Tell me about your first time having a baby?

Question

I’m just curious on what some of you guys went through and the outcome...I’m having my first baby in November and I’m nervous as hell...so stories...advice...that would be great...

Answer

As a ftm the hardest thing for me was adjusting and getting over feeling like I'm messing everything up. I had a pretty normal pregnancy, I did end up having an emergency c section since my cervix wouldnt stay dilated. And all that I handled ok. 
But once my son was born it was like a complete shock. I've been around so many babies and took care of so many but it's like my mind went blank lol. 
Breastfeeding was hard because he had a tongue tie, and I complained to my nurses about how badly it hurt but they didnt do anything. It wasn't until the 3rd day when they had the pediatrician dontae check up befor going home that they noticed it. And because of it he wasn't eating well so he dropped weight. With my hormones and all these nurses and lactation consultants around me I completely lost it. I felt like I failed already as a mother. So I went to pumping instead especially since my nipples were so sore. 
When we got home that's when I went through what they call the baby blues. It wasn't anything too terrible but again it was just like a shock, and now you have this little baby that you have to take care of and just the fear itself is like woah lol. 
I really struggled in finding myself again, and connecting with my husband. It's a big change for both of you, and with all the emotions and lack of sleep, I never realized or even thought about it affecting our marriage. But it did. It wasnt bad by any means but we were both just a little short. 
So really the only advice I have is that it is hard, no one seems to talk about how it really changes you. I've learned you can't lose yourself, you cant lose sight of your partner, you're a team at the end of the day and shouldn't be against each other. So make sure to make time for yourself, and time for your relationship. 
Listen to your instincts, if you feel something is off with your baby or wrong don't be afraid to get baby checked or call the nurses line. The whole "moms know best" shines bright for me now, we really do know best. 
Enjoy the hard days/nights. It's easier said than done but those little cuddles do go fast. And you will get through whatever it may be.

Answer

I just had my baby 12 days ago and my best advice that I've gotten is...sometimes you just need a good cry yourself so cry it out, keep talking to people and keep your mind busy, dont stay up for 3 days and watch your baby sleep (you will crash and realize you need to sleep when they do), cherish the good moments and breath through the difficult ones, write all your questions down for the pediatrician (I felt great relief when the dr said we were doing good and all my worries were addressed)

Answer

Post partum depression and anxiety is REAL. I never thought I would struggle so much mentally. I felt incredibly overwhelmed for several weeks. I felt like I wasn't good enough, I didn't know who I was.
I wanted to please everyone so we had visitors CONSTANTLY and I hated it. I eventually learned to admit that I wasn't in a good state mentally and I needed space. When I started setting boundaries was when everything seems to slowly get better. Don't be afraid to speak up and put yourself first.

Answer

The birth was easy, I had a c section. My hardest thing was my son going to NICU in another state. When he came home I was still healing and it was a lot with him and the pain. Once the pain eased off the hard stuff is no sleep. I’ll get anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours of sleep a night. Day time is my favorite because he’s such a mamas boy! It comes naturally don’t worry!

Answer

For me labor and delivery, while very painful, was the easy part. The first two weeks were very tough. I had been around kids and babies my whole life and never expected to be so anxious about everything. I cried multiple times a day during that time. I was exhausted, anxious and breastfeeding was a lot harder than I thought it would be (I knew it would be hard but not this hard). My little one had started losing weight and I felt awful because I wasn't able to give her what she needed. We had to go to the doctor twice a week (for 2 weeks) for weight checks. Things got better around 15 days PP. I started to feel like myself again and had more confidence in my parenting abilities. 
The things that got me through were:
*Sleeping when baby slept (my anxiety got the best of me at times and I would make my husband stay awake with baby...bless his heart for doing that)
*Getting out of the house at least once a day or every other day (going for a walk, making a coffee run, going to the grocery store, etc)
*Taking a shower every day (helped relax me and make me feel human 😁)
*Talking to/Texting my mom, friends (helped me not feel so isolated)
*Talking to the pediatrician about my concerns/worries and hearing from her that I was not failing my child by supplementing with formula

Tell me about your first time having a baby?

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