Life with a Baby
I was super scared for the first year with a baby - all you hear are the nightmare stories... no sleep, no showers, constant crying. But when my friends ask me how its going, my answer is it is great! I tell them stories about how we go to brunch, afternoon tea, shopping, etc. I know that no one believes me but it is true. It is going great.
I said great not perfect. Riley is a baby. Sure he cries. He cries when he is hungry, tired, bored, mad, etc. But in general he stops crying when he gets what he wants.
There are moments when he cries at dinner in the middle of the restaurant and I have to take a walk with him. Or when we had to cut our picnic in the park short because he had a meltdown. Or the time he cried the entire hour long train trip (yes, we were those people). But he is a baby. Suck it up. I roll with it and get over it because it is not worth getting stressed about it. Its not like these moments are everyday occurrences. Its just like the rest of life. Because life isn't perfect either - Sometimes you wake up late or miss a tram. But it is great.
What he needs most is my understanding and cuddles. And that's all I worry about. I figure if the crack heads out there can manage to not kill their babies, so can I. And that's all that matters, that he is growing and thriving. I cant be one of those parents that revolve around my kid.
The one thing that has helped me is all the reading I have done leading into Riley's arrival. Its what I always do - research. Now I don't go crazy and follow all the baby advice. Its just good to understand babies and know your options on what solution you could possibly try. The best books for me were:
I said great not perfect. Riley is a baby. Sure he cries. He cries when he is hungry, tired, bored, mad, etc. But in general he stops crying when he gets what he wants.
There are moments when he cries at dinner in the middle of the restaurant and I have to take a walk with him. Or when we had to cut our picnic in the park short because he had a meltdown. Or the time he cried the entire hour long train trip (yes, we were those people). But he is a baby. Suck it up. I roll with it and get over it because it is not worth getting stressed about it. Its not like these moments are everyday occurrences. Its just like the rest of life. Because life isn't perfect either - Sometimes you wake up late or miss a tram. But it is great.
What he needs most is my understanding and cuddles. And that's all I worry about. I figure if the crack heads out there can manage to not kill their babies, so can I. And that's all that matters, that he is growing and thriving. I cant be one of those parents that revolve around my kid.
The one thing that has helped me is all the reading I have done leading into Riley's arrival. Its what I always do - research. Now I don't go crazy and follow all the baby advice. Its just good to understand babies and know your options on what solution you could possibly try. The best books for me were:
- What to Expect When You Are Expecting and What to Expect The First Year - Just to know what's normal and why
- Happiest Baby on the Block - It really works for calming baby down
- The Wonder Weeks - Helps to understand when my baby is going through a developmental stage and why they are being fussy. It may not sound that important but understanding these times is great to relieve stress and reduce worry as well as instil some empathy - which also helps his fussiness because you give him extra cuddles and mama time.
- Babywise - I hate schedules and my baby is not on a schedule but the book provides some general principles about eating and sleeping which make sense
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