Before you read this just know that I’m a new mom trying to do my best for my baby, so please no judgement here. You may and probably do, do things differently and that’s great! As I would always tell my First Graders, “Different is what makes the world go round.” These are just a few things that I didn’t know I would do once my sweet Foster was here.

(Some affiliate links included at absolutely no cost to you and because they’re products I love.) 

10 Things I Didn’t Know I’d Do With My Baby as a New Mom:

I hope you read these and are encouraged to know that you are not the only one going through a big transition as a new mom. You are a great mom and your child is blessed to have you! Okay, enough with the sappy…let’s get to the weird stuff. 🙂

1. Go to the bathroom while wearing or holding my baby.

Whether it’s because he’s napping in his carrier or just doesn’t want to be put down. You do what you gotta do…while you doo doo (see what I did there).

2. Cry when he went up a size in diapers.

This was never even on my radar of things that would happen, but it did. It actually caused a fight between my husband and I because he told me Foster should go up a size in diapers (since he was growing..logical answer). My rebuttal was no, he’ll be fine for a few more weeks (don’t mind the pee all over the place because the diapers are in reality too small).

3. Never dry my hair again…ever.

Who has time for that nonsense? For all time consuming things I now mentally weigh the pros and cons. Is it worth it to do activity x if my son will be crying the whole time? The answer for blow drying my hair is always NO. It’s just not worth it. Plus the absence of heat is good for my hair, right?!

4. Breastfeed in uncomfortable and strange places.

So far the top runners are the back seat of my very small Toyota Yaris, in the bathroom of a Discount Tire (where I proceeded to shut my hand in the door when trying to exit), and in a Publix bathroom where a woman shamed me for feeding my child in public. (I’ll write more about this later!)

5. Let him nap on me just so I can stare at him longer.

He’s just so stinking perfect. Why wouldn’t I want to stare at him while he sleeps (in a non creepy way of course). And full disclosure he won’t sleep anywhere else, so there’s that.

Related: How We Finally Got Our Baby to Sleep!

6. Worry about everything.

Having a baby will make you realize you truly have no control over anything. I find myself worrying way to often about things that I cannot control. So, naturally I turn to Google…a lot!

Here are a few examples of worries/Google searches: why he hasn’t pooped, what’s that red spot on his arm, am I reading to him enough. Ok, you get the gist. I daily have to reel it back in and remember that God has got this and I need to breath for goodness sakes.

7. The momma bear in me would come out full force.

This is something else that I didn’t anticipate before having a baby. I didn’t know that as soon as he entered this world a protective side of me that has never shown itself would instantly emerge.

It started in the hospital. When they would take him for something I would count the minutes until they brought him back.

Wondering if they had set him down somewhere by himself or if he missed me(I know it’s crazy but bare with me). Then when we brought him home came the visitors.

I have never before been a germaphobe, BUT now antibacterial anything is my best friend. My number one job is to take care of my little boy and keep him safe. So frankly I don’t really care if I am overprotective.

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8. Believe every sappy, sweet thing ever said about having kids.

They really are why we are here. It’s true! Babies encompass everything it means to be innocent, pure and love. I can just look at him and burst into tears over the absolute miracle that he is, but, full-disclosure, it doesn’t take much for me to burst into tears these days.

9. That I would sing more than I talked.

I am not gifted when it comes to the voice department. But, for some reason it soothes Foster when I sing, so I sing! I also don’t remember the words to most songs, so I make up words. My poor little guy is going to grow up hearing all sorts of different versions of children’s nursery rhymes.

10. My to-do list would willingly go out the window.

It is a part of my personality to be a to-do list person. I love how it feels to mark things off my list, but I don’t love how it feels to have my list grow and grow with nothing marked off.

Therefore, I have decided to drop the to-do list and adopt a “maybe I’ll get to it one day list.” This type of list gives me way less anxiety and Lord knows I don’t want to add to my own anxiety.

**A Few Bonus Adds (that are worth talking about)**

I didn’t know we wouldn’t know where to put him!!

When we got home from the hospital my husband and I both had things we wanted to do. Unpack, go to the bathroom, you know normal “you just got home” stuff.

But we looked at each other and had a “what do we do with this baby” moment. We didn’t know where we could set him or if he would be okay if we set him down.

Just so you know, it’s okay to set them down. A Rock N’ Play is what we used…a lot!

I didn’t know breastfeeding my son would make me cry…at first!

People told me that it was going to hurt and it would be painful for a while. But there’s nothing like postpartum hormones to make everything just a little bit more emotional.

It hurt really bad at first. My advice is to make sure you have Coconut Oil handy so you can apply it to your nipples as soon as your done breastfeeding. I liked using Coconut Oil a lot since I knew it would be safe for baby too (if he happened to consume any).

Also, when we were at the hospital I asked everyone that crossed my path to help me get my baby to latch or to help with positioning my baby. So, don’t be afraid to ask for help. You need it right now and that’s okay!

I also figured out these breastfeeding must haves that literally changed the game for me!! The first item in particular helped me feel a bit of freedom while breastfeeding.

While there are many things I’ve done or stopped doing that I didn’t know I would do. The biggest one is I didn’t know that I would love so much. Being a mom is truly the most life changing gift. I could never have fathomed it would be so amazing in every imperfect, beautiful way.

Here’s to adding new things to my list!