10. Take drugs during labor... I hate needles and didn't think I'd want any drugs. While I only had Nubain in my IV (it was already in), I requested an epidural but after I had fully dilated. (Super fast apparently).
9. Have the desire to temporarily walk away from my son... its true, there are going to be situations where you have to put down and walk away from the crying/screaming baby! I thought I could never get enough of the cuddly little man.
8. I really thought I'd keep Jack in the recovery room after L&D over night. I ended up being so exhausted I asked them to take him to the nursery for a couple of hours. Probably from the excitement of L&D, our new bundle of joy and visiting family all in < 10 hours. I think Matt struggled with that decision more that I did, but I was more physically exhausted then he was.
7. Not put Jack in a crib/bassinet from the first day home from the hospital. Believe me, we tried... but the frequency of waking and the amount of (what I thought was blood-curdling) crying broke me quickly. He slept on my chest or in someone's arms for the first week of life.
6. Give birth to an 8 lb. 2 oz. baby boy... I'm not even 5 foot and didn't weigh much more than 14o at full term = PETITE. Guess this is what happens when your husband is almost 6 foot.
5. Call the pediatrician the 2nd day/night home from the hospital. I feel really silly now, but I didn't notice that newborn diapers have a little line that changes color when it absorbs pee so I was really worried about urine output and that he was getting dehydrated.
4. Be so attached to breastfeeding. My theory before was that I'd do it if it worked out and if not, not stress too much about it. Well, my supply has waxed and waned throughout my breastfeeding experience but I have not brought myself to weaning Jack when times got tough or discouraging and its purely an emotional thing for me. I love the mother-son time!
3. I thought it'd be easy to nap when people came over to hold Jack to let me get some sleep. I found myself wanting to visit and get adult time, which led to a very tired Mommy, until I finally gave in to Mommy nap time.
2. Get frustrated when Jack didn't do things on a schedule/timeline. This is where baby books and websites have gotten the best of me... I'm always trying to find out what he "should" be doing and constantly trying to remind myself that there are ranges for developmental milestones.
1. Bed-share. I never wanted to, but I can honestly say that it helped with the exhaustion that can come with nursing through the nights. It may not be for every family, but Matt was very supportive because he knew how much easier it was on my recovering body. I know people are worried about rolling over on baby or dangers like that, but when you're only sleeping for 1.5-2 at a time you never really go into that deep of sleep. Personally, I felt like I slept better than when he was in a cradle in our room because instead of getting up to see what every movement he made was, feeling his little movements next to me were almost comforting. We eventually moved to Jack starting the evening in his crib , then coming into bed with us for the last 2 feedings of the night. At 6 months he was still wanting to nurse through the night and at the recommendation of our pediatrician tried the cry-it-out method. Jack has happily been sleeping in his own bed (and THROUGH THE NIGHT) since then... sure that may all change when teeth decide they want to start popping out!
I'm sure throughout my journey of motherhood there will be MANY more to add to this list! Makes me more understanding of different choices that parents make for their families and what works best for raising their children.
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