What I've Learned in the 12 Days of Officially Being a Mom

My beautiful daughter, Ella Sylvia, was born on 7 - 7 - 17 at 9:55 pm weighing 6 pounds, 15 ounces at 20 and a quarter inches long. It has been 12 days and so far I've come to learn a few things I hadn't otherwise known.

1. Mother instincts are real. It wasn't until my own baby that I actually had a "thing" for babies. Before Ella they were just these little animatronic type creatures that cried and needed diaper changes. Now that I have my own little creature, she's so much more than that. She's my life, my joy, my little bean and all in all, these first 12 days have been SO MUCH easier than I ever thought they would be.

2. Diaper changes aren't bad AT ALL! Not going to lie, it took me a good three or four days to change a diaper all by myself - my first diaper change ever, might I add. My husband was thankfully right on top of changing her whereas I was merely an observant bystander for the first few days.

3. Once the milk comes in, your boobs leak like theres no tomorrow. After giving birth my thought was, now that bit is over, what's the worst that can happen? Well, for me, the worst happened. Engorged, painful, lumpy, tight, constantly leaking breasts happen! Who knew! I think I'd rather go through labor again than deal with swampy Florida going on in my bra 24-7. Not to mention before feeding Ella or after she's done, she'll get a milk shower on her face or onesie, poor thing. Some of her stains are actually from my leaking breast milk, not from her - but shhh, lets keep everyone thinking she's a messy little baby.

4. Exclusively breastfeeding is SO EASY compared to what I had expected. Everyone talks about how difficult breast feeding is and how they had to switch to bottles, or all this talk about nipple cream... the list of misfortunes and breast feeding go on. In my 12 days of experience, it has been a breeze, thank the Lord! Feed, burp, change diaper, repeat. Ella and I make a pretty good team when it comes to feeding her. I'd also like to note that the days before my milk came in were brutal. Apparently babies can give what looks like a micro nipple hickey, not pleasant. So, if you're fresh out of Labor and Delivery, don't give up on breastfeeding! You WILL get it and it WILL be a breeze!

5. Babies make the cutest noises ever and are possibly the softest mammals on the planet. Ella is an incredibly verbal baby: squeaks, grunts, 'gaaahs', the whole baby shebang. There are moments that with her soft hair and squeaks, she could pass for a kitten. Ella was also born with a  full head of hair and little Sasquatch arms, ears and back, hence her being the softest mammal on the planet - but don't fear, these little hairs will all fall out, eventually.  

6. A SOFT PLASTIC FIBER DIAPER CHANGING PAD IS ABSOLUTELY VITAL! Seriously. When you're changing a baby diaper, they will often start peeing and pooping simultaneously (this I also learned). When you are changing a baby on a cloth or cloth covered pad, you'll most likely have to change it out at least 3 times a day and go through 5 extra loads of laundry a week. Do not fear, there is hope with the plastic fiber changing pad. A paper towel and Clorox wipe will make it good as new and there won't be a constant need to change out anything, unless it's your baby's onesie.

7. Babies go through these strange breathing episodes. Like, is she having a panic attack? That's what it seems like anyway. Swift breathing is totally normal and there's no need to freak out.

8. Muslin swaddling blankets, Muslin swaddling blankets. OH! And Muslin Swaddling blankets. These are the most useful pieces of fabric I have in my house right now. They are thin enough to use when it's warmer in the summer, great for burping, perfect for covering up the boobies for some feeding privacy (which I am in full support of but let's not get into that one), and for laying out on the carpet for your baby to enjoy being a wiggle worm.

9. Babies peel like little potatoes. This too, is totally normal.

10. There aren't very many reasons why they cry. When your baby is otherwise perfectly healthy, she will cry for 3 reasons (this is the case for Ella anyway, who doesn't cry nearly as much as I would have expected). She is hungry, her diaper needs a changing, her tummy hurts. The answers are pretty simple, feed, change, or burp. Voila!

10. Getting ready to leave the house is like preparing for a zombie apocalypse. It's no longer just you, there's a whole other check list for your little person. Is she fed? Diaper change? New Onesie for the day? She's crying now! Why?! Diaper change again? Did you even brush your teeth? Wheres the diaper bag? I still need to brush my teeth. Once you finally leave the house you just hope she doesn't start crying in her car seat. We haven't left the house too much though. Ella's first outing was the Starbucks drive through with the exception of a doctors appointment. We were also desperate for groceries and had to make a quick Target run. We kept her covered in her carrier until she started crying and made us look like total newbies. Ended up rushing to the family bathroom and breastfeeding. My recommendation, make sure you time your outings. Feedings are between 2 and 3 hours, feed, change diaper if needed and leave the house ASAP from that point.

11. As a stay at home mom, it's important to stay occupied. Once Ella is old enough to go out regularly, you best believe I'll be more of a "running to my moms store to say hi," "stopping by daddies work for a hug" "window shopping at the mall" kinda mom. I have never been a home body whatsoever so staying home for the past nearly two weeks has been difficult. I keep myself busy by making cards, dancing around the house while holding Ella and trying to keep her awake, typical house cleaning, aimless walking up and down the stairs, and now wedding planning for my sister. If you have a passion, don't let it go just because you're a mommy now, believe me, you can do both (creating and finding perfection in imperfection are my passions).

12. Being a mom is multitasking like I've never experienced but it's the greatest feeling in the world. I can hardly wait for my little girl to grow into the beautiful person I know she will be - and at the same time, I want her to stay this little forever.