In my experience, you will either have an easy newborn or a difficult newborn. I’ve had one of each. My second daughter was the perfect baby. She had a laid-back attitude, and she was a great sleeper and eater. Until she started walking at 9 months, it was a blissful time. As I said, not all of them are like that. But if you’ve been wondering, “What’s newborn baby care like?” The answer is: it won’t necessarily be negative. Here are some things I loved about her newborn stage.
1. Maternity Leave
Some jobs offer a maternity leave. If you have an easy baby, then this is a very relaxing time. For three months, I didn’t have to leave the house. I had nothing to do but sleep, play with my oldest daughter, and feed a baby. Most days I laid around in my comfy pj’s or sweatpants. (Don’t judge! I still showered faithfully!) Since I didn’t have to go to work and couldn’t carry anything heavy because of my C-section, I spent my time watching movies I hadn’t seen in ages, playing puppets with Big C, and reading books on my tablet. (I read 17 books in 3 months! It was glorious!) If your baby is a good sleeper, then you don’t have to spend your entire maternity leave sleeping. You’ll find the time truly enjoyable.
2. Newborns are so precious!
Happy newborn babies are so cute and cuddly. They have round, chubby faces and wrinkly skin. Newborn babies love being near their mommies. When you nestle them into your arms, they almost sigh in relief or giggle with happiness. (Food!) Then, before they nod off to sleep, they look into your eyes with love and adoration. You are their favorite person in the whole-wide world. It is such an amazing connection. Just talking about it makes me want to have another baby!
3. It’s the first time for everything!
You might as well keep your camera and your phone out because it is a world of firsts. Each first is so exciting and special too. Some of my favorite moments for my children were their first snow, first Halloween, first Christmas, first smile, first laugh, first word, first hug, first kiss, and first steps. (Notice that I didn’t include their first tooth. That’s because teething is terrible. Boo to teething.)
4. Baby clothes
I loved dressing my girls up in cute baby clothes when they were little. Even their pajamas were adorable.
Newborn babies can be wonderful. Baby C was perfect. She slept all night, took regular naps, and ate well. She also had a laid-back attitude. If your baby is like her, then you will totally love the newborn stage. I know I did. Newborns can be nice!
Q: What did you love about having a newborn?