Three Things That No One Tells You---by The Workaholic Momma

Today The Workaholic Momma is gracing my blog with her presence!  She was actually my very first bloggy friend that I didn't know in real life.  I couldn't believe someone else besides my friends would actually read my blog!  After a short while of reading posts, we realized we had so much in common.  Sadly, we don't live in the same state.  But if we did, we so would be hitting up some play dates!  Today she's going to give you her top three things that no one tells you before becoming a mom.

First off, I want to thank Natalie for sharing a small piece of her amazing blog with me while she is hopefully on the beach somewhere drinking margaritas and digging her toes in the sand!!  Natalie was one of the first blog friends I made when I started blogging back in March and I am often amazed by just how much we have in common...I'm pretty sure we're really long lost twins!  I LOVE reading Natalie's blog and adore her beautiful little family...so thanks again Natalie for letting me guest post!!

Natalie was also gracious enough to give me free reign when it came to choosing a topic to blog about so I thought I'd share the three things that no one tells you...or at least no one told me before giving birth to my sweet baby girl!!  And yes...we sat through hours and hours of parenting and birthing classes but somewhere along the line either they failed to mention these things or I tuned out!

1.  There is no such thing as "routine."  I can remember during my parenting classes the instructor lecturing about establishing a routine of feeding every 2-3 hours with a diaper change and nap in between...then rinse, wash, repeat...  Sounded easy enough...it certainly meant sleep would be intermittent but consistent and as long as I was napping when the baby was I'd be fine.  Except that didn't work for us...Addie might sleep for one hour or she might sleep for five...and the amount of time it took her to nurse also varied quite a bit.  And napping during the day was an extreme challenge for me because there were dishes to be done, clothes to be washed, and bills to be paid.  So...my husband and I devised a plan once I started pumping when Addie was 3 weeks old that we would alternate nights of sleeping so that we could each count on a solid night of sleep every other night.  This certainly helped each of us to develop somewhat of a sleep routine despite Addie's lack of one.

2.  You'll need a soft place to land.  Nobody told me that sitting on solid surfaces would not be possible for the first 3 weeks after delivering.  Ouch...seriously, stock up on all of the ice packs and numbing agents they hand out while you're in the hospital...you'll need them and then some.  I'll never forget the disappointment I felt at Addie's first doctor's appointment when I realized all of the seating in the "newborn" area consisted of wooden rocking chairs with no seat pad.

3.  Momma Bear is real and you have just become her.  So, they warn you about the baby blues and the crazy hormones and the extreme emotions but I had no idea I would develop momma bear tendencies after Addie was born.  I definitely cried at the drop of a dime which is not like me...so I got the emotional part but I also had an overwhelming sense of protection over my daughter.  I didn't like strangers approaching me when we were out and about or getting too close.  A look and quick comment were ok but please don't hover...and god forbid you touch her...or follow me around the store...you might just get a reaction you didn't expect.  I'm much better these days now that my little girl is almost a toddler...and it's true what they tell you about time...it goes too fast!

These are awesome tips!  I believe before you actually have a baby you have this perfect vision of how your life is going to be.  However, that baby will rock your world once you take them home from the hospital.  No one can describe to you what life is going to be like---and in reality you just have to muddle through these experiences to figure it out. 


So go check out the rest of The Workaholic Momma's blog.  I know you will love and relate to her and her sweet baby girl!