First, let's talk about YOU and your body after you have a baby for just a bit. No one tells you anything about what you should expect to happen to you after your cutie pie arrives (except for your doctor, after the baby is already born).
After you deliver, there's a pretty good chance that you'll have to get some stitches...on your lady parts. If you decided to get an epidural, you'll hardly notice, especially seeing as you just pushed a human being out of your body. If not, well I guess I don't know if you'll feel it because I had an epidural each time, but I'm guessing you will. Either way, you'll at least notice the slight pull of the string as they're fixing you up.
You should also know that after you deliver, going to the bathroom isn't going to be the best experience. Not just for a day, but for a week or 2 - and that's just when it comes to peeing. Forget about using toilet paper, your best friend is a water bottle until your stitches are healed. No one tells you, but there's a big chance that you can get hemorrhoids from all the pressure and stress put on your bum. Sometimes it will only last a few weeks, but in some cases it can last much longer. With Zander, it lasted for about 3-4 weeks, but with Corvin it lasted for 6 long months. Definitely not fun! I know it's unpleasant to think about but hey, now you know!
Let's move on :)
Newborns
Everyone knows that newborns are fragile and adorable. Just how fragile though? Very. The poor little things are born with a self destruct button right on the top of their precious little heads! If you don't know what I'm talking about, this is what's called a soft spot. Babies are born with their skill not being fused together. If they were, child birth would be even worse than it already is. No thank you. This doesn't just apply to newborns, it sticks around for a while! So just remember to be cautious when handling a new baby and don't bump their head...otherwise they explode! Well, not really. However it could cause some damage if you hit that spot hard enough.
Newborns poop looks like tar. Serious. It's black, thick and kind of weird to see at first. This only lasts for about a week, then it turns into looking like sesame seeds in Dijon mustard. I bet you're loving these visual images ;) Once the seedy poo goes away, you'll end up with the greenish yellow slightly sweet smelling poo. If your baby is like Corvin, expect 1 to 5 poopy diapers a day. If your baby is like Zander, expect 1 poopy diaper every week and a half. Both cases are normal!
Other than those 2 things, expect your newborn to sleep and eat a lot! Oh, and be adorable of course :)
Infants
Once your baby is more active and alert, they're no longer considered a newborn. Your infant can roll over, smile, laugh, crawl, pull themselves up to stand and even grow teeth! These all don't happen at the same time of course, and every baby will learn things in their own time. Just make sure to give them plenty of tummy time so they can practice their infant skills! The more tummy time they get will help them hold their head up, then roll over, then the army crawl begins, followed by actual crawling, then standing, walking and finally running! Some babies have all of this down by the time they're 9 months old! Most don't have everything mastered until they're 12-13 months. if they don't know all that stuff, just talk to their doctor for advice :)
Here's a helpful time frame for when to start things...
4-5 months - Try giving him/her some delicious baby mush! AKA bad tasting baby foods. This is a stepping stone to the good stuff you can give them in another couple of months.
6 months - Try to introduce the sippy into their routine, especially if they're sprouting teeth already. Bottles are bad for teeth growth, so try to get rid of it as soon as possible. Corvin was totally off the bottle by the time he was 9 months old. Best sippy to get is the Nuk brand soft stop sippy. It's a bit expensive, but it's a good transition from bottle to hard top sippy. You can find it at Wal-Mart for about $7.50.
6-7 months - Time to show your kiddo some yummy soft snacks. Gerber has lots of good starter foods, including Lil' Crunchies and Puffs. They have lots of different flavors for your baby to try so buy a few different types for your munchkin to test out :)
A.S.A.P. - Reading books to your baby is beneficial no matter what their age is. They like to hear your voice and the older they get they'll like learning new things from you. Books like Goodnight Moon and Guess How Much I Love You are great. So snuggle up with your cutie and read a book!
Another thing to keep in mind is the dreaded diaper rash. The best thing to have to fight off these bad boys is Aquaphor and Desitin. Put the Aquaphor on first and put a layer of Desitin on top of it. It'll fight off that nasty red butt and keep it from getting worse. Don't use your regular baby wipes for a day or two either, those just make it worse. Take a paper towel and get it wet with luke warm water. Ring it out a little and use that instead. It'll make you and your baby happy in the end. Dry off their butt a little before putting a diaper back on and apply some Desitin. If none of this helps (which does happen, trust me) you'll have to give them a baking soda bath. Just put some baking soda in the tub and let them sit in there for at least 10 minutes. Once done, dry them off and let them run around nakie to air out. Do this 3 times a day for 3-4 days. If it doesn't go away, it's time to see the doctor.
Toddlers
Oh toddlers....they're so adorable but my goodness can they be naughty! They're also starting to let their personalities really shine. Most of the time this is cute, but as I said earlier, there is a dark side!
The number one thing to remember with toddlers is that everything MUST go their way. Also, everything is theirs, until it's broken...then you can have it. You've heard about temper tantrums, but I must warn you these can happen any time, any where. Everyone tells you to let your kid know that's a no no, no one tells you you'll get yelled at for telling them that's a no no. No matter what, you're the bad guy. Corvin once started screaming in Wal-Mart. It was a happy scream, none-the-less it was annoying. So I grabbed his hands and said, "Corvin, that's a no no. Be a good boy, okay?" I wasn't mean about it, but I was firm so he understood I meant business. He stopped, but some lady said to herself - but loud enough for me to hear, "some parents are just horrible." Really lady? I think the other 99% of the store was happy I got him to stop. Personally, I don't care how "cute" you think your kid yelling and screaming is, I don't want to hear it for the entire hour and a half your at the grocery store. If they're uncontrollable, you have two choices. Leave the store or don't take them with you, even if that means you can't go shopping until 11pm. You'll be happier and so will everyone else there.
Toddlers will mimic your every move. If you smack the counter in frustration, expect to see them smacking a table thinking it's funny. If you're working out, they'll try to copy you. If you're dancing, they'll try dancing right with you. Very adorable, but you gotta watch what you do and say at all times!
Also remember that toddlers love to do everything they know they're not supposed to do. Not supposed to touch those DVD's? Too bad, I'm gonna do it. I'm not allowed to climb the entertainment center? Well I'm going to anyway. My advice is to buy things your kid can't climb on or buy things to bolt bookshelves and dressers to the wall. Why? They can and will fall on your baby, either severely hurting them or even killing them. No one tells you these things until it's too late, so take my advice now or pray your kid listens to you the first time you tell them not to do something.
One more piece of advice, don't buy toys and clothes brand new unless you're rich. They're not going to care at this point, so head to a rummage sale, a second hand store or even check what Craigslist and Ebay have to offer. Or ask friends with kids if they have any stuff they're looking to get rid of. Most of Corvin and Zander's toys we've gotten for free just because we asked people if they wanted to get rid of their kids old stuff. Do they care? Not one bit! So save yourself some money!
Until tomorrow!
♥ Taber
OMG Bless that dear water bottle... I literally had to squeeze it on my lady parts WHILE I peed and still felt like I was going to die. Oooh the joys of child birth and postpartum!
ReplyDelete