5 Things I Wish I'd Been Told...

(1)The reason behind making sure formula is room temperature before feeding the baby: Apparently, if formula is too cold or too warm the resulting reaction from baby is to projectile vomit. This generally happens just as you're switching positions so that it cannot be caught by anything but your face, chest, and/or shirt. The amount of vomit is directly proportional to the hour of the day and your sleep levels. If it is light outside and you are feeling rested (or at least, not exhausted), then the vomit will be minimal and easy to clean. If, however; it is the middle of the night and you have just suceeded in not only getting baby back down, but rocking yourself to sleep in the process, the vomit is most likely to be a flood. This vomiting will splash across your face and down the front of your shirt. At this point, baby wakes slightly so that you must continue to rock her, all the while trying to ingnore the spit up that is dripping off your chin and running down your abdomen.


(2)When people say "Sleep While You Can," they're not just being cute: I cannot stress this enough! There is no way to predict when baby will sleep, much less when baby will completely lose her cool and SCREAM until you are willing to try anything to make her stop, including but not limited to (a) dancing, (b) singing, (c) begging, (d) crying, (e) pleading, and (f) bargaining. Again, this behavior is in direct proportion to the amount of sleep you got the night before. The less sleep had by you, the louder and longer baby is capable of crying. Additionally, be aware that baby will gladly sleep all day long, until you want to nap. As soon as your head hits the pillow, baby is up and hungry, wet, gassy, etc.



(3)Not all diapers are created equal:Unfortunately, there is no way to be sure which brand will (or won't) work for your baby...it is all trial and error. The frustrating part of this phenomenon is that not even all brands are the same. Example: We loved the Parents Choice (an off-brand made by Wal-Mart) newborn diapers in the yellow package; however, when we went to buy more we found only Parents Choice newborn diapers in the blue package...has to be the same, right? Wrong! Same brand, same size, different packaging = different results. These were scratchy, and thin and leaked, while the ones in the yellow package were softer, thicker, and held up like a champ. From what I've been told (as I have talked through this occurance with friends) not all brands work the same in all sizes either. Some brands that work well now, won't hold water (so to speak) in the next size. In other words, constant leakage will just be a part of life until the potty makes its appearance. Something to look forward to...




(4)Poop Hand is not a myth:Nor is it a rarity. Poop happens...be prepared to wear it on every appendage and to discover it after you thought it had been washed away. Poop can also appear on baby, seconds, minutes, or hours after changing. Be sure to check the soles of the feet (as they can mysteriously become poop smeared with no recollection of how or when it may have happened). [A side note for breastfeeders: When they say that breastfed babies have 'seedy' poop...they mean what they say. It looks like there are lots of little seeds in the poop...frightened her daddy a little].



(5)You will never, ever be able to articulate how much you love your new little angel:You'll try to explain it, but its just something that can't be put into words. Be prepared...life is no longer about you. You won't be allowed a full night's sleep; you have to pee during naptimes only; you'll often find yourself sleep deprived at 3 AM, covered in puke, poop, and holding a screaming baby and you won't want to change it for anything in the world.