You have a newborn baby! Now what?

Becoming a parent to a newborn baby can be overwhelming and certainly life-changing. But you can do it! And more importantly, you can be happy doing it.

First of all, my baby did not figure out nursing very quickly. By our second day at the hospital, he was turning very yellow, due to high biliruben levels (jaundice).

The pediatrician put an immense amount of pressure on me to make sure the baby nursed. The more milk he had, the better chance of washing the biliruben out of his system.

Well guess what? I was new at this breastfeeding thing too!

The pressure, stress and worry were almost too much for me. By the third day, I was feeling hopeless and in tears!

To make it short – it all worked out. I was able to supplement his feedings with formula for a little while. This helped him get the nutrition he needed while still learning to breastfeed.

The worry and anxiety I had felt were unlike anything I’d ever experienced. This new role, I felt, was not fun.

Newborn babies seem to each present their own set of challenges. I can’t even begin to name them all.

The important thing is to keep everything in perspective.

You’re life has been blessed with this beautiful newborn baby – something that not everyone gets to experience!

My baby had colic. He cried a lot and seemed to be in pain. I didn’t know what to do about it. The doctor seemed to think he was fine. It was not a happy time.

Later experience has given me the suspicion that he suffered from milk intolerance. I’m curious now, that if I had switched then to a lactose-free or soy formula, would he have felt better and cried less?

No one told me I could try something else! It was “breastfeed or die!”

Life got better. We both healed and started getting a routine down. We learned to breastfeed. To somewhat help his colic, I learned what positions were most comfortable for him.

I started to enjoy feeding him, soothing him and even being up for our “alone time” at night. My anxiety turned to peace.

It felt good knowing that he depended on me the most and I was capable of meeting his needs.

I loved to watch him trying to hold his head up and push off the floor with his toes. I couldn’t believe how strong he was.

I felt JOY the day he first smiled.

Did everything take off and turn to smooth sailing after this? No. Did I ever struggle or have emotional break-downs? Yes.

But the joy now out-weighed the struggle.

I knew that I could do it. And you can too!

If you’re trudging through hard times with your newborn and new lifestyle, don’t worry. Keep trying, be patient and you’ll make it.

Find something to enjoy and be grateful for every day.

If you’re feeling inadequate, remember that women have been having babies for thousands of years! We have been blessed, as women, with the physical and emotional ability to get the job done!

You will figure it all out. And soon it will feel like you’ve always been living this way.

Parenting a newborn baby IS challenging and VERY life-changing. It is also rewarding and can be the happiest time in your life – if you make it so. Enjoy each little moment. They pass so quickly!