Things they don't tell you about having a baby

It's official. I'm a mom. That is still the strangest thing to say. I always knew that I'd find out new stuff 

when I had my own baby and would learn on the job, but there are a few things that came as big shock to 

me and I wasn't told beforehand. Some might seem obvious but if I wasn't aware of them, you might not  

either. Whether it be about your body and mental health or your baby themselves, it's a learning curve.

This may be obvious to some or most people, but it came as a huge shock to me. You bleed after birth 

even when you have a c-section. For some reason I presumed that when you have a c-section, you don't 

bleed afterwards as it's an operation and not a vaginal birth. I thought that the doctors/nurses would 

'remove' it during the operation. This isn't the case. All of that blood has to still come out, no matter what 

kind of birth you have. The bleeding itself is like a heavy period, but something I wasn't expecting. 

All of your baby's needs, fall to you to complete. Changing their nappy, feeding and bathing them but 

also cleaning your baby's ears. I don't know why this has never been mentioned before or why I never 

thought about it before. Most baby's will dribble, spill milk and vomit, which then gets everywhere; 

including their ears. Mix this with lying down and being held, their ears get dirty, just like ours, so you 

have to clean them. I'm not saying stick a cotton bud in their ears but instead using some warm water and 

a cotton wool ball or flannel. If you have a physical need you need doing, most likely your baby will also.

I had my baby 8 weeks early, which meant that he was in the hospital for 5 weeks and I went home 

everyday without him. Other than the initial few days after birth, my emotions didn't fully hit me until 

we took him home, 5 weeks later. I was really shocked when we got home to have my emotions and 

hormones come out in full swing. I somehow thought that because it didn't happen straight away, that I'd 

'got away with it' or 'didn't notice it' because I was too focused on him. Boy, was I wrong. They hit me like 

a ton of bricks. I'd be lying if I sat here and said everything is fine now. I question myself with everything 

that I am doing and whether I can actually do this. Your emotions/hormones will shock you.

I wish I could say how I love feed time and the bond it brings but I dread feed time. Whilst pregnant 

everyone says this is the time where you get to bond and have that quality time with your baby, which is 

true but it's not always that straight forward. My baby has acid reflux, is on gaviscon and a prescribed milk 

which all comes with it's issues and I have started to dread feed time. When it's good I love it and the time 

we get together but it can be a lot more difficult than I thought. 

Dancing fruits will become your best friend. I am forever indebted to dancing fruits. Whether I need 5 

minutes to put some washing on the airer or he's screaming with all his might, these dancing fruits are a 

life saver. It was a few weeks before I put them on for him, but as soon as I did everything changed. 

Right up until I gave birth I said I wasn't going to be 'that mom' but I became 'that mom'. No matter how 

much you tell yourself you won't photograph and video everything you will. No matter how much you say 

you won't only talk about your baby, you will. No matter how much you tell yourself your Facebook feed 

won't be just your baby, it will. You will become 'that mom'.

What is something you didn't know about having a baby?

xoxo

Lea-Mai