When you find out you are pregnant, so many people are quick to tell you all the horrible things.

It often seems as if they are trying to scare you from becoming a mother, but they are most

likely just trying to share their wisdom.

However, there were many things I did not know about, that my newborn eventually did, that I had to figure out on my own.

Now all babies are not the same. There might be points in this article that you say, “oh my baby never did that”.

But the point of this article is to hopefully reach a mother that is confused about what to do next, and might be discouraged.

1. Picky Babies

When I first found out I was pregnant, I knew what kind of swaddles I wanted, what kind of bottles, and what kind of pacifiers.

I bought these items and even put them on my registry to receive.

Only to not know, for nobody told me,

that babies can be picky!

I thought I would choose the bottle I liked the best and my baby would just drink it. I mean a bottle is a bottle, right?

Sadly no, I spent a lot of time exchanging and then rebuying different items.

Which is completely okay, most new parents have to do this.

One tip to use is to buy a small quantity of 2-3 different types of items at the beginning, and don’t buy several of only one item until you know what your baby loves.

Bottles

Your babe might be picky on the types of bottles they like.

My boy hated the Tommee Tippee Bottles.

Don’t fight your baby on what they

want to like, just let them decide by

giving them more options.

The more you stress, the more your baby stresses.

The easiest bottle options to start with are:

• Tommee Tippee

• Avent

• MAM

Swaddles

“Swaddle them tight and

place them on their back”

I heard this so much and I felt very discouraged.

My boy would just cry and cry when he was swaddled, and then he would eventually squeeze his arms out.

One secret I found out is that many breastfed babies, do not like to be swaddled. And some just don’t enjoy it.

This is okay, they don’t have to be swaddled.

If you have tried everything to get them to like a swaddle, don’t stress yourself out even more.

Simply switch to Sleep Sacs.

They have to switch when they start rolling, so this just makes the process easier.

Now one sleep sac that I wish I invested in is the DreamLand Baby Sleep Sac.

This sac is gently weighted and can instantly calm your baby.

Pacifiers

Did you know that your baby might actually like pacifiers but you might just be using the wrong one?

There are so many different size nipple pacifiers to choose from in case your baby isint loving the pacifier you wanted them to.

One way to save money is:

to buy a pacifier variety pack, until you know the shape your baby loves.

MAM, Tommee Tippee, and Ryan & Rose all have great variety packs!

All babies have different shaped mouth and what feels comfortable for your best friend’s baby, might not be comfortable for your baby!

2. Gassy Babies

One thing that I thought I knew sooner was that gas in babies is normal, pain while passing gas is not normal.

If your baby is in noticeable pain while passing gas, this includes crying or whining while straining, you need to consult with your pediatrician.

If your baby is having trouble passing gas or pooping, your baby might be having trouble with their milk, and possibly and allergy.

Whether this is breast milk or formula.

If the painful gas does not go away in a few days by using gas drops and different solutions, your sweet babe might have a dairy or soy allergy. So consult with your doctor as soon as possible, to ensure your babe can feel better sooner, rather than later.

3. Feeds every 2 hours

When we we’re in the hospital, it was the most tiring experience. Not just because I went through labor.

All the nurses were all very kind and helpful, but they came in about every hour for something different which in return woke all three of us up. I remember a week after giving birth, I realized I had only had 5 hours of sleep in a 7 day time period. What a mother can do before, during, and after birth is no short of amazing.

They tell you over and over in the hospital to wake your baby every 2 hours to feed them.

It’s almost as if they have never woken a few days old newborn, it’s near impossible.

At this age they are still confused by the concept of time and they don’t yet have their natural melatonin.

As long as they are not passing the 4 hour mark of eating, they are completely fine.

They still might not be hungry at 4 hours, because they are so tired, but at least try and wake them up to feed.

They had a traumatic journey, just like you did, they will need to rest for longer the first few days.

Your baby will tell you when they are hungry,

don’t stress yourself over getting feeds in right on the dot.

If they will not wake up for you after trying, let them sleep, and let them tell you when they want their milk.

4. Hats

When you have your baby shower, you get tons of tiny hats for your newborn to wear once they are born. This was always confusing to me, especially in the summer time.

These hats keep their ears warm, which helps them regulate their body temperature, because they can’t do this too well yet.

However, they don’t necessarily need to wear them all the time.

We had tons of tiny hats that he never even got to wear and I just had to put away.

As long as your baby has socks on and is warm, not cold to the touch.

Your babe is fine without a hat, especially in the summer time.

For this can lead to a heat rash if not careful.

Let them wear them in the hospital, to make sure their temperature gets up where it needs to be, and because it’s quite cold in hospitals.

But when your family makes it home, you can monitor the temperature in your home to fit

your baby’s needs.

5. Diapers

Newborn diapers are needed if you’re babe is small enough.

But unfortunately you will probably only go through one box before you need to move on to size 1 diapers.

Don’t spend a lot of money on newborn diapers. Buy one box, and buy a small pack later if needed. This is because your babe will most likely only be in size

newborn diapers for about 2-3 weeks.

Another tip, don’t listen to the weight chart on the diaper boxes.

Let your babe tell you when they need

to go up a size.

Signs that your babe needs to go up a size?

• Leaking out of their diaper when

pooping and peeing.

• Velcro straps do not reach easily to the middle of the diaper

A diaper should keep everything contained.

Newborns are going to be confusing, especially your first one. There will be tons of tiny things you have to learn.

But never let a day go by without you loving on your newborn, no matter how tired and stressed you are.

Because all your tiny babe knows, is that you are their parent and they need you today.