It's all a learning experiece

Over the past five weeks, I have learned many things about having a newborn. Here are a few tidbits that I'd like to pass on to future mothers...

1. If you think you will have time to do anything while your on maternity leave, THINK AGAIN!
          I couldn't wait to go on leave, have a brand new baby, and be able to catch up on scrapbooking, cleaning, reading, blogging, and many other things. Well, Baby came, and all I have been able to do is take care of her. There are some brief moments where she will sleep for about 2-3 hours and I am able to do a few things that need to be done. Mind you, in those moments, you will be taking a shower, washing bottles or other dishes if you don't have a dishwasher, putting a load of laundry into the washer/dryer, and tidying up a bit just to keep up with the housework, oh and EATING. And just as you sit down to relax, the baby wakes up and needs to be either changed or fed. Now, keep in mind, the first 2-3 weeks, you won't be able to do a thing because of the feeding schedule (every 2-3 hours), and you will just be so damn tired from only getting like 3-4 hours a sleep a day. But, for those lucky few, you may have help from friends and family. I am so grateful that my mom and mother-in-law took time out of their lives and came and stayed with me for hours at a time so I could sleep and get a few things done. I don't know what I would have done without them.
     So, just keep in mind, the 6-8 weeks off from work is NOT to get stuff done. It's to bond with your baby and catch up on much needed sleep.

2. Sleepers with ZIPPERS are soooo much easier than any other outfit.
    I have a bunch of sleepers, some zip up, other have snaps. I have come to realize that when you have a crying baby that's squirming and kicking, it's way easier to have a sleeper that zips because the whole changing process is cut down by a couple of minutes, which makes a BIG different when your lil' one is whaling in your ear.  So stock up on the zippered ones, you will be glad you did.

3. Bouncing is a life saver.
     I don't know what works for anyone else, but when my lil' girl starts crying, I immediately pick her up and start bouncing on the couch (or exercise ball if you have one) and 9 times out of 10, I can get her to stop crying and usually fall asleep in my arms. Something about the motion of bouncing reminds them of being in the womb. I usually have music playing too, and her magic song that gets her to stop crying every time is "Listen to the Music" by the Doobie Brothers.  So when in doubt, bounce your heart out, and hey, you loose weight while doing it!

I know there's lots more, but at the moment, Miss Brooke has just woken up from her nap. (see, can't get much done because baby wakes up haha). So more to come later....