​5 things I wish I knew before we brought our first baby home....

Sleep is not overrated. 

I was so wired the night our first baby was born, I couldn’t sleep even though I was exhausted. How could I sleep, I was still getting over the fact that we were parents and this precious little gift is relying on us 100% for everything. So get some sleep?  Yes.

If your body hasn’t already told you to do so… TAKE NAPS! Before baby gets here and after.

​Babies Sleep Everywhere. 

My babies slept everywhere except their crib. With each baby I vowed to never buy another crib. Why bother, they preferred our bed, their bassinet or Daddy's arms.  

Ok don’t ditch the crib but decide if you need to spend so much on what baby will hardly use.

Find an affordable crib with high safety marks.

If you get a pricey crib make sure it converts into a toddler bed.

​Babies Have Gas. 

BURPS - Our first night home I was doubting my skills as a new Mom, baby was crying at the top of her lungs for the longest time. I rocked, burped, fed and changed her diapers. Finally after much tears from the both of us, she burped!  Not a little bubble burp but a big manly burp. It was so loud my husband and Mom came running upstairs because of the loud sound they heard and the baby no longer crying. 

GAS - At at our daughter’s two week checkup my husband and I were having a conversation about, I don’t know what, when BOOM! My husband looks at me in disgust thinking I just passed gas. In reality our little tiny precious bundle of joy let out an adult size wind.

Baby’s burb and pass gas with the best of them. Be persistent with your burping techniques. If you nurse, watch what you eat it really does get in your milk. If the gas persists see your pediatrician they may be lactose intolerant.

Safety Checks. 

If something is dangerous or chokeable babies will try to get it or put it in their mouths, it is just what they do. Our first baby found a lonely penny and decided to put it in her mouth and subsequently swallow it. She also tried to use the dresser drawers as stairs and climb them. Both experiences were traumatic. 

Get everything smaller than your fist off the floor and fasten everything else down.

Follow Your Instincts. 

I read so many books in preparation for the birth of our little one it made my head spin. Since the first baby and after our sixth, my gut has always been pretty accurate. When you feel something is wrong something probably is.  Make a call to your pediatrician.

You know what else I wish I knew? The amount of love a person can have in their heart for someone else, specially your own children. They are the six parts to my heart.