Things No One Tells You About the First Months of Parenthood

Don't get me wrong, being a parent is amazing...but dang, it's also REALLY FREAKIN' HARD.

I'll put it to you straight - the first three months of parenthood are ROUGH.

I don't want to sound like I'm complaining about being a Mom, because it's the greatest thing ever, but that doesn't mean it's easy by any means.

I remember bringing my baby home from the hospital. I was so scared. I didn't know what to expect and there's only one way to learn. Turns out, I had EVERY REASON to be scared and nervous.

I remember hearing "you'll be so in love", and "babies are the best", and while both of those are absolutely true, no one ever told me "you'll be pooped on by day 2." And that's just the start of my list of things people left out when they gave me parenting advice.

So, here I am to give it to you straight.

- Like I said before, being a parent is hard. The first three months are a serious struggle. Your baby is fussy and hardly sleeps during night time. There's no "figuring out what's wrong"...sometimes babies just cry I guess. You'll feed him, change his diaper, pat his back to get him to sleep...and NONE OF IT WILL WORK.

- You'll visit your doctor every other day to see if "this" or "that" is normal. Usually it is, but just make sure you have super good insurance coverage.

- You'll be pooped and peed on straight out of the gate. You might as well get used to being peed and pooped on. The sad thing is, it doesn't even bother you. You'll eventually just use a wet wipe and go back to bed.

- Babies don't do a whole lot. My baby didn't even smile at me until he was a good two months old. Really, they're either sleeping or grumpy for the first few months. I can't say it's boring, because you're certainly busy 24/7, but they don't have much of a personality just yet.

- Prepare for at least 5 loads of laundry a week...and that's just for the baby. My energy bill and water bill is through the roof. Who knew tiny baby clothes would be such a hassle? Well, they poop, pee, or puke on literally everything...so I hope you like folding tiny shirts a whole lot.

- Also, just invest in a dishwasher. If not, you'll spend 23 hours a day washing bottles. Sure, I'm being dramatic, but having a dishwasher will save you so much time. Plus, they also help sanitize the bottles.

- DO NOT bulk order anything. I don't care if it's diapers, wipes, or formula. Babies change all the time and what worked yesterday might not work today. I learned this when I spent $150 on formula and then my baby decided he didn't like that kind anymore. *sighs*

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. Being a new parent is hard. While I can sit here and try to give you all the unspoken advice, it's just something you have to figure out as you go. I can promise it gets easier.

But, what they also don't tell you is...

- The first time your baby smiles at you, nothing else matters. Never in your life has your smile been so big. It doesn't matter that they kept you up all night. When their eyes lock with yours and they grin, you will fall in love with them all over again.

- When you hear their first little giggle, you'll truly laugh for the first time. Never in your life have you laughed as genuinely as you will when you laugh with your baby.

- When they cry in pain, you'll then know what pain really feels like. Never in your life have you hurt the way you will when your baby does. Your heart will shatter into a million pieces knowing they're uncomfortable. You'll wish with all your being that you could take their pain away.

These are other things I can tell you over and over, but again, you have to experience it for yourself to truly understand that kind of love.

Regardless which list you pull from, it's absolutely worth it. Being a Mom is the best thing that ever happened to me.