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Before becoming parents, we thought newborn life would mostly be: And technically, yes. But nobody warned us about how unbelievably weird newborns actually are. Not bad weird. Just… confusing weird. Tiny-human-created-yesterday weird. Because suddenly you are responsible for a miniature person who: The first months with Mike honestly felt like trying to keep alive a…
When you become a parent, you quickly realize something terrifying: children can go from “a little sick” to “something feels very wrong” unbelievably fast. That’s exactly what happened with Mike. At first, it looked like a normal cold. A cough. A little fatigue. Nothing dramatic. We even took him to his pediatrician because the cough…
One of the first things parents hear when their child starts daycare is: “He’ll socialize eventually.” Usually followed by: “You just have to push him a little.” The problem is that not every child responds well to pressure. Some children become more open when encouraged gently. Others close themselves even more when they feel forced….
If someone had asked me during the first six months of motherhood, “How are you really doing?” I probably would have said, “We’re fine.” But what I wish I had known is this: surviving and thriving are not the same thing. And survival is enough in the beginning. 1. The First 6 Months With a…
When Mike was born, many people told me something that sounded supportive but never felt quite right: “Make sure you help as much as you can.” At first, I didn’t question it. Of course I would help. I changed diapers, fed the baby, handled baths, and took night shifts whenever possible. But after a while,…
I Googled everything. Not once.Not occasionally.Daily. Sometimes in the middle of the night, holding my phone with one hand and my baby with the other. The questions that lived in my head Some of them were practical: Others were pure panic: Every new behavior felt like a potential emergency. Newborn behavior looks scary if you’ve…
There was a moment early on when I looked at my baby and thought: “Everyone else seems to know what they’re doing. Why don’t I?” I didn’t say it out loud.But I felt it deeply. And I later learned something important: Almost every new parent feels this way. The silent belief: “I must be the…
There’s a sentence people love to say to new parents. “Don’t worry. It gets easier.” I heard it in the hospital.I heard it at home.I heard it from people who hadn’t had a newborn in 20 years. And every time I heard it, I felt a strange mix of hope… and pressure. Because weeks passed.Then…
No one really tells you how much newborn care is about logistics. Not love. Not instinct.Logistics. Who feeds the baby.Who changes the diaper at 3 a.m.Who remembers when the last feeding was.Who pumps. Who washes bottles.Who holds the baby when both of you are exhausted and crying a little inside. When Mike was born, we…
The first thing I did wasn’t breathe deeply.It wasn’t remind myself that “millions of women do this.” I panicked. Quietly. Internally. Constantly. And for a long time, I thought that panic meant I wasn’t ready to be a mother. Panic Is Often the First Honest Response We talk about maternal instinct as if it magically…