Things I wish I had known about the first week at home with a newborn..

by Gina
(CA, USA)

When my daughter was born last month, I was more than ready for the labor & delivery. I was even pretty prepared for breastfeeding, but there were some things for which I was totally unprepared.

One thing was that my baby did NOT like her crib. She was only happy if I was holding her. I finally figured out that it felt too big for her, so I had her sleep in her car seat for a while. (Swaddling also helped.)

The other thing that I wasn't ready for was my weepiness. I guess it was hormones, but I cried at everything! Not because I was depressed or unhappy - most of the time I didn't even know why I was crying! I cried because she was so beautiful and I cried when my husband made baby noises at her.

I even cried during the news, and it wasn't even sad! Thankfully this has tapered off now, and I'm acting more like myself.

I'm sure that I am not alone - so what were the things that you wish you had known?