I’ve been at it for ten weeks, so I feel like I’ve really got a grip on this thing called motherhood.
HA! Ya right! I still have no clue what I’m doing…but does anyone?
Here are some things I do know:
1. A comfy couch is key for the newborn phase. Dare I tally up the hours I’ve spent on my couch the last 10 weeks? No shame. The couch is exactly where a new mom should be, soaking up contact naps and maybe enjoying a Netflix binge.
2. If you breastfeed, the Haakaa will become your best friend. Seriously, I LOVE this thing. It’s pretty much another appendage at this point. It can be used on the opposite breast while nursing, which allows you to build a freezer stash without the stress of a complicated pump. Just don’t knock it over (see next point)!
3. You will cry over spilled milk. Ok, you will cry over a lot of things in the first few weeks (normal), but spilled breast milk is definitely one of them.
4. You will smell like a teenage boy. Thank you hormones!
5. You will need more phone storage. One photo a day? Try a hundred! The tinybeans app is great for sharing photos with family and the Chatbooks app is a simple, cost-effective way to put photos in print every month (otherwise they never leave your phone).
6. Butt-pats are key for calming a fussy baby. Our secret sauce: firm, rhythmic butt-pats accompanied by the classic “shhhh” and a good sway. Plus some gripe water on the pacifier from time to time.
7. Over-the-head baby clothes are awful! Want to make your baby really mad? Put an outfit over their head. No thanks! For a daytime look, try H&M’s cotton bodysuits with fold-over cuff pants. Yes, there are snaps, but it’s the lesser of two evils! Otherwise, we live in 2-Way Zipper Sleepers!
8. Sleep when the baby sleeps is great advice. Fantastic in theory, impossible in practice.
9. You can still have fun. Take the baby out to eat, host a takeout dinner, baby-wear for a hike, push the stroller with a friend, hire a babysitter, take a trip. While it takes a little more planning, it is still possible. You can do it! Pictured below: my husband and our baby girl at Blackberry Farms Brewery, partying with no socks on! 
10. Time flies. How many times have you heard it? They weren’t lyin’. Babies really do grow up right before your eyes. Soak it up mammas!
