If you’re expecting a baby, it’s only natural to wonder what to expect when that baby arrives. I mean, you know what happens when you’re expecting: nausea, vomiting, fatigue — all the fun stuff. But what about afterward? What will life be like with this new little person in your life? And how do you survive it? Well, here’s the good news: Breaking down those first few months into manageable pieces makes them much less overwhelming. Here are some things no one tells you about having a newborn—and why they matter so much!
There’s a lot of talk about what to expect when you’re expecting, but not so much about what to expect once the baby arrives.
A lot of talks are given about what you can expect when you’re expecting, but there’s not a lot said about what to expect after the baby arrives.
In your mind, your little bundle of joy will be as beautiful as the pictures you see on Instagram: sleeping peacefully in their car seat or nestled in their crib. But once they enter this world, things are different. They might look different—they may be balding or have weird eyes—and they may not sleep peacefully in their car seat or nestle in their crib (they probably won’t). As much as we try to make them look like those perfect little angels who stare back at us from our social media feeds, babies tend to come out looking more like aliens than cherubs: with strange skin colors and funny-shaped heads that don’t fit into any hats.
So take it from me: don’t go into parenting thinking everything will be perfect because it won’t! It’s not just about how much love and care we give our children; sometimes it’s also about learning how to cope with imperfection—whether it comes from ourselves or from others around us who aren’t always supportive of all our choices (like keeping our kids up until midnight).
Baby will be a lot less like the beautiful, perfect photos you see on Instagram and a lot more like this.
You will see countless beautiful, perfect photos of new babies on Instagram. The truth is that you will not have a newborn baby who looks like any of those images. Your baby will look more like this:
You don’t want to give up hope though! A lot of people make it through the first year and they still look like this:
You’ll be tired. All the time. Forever.
You’ll be tired. All the time. Forever.
Sleep deprivation is a huge part of having a newborn, but it doesn’t have to be a total drag. You’ll get used to it pretty quickly, and once you do, you might even look forward to being awake at 3 AM when your baby finally falls asleep! It’s not like there’s anything else to do at that hour anyway (or so we tell ourselves).
You won’t regret being tired either; after all, there are lots of fun things happening in your life right now—you have a new family member who depends on you and needs so much attention! What could be better than cuddling with your precious little bundle while she sleeps? And oh yeah, did we mention that lack of sleep can lead to hallucinations? You should probably try one or two out before they go away forever…
The wide blunt end of a Q-tip will become your favorite and most versatile tool in the house.
You will use a Q-tip to clean your baby’s nose, ears, mouth, and face. You’ll also use them to clean his or her body.
These are all great ways to get acquainted with the wide blunt end of a Q-tip:
Sleep when the baby sleeps is not just an old wives’ tale — it’s a lifesaver.
Sleep when the baby sleeps is not just an old wives’ tale — it’s a lifesaver.
When your baby is sleeping, you should be sleeping. It’s that simple, right? Well, except for the fact that it’s not always so simple to get your newborn to sleep (or stay asleep).
With all of the advice out there about how to get your baby to sleep, it can be difficult to know what will work best. Luckily, we’ve done some research and have some tips on what you can expect from different solutions.
The first step: understand how often babies need to sleep within 24 hours. Most newborns want to nap every 2-4 hours during the day; however, as they get older their need for rest decreases dramatically until they’re able to sleep through most nights without waking up at all – but only once they hit four months old! So don’t worry if this doesn’t happen immediately—you still have plenty of time before needing any significant help getting them back into bed again after their morning feeding sessions…
The best way to get rid of spit-up stains on your favorite shirt? Don’t change out of it. Just wear it every day until they set in permanently.
After you’ve been through the first few weeks of spit-up and exhausted nights, you’ll start to ask yourself: why do I keep doing this? Why can’t I just change into a clean shirt?
You might as well just embrace it. You will be changing your clothes several times a day anyway, so if you want to spend that time wearing something that makes you look like a domestic goddess (or god), go for it! Plus, it’s kind of fun to see how many compliments on your parenting skills you can get in one week while wearing the same shirt as last week’s dirty diaper puddle.
Babies aren’t born with attachment issues, but they can come with separation anxiety as they get older.
We all know that babies aren’t born with attachment issues, but they can come with separation anxiety as they get older. Babies are born with a strong instinct to be close to their mothers, which means they can develop separation anxiety if they’re not allowed to bond enough with a caregiver.
This is normal and common in early childhood, so don’t worry if your little one seems clingy or hesitant when it’s time for you to leave and go back to work. There are plenty of ways that you can help him adjust by staying consistent about leaving him and providing reassurance when he needs it (“I’ll see you soon!”). Also, remember that this phase will pass as he gets older—and it may even make him stronger in the long run!
Breastfed babies don’t have tummy problems as often, which means fewer explosive dirty diapers that you have to clean up.
Breastfed babies don’t have tummy problems as often, which means fewer explosive dirty diapers that you have to clean up.
Breast milk is easier for your little one to digest than formula, so breastfed babies are less likely to get diarrhea and other stomach infections that cause your baby’s poop to smell bad or make them look uncomfortable when they’re having a BM (bowel movement).
They’re also less likely to get constipated because of the higher fat content in breast milk compared with formula. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned from our own experience raising children (and helping friends with theirs), it’s that nothing spells “fun” like the sound of a gassy baby!
Even if you manage to feed yourself and the baby simultaneously, you’ll never learn to use your hands again for anything else for months or years after the baby arrives.
If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to feed yourself and your baby simultaneously. But don’t get used to it—you’ll never learn how to use your hands again for anything else for months or years after the baby arrives.
That’s because when a new baby comes into your life, suddenly everything revolves around them. You will be so busy with caring for this tiny human that there won’t be any time left over for doing other things like getting dressed, or cleaning up after yourself (or feeding yourself).
Conclusion
We hope this guide has given you some insight into what to expect when having a baby. Remember that it’s not just the first few months of life that change everything — we’re talking about years here! But don’t worry: none of these things are permanent. Once your little one grows up, they’ll be just like any other kid with their quirks and preferences (and maybe even some attachment issues). But until then? You’ve got this.