they eat and when they sleep. There are also people who try to get their baby into some kind of routine straight away. Whichever one you want to do is fine, as long as it works for you. If you’re going for a routine, you need to ensure that you are looking up nap schedules by age for newborns and babies so that you can see what is regular and what is cause for concern. This will also help you manage your expectations of how often they should sleep, hopefully allowing you to pencil some time in for you!
Don’t Get Attached To Any Clothes
When you’re a parent, any clothes that you wear when you are looking after your baby should be ones that you are not particularly attached to. You are going to get vomited on, peed on, and pooped on so it’s best to just wear clothes that you don’t mind getting ruined. You’re also probably going to stop caring for a little while about how long you have been wearing certain clothes as long as they are still clean and not covered in baby bodily fluids.
The same goes for their clothes. Some people spend so much money on clothes that the baby is going to wear once or twice, or it’s going to get ruined. There is nothing wrong with cute clothes of course, but the point is that a lot of them get stained and end up getting thrown away anyway.
When It Comes To The Christening
If you are going to get your baby christened, then you need to make sure that you send out invites as soon as possible. You want people to save the date so that they can attend this special day for your little one. If you don’t get this sorted and then give people plenty of notice, this likely isn’t going to be able to happen.
It’s important that you go through christening etiquette before this day, just to be sure that you are on the right page when you get there. The last thing that you want is for the whole thing to turn into a fiasco when you just wanted a lovely day for your baby.
Everyone Will Want To Be There…
….for the first couple of days or maybe weeks. Everyone around you is going to want to see the new baby, which isn’t going to be a shock. But, the thing that you need to do is learn to say no. If you are ever uncomfortable at the fact that someone wants to be around the baby, don’t let them be. That baby is yours to look after and yours to protect, but so are you. A lot of the time people lose track of the parents because they are so caught up in the baby, and it can feel like you are invisible.
The thing that you need to prepare yourself for is when the visits become less frequent and the calls stop coming in. It’s hard because you feel as though you have been abandoned in some capacity because the novelty of a new baby has worn off, but try to take comfort in the fact that you will always have those around you that are supposed to be there. The people who love you aren’t going anywhere.
Your Emotions Are All Over The Place
Having a baby wreaks havoc on your body. It leaves you with your emotions all over the place, your hormones all over the place and generally feeling a little lost in life. It can be extremely hard to navigate your way through this time, but you will. You may even find it hard to bond with the baby at first, and this is completely normal. Not everyone takes to it straight away, but the bond will come the more time you spend with them. One of your first instincts here if this happens to you is going to be that you are broken, but you aren’t. It is a lot more common than you think, it’s just not talked about that much.
Try not to worry too much about how other people think you should be feeling and focus on what you are feeling at this time. Nothing you feel is wrong, and if you let yourself feel it, you can start working on making it better if it’s negative.
Where Did All Of Your Money Go?
You will also notice that a lot of your money is magically disappearing. Well, it’s not magic, it’s just having a baby. They are expensive! They cost a lot of money as you are going to need diapers, clothes, wipes, bags, a crib, muslins and so much more. There are a lot of things that babies need, and when it comes to clothes they grow out of them so fast that it feels like yesterday you bought new ones that no longer fit. This is going to be your life from now on, so you better get used to it.
The best thing that we can advise is that you save some money before you have the baby, so that you have some money to spend without stress down the line. It’s always a good idea to eliminate stress before it even becomes an issue if you can.
A Complete Change To Your Life
Having a baby is a complete and massive change to your life. There isn’t anything in the world that will change your life quite as much as bringing a new little one into the world. Nothing will ever be the same again, and you have to learn to be okay with that. Their needs come first in all things while you take a backseat. You become their person. You are their safe space so it’s likely that they are going to cry so much more when they are with you. You are the one that they think of and you are the one that they want when they want to be comforted. It’s a difficult role, and it’s draining on some days, but it’s also the best feeling in the world.
You don’t know what you are missing until you have chubby little arms reaching for you and only you. It feels like you have left your heart outside of your body and you are constantly watching it right infront of your eyes. It’s surreal, and you wouldn’t change a single thing about it, even the hard times because it’s everything. It’s intense and it’s overwhelming, but it’s also going to be the most real thing that you have ever felt.
We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you should be expecting when you have a baby. There are so many different things that come with having a kid, and there’s no way for you to prepare for them all. Even if you spend hours sitting there trying to prepare for your new life as a parent, you’re never going to quite cover all the bases because it’s impossible. But, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do your absolute best to ensure that you are as prepared as possible. We wish you the very best of luck, and hope that you settle into your new life with your little bundle of joy very soon.