Surprise!  What You Didn't Expect with Baby

Your first weeks at home with your baby are a time of great adjustment. You've been excited for so long to bring this baby home, and now he's finally here. What many women don't realize before bringing the baby home is that there are many surprises. Even if you've read up on what to expect, you'll be surprised by some things! Hopefully, with more knowledge, you'll be able to prepare yourself better for the rollercoaster that being a parent entails.

Motherhood Surprises

Your body has undergone a great deal of change in the last nine months. You've gained weight, carried a baby and gone through delivery. Now, your body is going to produce milk and move back to its old shape. There are many issues that you might experience while all of this occurs,

Breast Size

Your breasts will increase a great deal in size after the baby is born. Your body is getting ready to produce milk and your breasts will be holding that milk supply. If you decide not to nurse, you'll experience a few painful days while your breasts become more and more engorged before your milk disappears. Assuming that you are going to try to nurse, you'll want to wear a bra at all times during the first few weeks after the delivery. This will help you to support your back and your changing size. You may also want to purchase pads that you insert into the bra to prevent leakage. After you've fed your baby for a week or so, your milk will begin to regulate and your breasts will decrease in size a bit. However, they will still remain larger than they were before you were pregnant.

Clothes

While you'll feel like the skinniest woman in the world after your delivery, it's important to remember that you're not! You feel like you've lost a ton of weight because you have lost the weight of the baby. Your body, however, does not immediately jump back into its old form. Don't run home from the hospital and try to put on your skinny jeans - or even your fat jeans for that matter! Your body is going to need some time to readjust and you may even have some of your pregnancy belly for awhile after delivery. Your body took 9 months to change into the shape it was in with the baby - give yourself time to change back!

Baby Surprises

The baby may also surprise you in a number of ways. Here are a few things that no one may have warned you about.

Meconium

When the baby is first born, his bowel movements look like tar. This substance, called Meconium, is dark green or black and incredibly sticky. This is from the baby's time with you in the womb. It will decrease over the first few days but will be very hard to clean while it's still there! Don't be shocked or scared off by this strange substance.

Clothes

You've received all of these adorable clothes and you can't wait for your baby to wear them. You may want to wait a bit, however, because newborns simply don't fit into most of the clothing that people buy! Even newborn sizes are often too big for newborns. You may just need to wait a few weeks to use those adorable clothes. There are some great sleeping sacks made for new babies that can keep them cozy and warm and can make it easy for you to change them in the first few weeks. Take this opportunity to stay home and relax with your baby in the beginning - you don't need to dress them for the ball yet.

Nursing

Many women don't realize that nursing can be a real struggle. Nursing is a wonderful thing to do for yourself and your baby, and it's certainly a natural act. So, it should be easy, right? Often, however, it isn't. Many women experience frustration and physical pain with nursing and many babies struggle to latch on correctly. Don't give up! Have a lactation consultant or a nurse help you and keep trying. The first few weeks of nursing can be very difficult. Usually, however, the baby will learn what to do and you will start to feel physically better. It's worth giving it a good try. It is important to know, however, that it may not be easy in the beginning.

These are just a few of the surprises you may experience as you transition into parenthood. Try to keep a smile on your face through all of these ups and downs and enjoy the process. You've brought a new life into the world! Give yourself time to adjust and appreciate how special this time is.

 

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