#MomLife: 25 Things Only New Moms Can Fully Understand

Congratulations! You have made it through the morning sickness, the sleepless nights, and the million trips to the toilet! Life is going to be filled with cuddles, smelling baby hair, and caressing those tiny fingers.

Wrong!

Welcome to the new mom life. #Momlife, a wonderful realm hidden in mom life memes, mom life quotes, and late night twitter rants.

Everyone knows that becoming a mother means a total lifestyle change. However, there are some things that only new moms will understand.

Things that only new moms will understand:

1. When you were pregnant, you most likely despised making several trips to the toilet. That will soon change as you realize it is the only escape from the baby. You’ll slowly start spending more time in the bathroom than required before someone calls because the baby is crying. You may also search the internet to know if it’s safe to store snacks in the bathroom.
2. A woman’s body is always evolving. As a new mom, you are amazed at the changes your body is undergoing. The sudden leaky nipples that seem to stain shirts, Hemorrhoids (no one mentioned about) and let’s not forget about the swelling! Rest assured that they will all go back to normal. Yes, Including the breasts. Pro-tip: You can purchase some Reusable Perineal Cold Pack for relief.
3. If you are breastfeeding, then you will be in the market for some nursing bras. The ever-changing size of your breasts and the different sizing makes you feel like you need to be doing mathematical calculations to figure out the right bra. Regardless, you purchase 3 different sizes with the intention to return the ones that don’t fit. Spoiler Alert: Your kid is 3 years old and, that bra is still in your drawer!
4. Bottles are another force to be reckoned with in your new mom life. How hard can it be! You make a bottle you give it to the baby; the baby drinks the milk. If only it was that simple. You probably have tried 6 different bottle brands before your baby accepted one.
5. Every new mom knows that baby poop is not a thing to shy away from. Soon you will familiarize yourself with the different colors, textures, and smells of poop. As your child’s output is an indicator of its input. You may also find yourself discussing your child’s poop with other parents.
   

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6. It could be the sleepless nights, but you will slowly feel your sense of reasoning slip away from you. You are constantly checking to see if your baby is breathing. You are worried if they don’t sleep yet worry if they sleep too much. This truly only gets worse #momlife. Breathing monitors are a lifesaver during those first few months.
7. Then comes the unsolicited advice. You bite your tongue when it comes to discussing your baby’s routine because you know a little slip will lead to a mountain of unsolicited advice from strangers and family.
8. Once you’ve had your baby usually the hot topic is the delivery, everyone wants to know how it went. However, just like with the unsolicited advice, comes the delivery stories no one asked for!
9. If you are breastfeeding, then you will be doing significant research on latches trying to figure out if your baby has the right latch. You may also get obsessed with how much your baby is getting. This will lead you to the conclusion that it would have been so much better if breast were transparent and you could see the milk.
10. Dreading to stop taking the stool softener and hoping you could take it for one more day. Also, the sheer horror whilst you wait to use the bathroom once you stopped taking it.
11. Everyone tells you not to think about your weight and avoid weighing yourself for the first month at least. But you probably ignore that and stand on a scale only to realize you have only lost 2 pounds after you have had a 5-pound baby. How does that even work?
12. Don’t worry about your intelligence slipping away. You will learn some new terminology such as the dreaded poonami, the witching hour and reflux.
13. You come to realize that babies make a lot of little sounds. As a new mom, you can’t help but jump up and check on every peep your baby makes even though you know they’re probably all right.
    

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14. Leaving home for the first time can be daunting for a first time mother. The once huge diaper bag seems small in comparison to the things you need to take with you.
15. If your child is born in winter, then you have the dreaded fear of wondering if your baby is too hot or too cold. The ridiculous idea of using a thermometer to determine that seems like the only way to have peace of mind. To ensure your baby’s room is of the right temperature using a room thermometer.
16. You may find yourself wondering why you painstakingly wrote down every detail in your birth plan only for it to end up being nothing that you wanted. However, you’re grateful to have safely delivered the baby.
17. Once you reach home with the baby, the first thing you want to do is to put the baby in the beautiful crib you bought. Unfortunately, the baby hates it! You end up using it as a lavish storage system for laundry before you figure out what to do with it. A pack and play can also be an alternative to a traditional crib.
18. On the topic of sleep, you begin to realize the conflict between co-sleeping and managing to get some sleep.
19. Pacifiers; you either love them or hate them. Even if you can decide on a pacifier, you must pray for your baby to accept it. If they don’t, then you’ll have to go out and buy an assortment of pacifiers till you find ‘the one’!
    

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20. One of the S’s to successfully putting a baby down is swaddling. Swaddling is an art. There is the traditional swaddle, the Velcro ones, the swaddling pods and then an array of sleepsuits. Navigating the swaddling world can be overwhelming but know as long as your baby is snug as a bug you are doing it right!
21. Once you have a baby, it is bound to be the center of attraction. You may notice fewer people asking for you and more for the baby.
22. After a couple of weeks of struggling with your wardrobe, hair and general appearance you may decide to give yourself a mom makeover. This may lead to creating several pins on your Pinterest.
23. DWT, NT, WW, these are a couple of common sleep training terms. Many novice parents research sleep schedules before having their baby. Be prepared as it all goes out of the window once the baby arrives. You will soon determine who the boss of the sleep schedule is. Clue: It’s the baby!
24. Playgroups can be a fun way to have a little break while your kid plays, and you get some adult interaction. New moms can sometimes feel vulnerable, but once you break that first conversation, you can make some precious friendships.
25. This may seem like a silly one, but we have all been there. Yes, you are not alone several new moms search “how to play with a newborn”. Rest assured any interaction is good interaction!

There is a saying in motherhood “the days are longer but the years are short.”We find ourselves juggling various roles in a day, sometimes we forget that we are just human. Motherhood is a personal journey you take without directions or a set destination. Enjoy the ride!

Share with us some experiences you have had as a new mom  #Momlife in the comments below!