How Precious Sleep Is
A Newfound Talent for Speed Eating
I swear, no one eats as fast as a new mother. Or any mother. Here's a little-known secret I'm about to share with you: All babies seem to have a sixth sense for the exact second that Mom is about to put food to her mouth. And—news flash—Baby doesn't want Mama to eat, so cue the cries. As a result, moms quickly learn to shovel meals into their mouths as if they were on some twisted episode of "Survivor: Motherhood Edition." If you've never made and downed a sandwich in two minutes flat before, you will now.
The True Meaning of Clutter
If you were OCD pre-baby, prepare yourself. Once your little bundle of joy is mobile, the true definition of clutter reveals itself in Legos, stuffed animals, bibs and all sorts of other unknown pokey pieces that cause you to go "ouch" in the night. Our unsolicited advice? Just let it go.
How Hard the First Few Months Are
If you can survive the first few months of parenthood, you can survive anything. From sleepless nights to bouts of unexplained crying to never having a moment to yourself, being a mom to a newborn feels relentless. Just know it does get easier, and everything is just a phase. Everything.
Your Inner Strength
If someone would've told you that you could survive on four hours of broken-up sleep every night for months on end, you would've laughed in disbelief. But somehow, somewhere, moms have some inner superpower that propels them to push through whatever obstacle falls in their way to take care of their little ones and shower them with love. There's nothing like the love for a child to strengthen and resolve a person. A little coffee never hurt, either.
How Colorful Baby Poop Can Be
Yes. We said it: poop. What your mom friends may not have told you is that when you first bring Baby home, all awash in blissful post-birth haze, their poop will go through a rainbow spectrum of colors. So don't freak out—it's all normal.
MORE: 10 New Mom Must-Haves
How Little Stuff You Actually Need
All that baby gear, baby socks, baby everything you got from your shower? Totally unnecessary. Somewhat helpful and cute, yes, but you'll quickly find out that all you really need is a way to feed them (boobs or bottles) and a safe place to put them down. The rest is just icing on the baby cake (or clutter).
