8 Things I've Learned Since Having A Baby

I had no idea what to expect after I had my first baby.  Sure, I had friends who have had babies, and I knew it was going to be hard, my life was going to change, blah, blah, blah.  But until I actually brought a newborn baby home with me did I really get a taste of how life was now going to be.  No one truly prepare you for what is to come because- #1- every baby is different and #2- you can't possibly understand some things until you experience them yourself.  Here are a couple of random things I have learned since having my first baby.

1.  Breastfeeding is not easy for everyone.  For some crazy reason, I really didn't think twice about the possibility of me not being able to breastfeed.  I knew that it was something I really wanted to do, therefore I would.  End of story.  This was not the case, however.  It was very difficult for me and Anniston. We went through a few traumatic experiences and I cried for days about not being able to nurse.  I won't bore you with the details, but in the end I exclusively pumped for 6 weeks. Pumping was no walk in the park either.  I was so stressed about my milk supply and exhausted from having to pump round the clock.  I cried  again when I started thinking about switching her over to formula to make it easier for us.  I felt so guilty.  When I did, things were so much better for us.  I was happier, she was happier, everyone was happier.  Looking back, I wish I had not stressed out so much about it.  Lesson learned if the same thing happens next time around:)

2. I would rather shop online than go to the store.  Sure, I shopped online before I had Anniston but now I shop online for everything.  Amazon is becoming one of my very best friends.  I buy stuff from there that I could get at Target- that's how ridiculous it's become.  But some weeks, it's hard to fit in a Target run and I LOVE getting things delivered to my front door!

3.  You can survive on less sleep than you think.  I can remember many nights the first couple of weeks where I maybe got 3 hours of sleep.  I would think, "How am I going to be able to function tomorrow, let alone take care of a baby?"  There must be some kind of baby endorphin that kicks in and helps you throughout the day because you function better than you would think.  Or maybe your body just knows you don't have a choice....ha ha.

4.  A trip to Target can be the biggest and most exciting thing you do some days.

5.  I get more excited over clothes, bows, toys for Anniston than I do for myself.

6.  It's so much harder to be a "stylin" mom than I thought it would be.  I had visions of sporting around my 6 week old looking like I had it all together in a cute "mom" outfit.  Sometimes this happens.  80% of the time it does not.  I learned real quick how to get ready in the least amount of time possible.  There is just not a lot of time to spend primping in front of the mirror to look your best.  Either A needs something or I just simply would rather look decent and spend the rest of the time playing with her.  I'm working on this though- it's getting easier.

7.  You don't sweat the small stuff in life.  No matter how bad of a day I have, when I come home and see my beautiful baby girl smiling at me nothing else seems to matter anymore.

8.  Our definition of "fun" has dramatically changed.  Previous fun times included going out to a nice dinner, catching a movie, going to concert, etc.   Now I look forward to nights at home with the hubby and A.  I can't think of a better way to spend my nights.