What I Didn’t Know About Motherhood

I like to think I knew what to expect in motherhood. There hasn’t been much that has surprised me over the last 6 months. There are, however, things that I was unprepared for in motherhood.

Pulsing Soft Spot

I wish I had known that the soft spot on top of my baby’s head could pulse with his heartbeat. It would have saved me a heart attack when I noticed it the first time. 

It is perfectly normal for the soft spot not only to pulse but to be slightly indented. Never hesitate to talk to your doctor if you are concerned.

Nursing

Everyone always talks about how terrible and painful nursing is.  That is not necessarily true. I only had problems the first night in the hospital when they made you feed him even though he was not hungry. After that, I have had no issues. I never even needed lanolin. Even with my baby’s severe tongue and lip ties.

I say all that to encourage you not to knock it till you try it. If you never try, you will never know.

Effects of Crying

I was unprepared for the physical effects my baby’s crying would have on me. When he starts screaming, I can feel my blood pressure rise. If it is an extended period of time, like a car ride, I will have a full panic attack. I didn’t know that would happen, but after talking to some friends, it seems to be a common occurrence.

Layer Clothes 

We had a hard time getting our baby to be happy, not in our arms. One day, I put him in a very fluffy bear suit to go on a walk. When we got home, he slept perfectly fine, by himself, for a couple of hours. That’s when the realization struck that he was probably cold and wanted to be held for extra warmth.

After that, we began to put a onesie under his sleeper, and he did much better on his own. Once he was bigger, he was able to regulate his body temperature well enough that this was not required. The time of year and the temperature of your house will play a factor in this.

Spit-Up

I knew babies were always spitting up. What I didn’t realize was how much would come out at once. My baby hardly spat up for the first month, then, out of nowhere, he would lose what felt to me like everything he just ate. I was alarmed.

I made some dietary changes, which have seemed to help, but he still does it on occasion. Keeping him upright for 10-20 minutes after he ate also helped to keep everything down.

In the same vein, I didn’t realize how hard it would eventually become to get him to hold still to stay upright and burp.

Scooting

What wakes my son up most at night is that he has scooted himself into the side of his crib. This was not anticipated. The very first time I lay him down for tummy time, he fell asleep, and every time I looked at him, he had scooted forward. I didn’t know they could move so soon!

To help give him more room, we upgraded from a bassinet to a crib early, and I lay him down with his feet against the bars on one end.

Melting Heart

I always thought that “melt your heart” was just a saying. I was unaware that my heart was actually capable of melting. Yet another thing I was wrong about. Looking into the face of my sweet baby actually caused my heart to melt right out of me.

I am sure I have so many more surprises ahead of me in motherhood, and I can’t wait to discover them. I hope this helps you to prepare for all the weird things your baby will do. If there was something you were unprepared for in motherhood, I would love to know in a comment. You can read more of my motherhood content here!