Anonymous
Post 03/12/2022 08:29     Subject: I Had No Idea How Caring For A Newborn Would Be
OP I have a six week old and was also a nanny. Just wanted to say this is so tough and it sucks a lot. At least when I was a nanny I didn’t also have a husband to be angry at! The other thing that is so tough on me is not having visitors or going many places since baby hasn’t had their shots. Hang in there!
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2022 08:15     Subject: I Had No Idea How Caring For A Newborn Would Be
It gets easier after 10 weeks. I had a few weeks around weeks 6-8 that I still refer to as gitmo.

But it's such a temporary blip and now with two kids past infancy it's really fun.

Hang in there OP.
Anonymous
Post 03/11/2022 16:08     Subject: I Had No Idea How Caring For A Newborn Would Be
Anonymous wrote:I have a newborn and thought that my years of nanny experience and helping with nieces/nephews would prepare me for having a baby. I felt confident about my ability to care for my newborn. In some ways, I was right and so feel confident because I know, but there are many things I underestimated or were simply naive about. The lack of sleep, breastfeeding - learning and being shared a a human cow every two hours, and how much my newborn cried unless he is sleeping or eating. He hates being changed - diaper and clothes, he hates having to wake up to eat, he hates baths, etc. What I thought would be this super easy magically time has been far from reality. I never knew how breastfeeding would actually be - the constant feedings, teaching a small baby when you have no clue what you’re really doing, the pain. This added on top of the level of sleep deprivation that I never knew existed. I’m so in love and so happy to have this sweet little baby, but damn I did not realized just how hard, time consuming, and exhausting caring for a newborn was going to be.


Having children is just an absolutely humbling experience both in just how much harder it is and how much you love your child.
Anonymous
Post 03/11/2022 13:07     Subject: I Had No Idea How Caring For A Newborn Would Be
Make sure your nipples are dry before redressing - because having wet nipples (true for lips and hands, too) make them chapped. So dry them with a soft cloth and air dry a minute before redressing, and using APNO or something will also help, but they do need to be dry if you aren't using APNO every time.
Anonymous
Post 03/09/2022 00:38     Subject: I Had No Idea How Caring For A Newborn Would Be
Anonymous wrote:
I had my first at 25 and my second at 30 and loved the newborn and baby stage, even though one of my kids was premature and had special needs and the other refused to sleep more than 2 hours at a stretch for 2 years.

I think it's because that was my entire focus. I just abandoned all other pursuits. I was just happy to be a mother to a newborn.


OP here. I’m very happy and in love but it’s much harder than I imagined. The biggest adjustments have been the sleep deprivation and learning to breastfeed. I love being able to snuggle this sweet little babe! It’s amazing but still harder than I thought it would be.
Anonymous
Post 03/09/2022 00:33     Subject: I Had No Idea How Caring For A Newborn Would Be
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Get a script for APNO or go to Target and make your own APNO- do it now!!! Breastfeeding should never be painful or make cracks. Sure it might be a little sore at first, but as long as the cracks and bleeding don't form it won't be painful.

Be gentle to yourself OP. Not everyone likes every stage. Some of us rock the newborn stage and others of us excel at Toddlers or Teens.


OP here. I heard it’s totally normal to have pain for the first 2-4 weeks.


What kind of pain? APNO even helps with rubbing pain or swollen nips. No, it only hurt with my 1st and 2nd babies. Zero pain with my 3rd. I supplemented a tiny bit in the beginning so she wasn't just shredding my nipples (my milk comes in around day 5 which is late) and then after everything was copacetic.


OP here. It’s also much better than before. We are 1 month in so very much new to all of this. It’s only sore versus painful and sometimes it gets chapped. I’ve been using Earth Mama Angel Nipple Butter.
Anonymous
Post 03/09/2022 00:31     Subject: I Had No Idea How Caring For A Newborn Would Be
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Get a script for APNO or go to Target and make your own APNO- do it now!!! Breastfeeding should never be painful or make cracks. Sure it might be a little sore at first, but as long as the cracks and bleeding don't form it won't be painful.

Be gentle to yourself OP. Not everyone likes every stage. Some of us rock the newborn stage and others of us excel at Toddlers or Teens.


OP here. I heard it’s totally normal to have pain for the first 2-4 weeks.


What kind of pain? APNO even helps with rubbing pain or swollen nips. No, it only hurt with my 1st and 2nd babies. Zero pain with my 3rd. I supplemented a tiny bit in the beginning so she wasn't just shredding my nipples (my milk comes in around day 5 which is late) and then after everything was copacetic.


OP here. It’s sore and sometimes feels chapped. I have sensitive nipples in general and this has not been helping. I think the constant feedings and trying to get him to breastfeed has caused it.


OP here. I didn’t mean to come off as rude. I will ask my OB for it.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2022 23:27     Subject: Re:I Had No Idea How Caring For A Newborn Would Be
Mine are 2 and 5 and Before I had kids I could never understand why anyone would NOT want kids. Now that I have them, I get why lol. I’m being facetious bc I love my kids to death but being a parent is nonstop exhausting and that feeling doesn’t necessarily end after newborn phase. However, the sleep deprivation and breastfeeding, yes, I agree are unlike any other phase and extra extra exhausting. You do adjust though. With each phase you physically and mentally adjust to your new normal. You are still in shock from the sudden shift in your life but take pleasure in the simple joys and moments with your baby and know that it will get easier as your baby grows and you will sleep again!
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2022 23:06     Subject: I Had No Idea How Caring For A Newborn Would Be
Anonymous wrote:Newborns seem like so much work. Until you have a second, third, or fourth child. Then you have a newborn, plus toddler, plus kindergartener...and you will look back fondly at the days you had just a single newborn. And will wonder how in the world you managed to get absolutely nothing done with just that one baby. But you can’t. In the moment, with your first child, it is in many ways harder than when you have multiple kids. You are getting used to an entire shift in your life. It’s ok to be totally overwhelmed right now. And very normal



However many kids you have is the hardest thing you’ve ever done. In retrospect one seems easy when you have two but not when you just have one. Babies suck. Give me a toddler any day. I’d even be pregnant for 2 years if I could give birth to a one year old.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2022 23:05     Subject: I Had No Idea How Caring For A Newborn Would Be
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I also loved the newborn stage. I formula fed my babies and both slept 6+ hours at night at 3 weeks of age.


Ehh it wasn't because your baby was formula fed. True story, but my 2nd baby (a big fat boy) sttn from birth onwards. And I do mean 8+ hours (12 hours by 12 weeks). I got yelled at by the nurses, but the kid just didn't need to eat at night. Totally breastfed.


Eh, I didn’t mean because it was formula….just to provide detail.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2022 22:36     Subject: Re:I Had No Idea How Caring For A Newborn Would Be
I could not have had an easier time nursing. The baby got it right away, the milk was there promptly two days after giving birth, it never hurt, totally smooth. And the baby ate every two hours round the clock until seven months old. I was delirious and am not sure how I functioned (thanks DH!). Then at seven months it was as if her brain and body communicated very directly and she started sleeping for five glorious hours at a shot during the night. It was pure bliss!

Hang in there, OP.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2022 22:34     Subject: I Had No Idea How Caring For A Newborn Would Be
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Anyone who hasn’t had a baby literally doesn’t know what tired means


This is not correct.


I've had jobs working 90-100 hours a week where I would get about 3-5 hours a night for months on end. That was WAY more exhausting than having a newborn, and I had twins! At least with the babies I could rest during naps.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2022 22:29     Subject: I Had No Idea How Caring For A Newborn Would Be
Newborns seem like so much work. Until you have a second, third, or fourth child. Then you have a newborn, plus toddler, plus kindergartener...and you will look back fondly at the days you had just a single newborn. And will wonder how in the world you managed to get absolutely nothing done with just that one baby. But you can’t. In the moment, with your first child, it is in many ways harder than when you have multiple kids. You are getting used to an entire shift in your life. It’s ok to be totally overwhelmed right now. And very normal

Anonymous
Post 03/08/2022 22:27     Subject: I Had No Idea How Caring For A Newborn Would Be
Anonymous wrote:Anyone who hasn’t had a baby literally doesn’t know what tired means


This is not correct.
Anonymous
Post 03/08/2022 21:22     Subject: I Had No Idea How Caring For A Newborn Would Be
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Get a script for APNO or go to Target and make your own APNO- do it now!!! Breastfeeding should never be painful or make cracks. Sure it might be a little sore at first, but as long as the cracks and bleeding don't form it won't be painful.

Be gentle to yourself OP. Not everyone likes every stage. Some of us rock the newborn stage and others of us excel at Toddlers or Teens.


OP here. I heard it’s totally normal to have pain for the first 2-4 weeks.


It is totally normal to have pain the first month or so breastfeeding. Actually with my guest I had pain breastfeeding the first 3 months but in that case it was a bad latch that then caused mastitis. After I cleared the infection and we figured out the latch, it was smooth sailing and I went on to nurse for 18 months.

Very minimal pain breastfeeding w my 2nd baby.

Agree w recommendation of APNO and definitely make sure you’ve got the latch right. Always get seen right away if you develop mastitis or thrush (you’ll know if you have those as they’re incredibly painful like worst pain ever so it’ll stand out from just typical sore nipple pain) but if you’re sure the latch is good and you’re healthy and it’s still painful, just wait it out. It’ll get better w time.


*first