Motherhood..in the raw

Okay, so I would be surprised if anyone even read this blog anymore. As you can imagine I have had my hands full. Precious Judah is growing so fast and is such a joy. He's on a marvelous schedule and is sleeping 8 hours at night! I am so thankful!
I figured I would take the opportunity to share what motherhood has been like these past 3 months. For those of you who will be mothers one day, hopefully this will help you out on your journey. The things I have to say may be the things that mom's don't normally tell you because they're not so glamorous...but I think you deserve to know. So here goes....

1. Inter tube tubby. It's true what they say, you're life completely changes, but what many people may not tell you is so does your body. Not ever having a weight issue in life, I thought the 35 lbs. that I gained in 9 months would just melt away after having a baby - WRONG! There's a stubborn 10 lbs. that likes to linger in the midsection of your body. Seriously, this has been so frustrating to me. Not that I'm exercising like I should, but man, when I look at pictures of myself...Yuck I don't like what i see.

2. No period. Seriously, I haven't had a period in a year. What a blessing. I thought it would come back the month after having the baby, but still no period. Sorry if this is TMI.

3. Cracked and bleeding. This describes my breasts for the first 2 months of Judah's life....I stopped breastfeeding at 6 weeks. Need I say more?

4. Racing stripe. You get this during the 2nd trimester of your pregnancy. It's that dark line that goes down your belly. Well, it's still there. Will it ever go away?

5. Boy Pee. So I learned that you have to point "it" down in the diaper or he'll pee on himself every time. This bit of information would have been helpful the first day of his life, not the 2nd month!

6. Baby Swing. Invest in one. There is nothing better than Judah's swing. He takes naps in it, plays in it and will stay occupied while I get other things done...ie: dinner, laundry, shower.

7. Bills, bills, bills. Not something I was thinking about while at home with my new bundle of joy until they started flooding in about the 6th week of his life. Not only are you paying for your delivery, and just so you know it runs about 30K to have a kid, you're paying his doctors as well. There are 2 separate hospital bills, they send them about 2 weeks apart. I think this is to let the shock and agony wear off from the first one. Sorry, I guess I just ruined it for you. Brace yourself. Personally we'll be paying for his delivery for 2 years. So when people ask when am I going to have another one. It certainly won't be until "he" is paid off.

8. Maternity Leave explained. Make sure your work gives ample explanation of your pay while on maternity leave. My work screwed up my paycheck 3 times while I was out. SO stressful.

9. You'll melt for him. Your husband that is. It's such an amazing gift to see Justin with Judah. He is a natural with him. He's so gentle with him, yet he plays with him like he's his best buddy. I know they will have an incredible bond.

10. What about me? Prepare to love your child more than you could ever imagine. Also prepare for others to feel that same way. It's Hello Judah. How's Judah? Seriously this is fine with me, it's just a drastic change from all the questions and attention you get being pregnant.

11. Pride. Even if your child looks funny to others, he or she will be the most beautiful thing to you. If I even here a negative word about my son, I'm ready to pounce on them and defend Judah with all that I am. I have never felt so strongly about anyone or anything except my faith and God.

12. Formula and Coupons. Save them! Even if you plan on breastfeeding you never know! In my case, it didn't work out. You will get tons of free formula and coupons from places tried to get you to use their product. Save them. Even if you can't use them a friend might be able to. Speaking of...does anyone have any Similac coupons they'd be willing to part with??!

13. Journal. Keep a daily journal. I have been doing this since I got home from the hospital. It has been so wonderful. I use it to keep track of my feeding schedule for Judah and then I write about our day together and the milestones he accomplishes on a daily basis. So much happens the first couple of months, you could easily loose track. Keep that journal close.

14. Mylicon. This is a gas medicine. For the baby not you. It's a life saver. Keep it with you no matter where you go.

15. Hold him/her as much as you can. I have heard so many opinions about this. Here's my point of view. Children need affection to thrive, they won't let you hold them for long, and you could cuddle them all day, so DO it! He'll let you know if he wants to be put down.

16. Talk to him. He will respond sooner than you think. You may feel silly doing this when they are so young, but it increases their IQ. Read to them...they will love it.

17. Liquids. Keep a burp clothe close. The drool starts soon.

That's all for now. I am certainly not an expert at this point, but I wanted to share my experiences thus far. I'll have more to share...so stay tuned, as they say.