Things you wish you had known before baby was born.

Teapot55

I’d made a lovely nappy changing area upstairs in our bathroom but hadn’t realised, having no previous experience of babies, that they poo so often (well, mine did!) and you might not want to drag your weary frame upstairs to the bathroom every time. If I’d have known before I had the baby, I’d have organised an extra little box/ bag/ drawer with all the stuff needed downstairs as well. 

Clouds88

Babies are often nocturnal, dont be surprised that the cuddly sleepy newborn you didnt want to wake during the day whilst being passed around family members as good as gold... turns into an eating, pooping, crying machine all night long. 

If you are breastfeeding, dont tell the midwife your baby cant be hungry because you fed it for an hour.... breastfed babies love to feed feed feed! Obviously try change of nappy, winding, check clothes arent wet... but if all that is ok and baby is still rooting... back on the boob! 

ZaSa1418

Clouds88 said:

Babies are often nocturnal, dont be surprised that the cuddly sleepy newborn you didnt want to wake during the day whilst being passed around family members as good as gold... turns into an eating, pooping, crying machine all night long. 

If you are breastfeeding, dont tell the midwife your baby cant be hungry because you fed it for an hour.... breastfed babies love to feed feed feed! Obviously try change of nappy, winding, check clothes arent wet... but if all that is ok and baby is still rooting... back on the boob! 

omg yes to this.
If you do breastfeed it is extremely normal for baby to want to be on the breast for long periods of time. It is their natural instinct to be on it to bring your milk in as it is a supply and demand situation. Baby will also always want to be close to mum as it is the only familiar smell they know. 

strawb_shortcake

ZaSa1418 said:

Clouds88 said:

Babies are often nocturnal, dont be surprised that the cuddly sleepy newborn you didnt want to wake during the day whilst being passed around family members as good as gold... turns into an eating, pooping, crying machine all night long. 

If you are breastfeeding, dont tell the midwife your baby cant be hungry because you fed it for an hour.... breastfed babies love to feed feed feed! Obviously try change of nappy, winding, check clothes arent wet... but if all that is ok and baby is still rooting... back on the boob! 

omg yes to this.
If you do breastfeed it is extremely normal for baby to want to be on the breast for long periods of time. It is their natural instinct to be on it to bring your milk in as it is a supply and demand situation. Baby will also always want to be close to mum as it is the only familiar smell they know. 

One thing I've never really got on feeding as I breastfed all of mine. Breastfed babies are often demand fed, you never know how much milk they've actually had, bottle fed babies as I understand have quite prescribed fluid ounces to have each feed/day - so just seems a bit uneven in the approach. I've seen my friend get upset because her baby didn't want the full bottle, but kept persisting eventually the baby projectile vomited across the living room, and even after my friend was still fretting as the baby hadn't had its quota of milk.

I don't know if there is but I'd like to think there is a bit more support for bottle feeding parents, as an outsider looking in it seems far more stressful than breastfeeding 

Clouds88

Bottle fed babies are also demand fed babies. Of course this changes if the baby is premature and needs to take their full volumes or there is a weight concern. But for the normal term bottle fed infant they just take what they want. The actual art of breastfeeding and supply issues mean on the whole, breastfeeding mums need more support and help to breastfeed (not all obviously!)
Bottle feeding for the baby is easier, it requires less effort, their sucking pattern is easier. However, doesnt mean new mums dont need support in how to hold babies, make up bottles, know when their babies are full ect but breastfeeding mums on the whole definitely need more support. 

(I have been supporting breast and bottle fed mums for 9 years ) 

Spendless

Baths don't always make babies sleepy either. For some it refreshes/livens them up. If you work out yours is one of them bath in the morning instead of night time. 

KateBob

ZaSa1418 said:

Clouds88 said:

Babies are often nocturnal, dont be surprised that the cuddly sleepy newborn you didnt want to wake during the day whilst being passed around family members as good as gold... turns into an eating, pooping, crying machine all night long. 

If you are breastfeeding, dont tell the midwife your baby cant be hungry because you fed it for an hour.... breastfed babies love to feed feed feed! Obviously try change of nappy, winding, check clothes arent wet... but if all that is ok and baby is still rooting... back on the boob! 

omg yes to this.
If you do breastfeed it is extremely normal for baby to want to be on the breast for long periods of time. It is their natural instinct to be on it to bring your milk in as it is a supply and demand situation. Baby will also always want to be close to mum as it is the only familiar smell they know. 

My kids were the exception to this rule, both were breastfed and would only feed for 15/20 mins and wouldn't usually ask again for 4 hours.

My mum used to joke that I must be producing gold top milk!

If they still do birthplans I would say don't be too attached to it, you may change your mind once in labour or events may take over.

I was induced with my first, in labour for 3 days and then had an EmCS (then things really went wrong).

Naomim

If your baby has a dummy, have a pot of them ready in the bedroom.  It will save hours of rooting around under the cot in the dark.

Spendless

KateBob said:

ZaSa1418 said:

Clouds88 said:

Babies are often nocturnal, dont be surprised that the cuddly sleepy newborn you didnt want to wake during the day whilst being passed around family members as good as gold... turns into an eating, pooping, crying machine all night long. 

If you are breastfeeding, dont tell the midwife your baby cant be hungry because you fed it for an hour.... breastfed babies love to feed feed feed! Obviously try change of nappy, winding, check clothes arent wet... but if all that is ok and baby is still rooting... back on the boob! 

omg yes to this.
If you do breastfeed it is extremely normal for baby to want to be on the breast for long periods of time. It is their natural instinct to be on it to bring your milk in as it is a supply and demand situation. Baby will also always want to be close to mum as it is the only familiar smell they know. 

If they still do birthplans I would say don't be too attached to it, you may change your mind once in labour or events may take over.

I was induced with my first, in labour for 3 days and then had an EmCS (then things really went wrong).

Haha. I had 2 things on my birthplan with eldest. I didn't get either. He was bon under an emergency C-section under GA. I refused to make one for my youngest, she also ended up being a C-Section under GA.

badmemory

The best piece of advice I ever had was from my health visitor.  She said when people give you advice & they will, just smile politely & ignore it.  Although if you are lucky you can get a giggle out of it, just don't let them see.  Yes I'm wicked, one really shouldn't laugh when your baby throws up all over someone, luckily missing the furniture.  I had 2 of them there both with 3 children each, telling me several times that I should lie him down more when bottle feeding, so eventually I said please show me.  Just proves mother does know best.

If you can come to an agreement with the parents of your child's friends that you will not buy designer clothes until they stop growing out of them every 5 minutes, that's another winner.