Thursday, September 12, 2013

It's not always a Huggies commercial

There are things that people don't tell you when you're about to have a baby. Moments that make you realize those cute and precious baby commercials are lying to you.  Of course your closest friends will tell you all the gory details about childbirth, but even they might hold back on how truly hard it can be after baby.  I get why, if someone told you everything after having a baby, some people wouldn't have babies until they were 47 and having a midlife crisis.

Alright, well maybe not that late in life. But there might be a few who decide to wait a little longer to join the baby train.  And don't get me wrong - I have loved every minute since Ryder has arrived.  Granted, there are minutes I have loved a little less, but those moments pass and the great ones make up for the pull your hair out moments. 

I was thinking of the things that friends don't tell you, like crying at the drop of a hat will be a new normal.  Especially at things that involve babies, families and anything that makes you hold your babe a little tighter. They may not tell you that you will feel like the cow at Deanna Rose...that some days when you want to quit breastfeeding and you feel like you are nothing but milking cow.  But perhaps they tell you after, like when you're about to cry (okay or do cry) in public at a restaurant because your boobs look like you've just gone to visit the best plastic surgeon in LA and you don't know if your babe is truly getting enough to eat.  Luckily, they all give you the empathetic look - because they've been there too and don't mind that you cry in public.  Instead they offer you a drink, give advice on how they handled the situation and tell you it does get better.  And it does get better.

Of course it's not always your friends who don't tell you everything.  Those little diaper commercials, you know, the ones that have the cuddling and the sweet baby smiles?  Well they may show that their diapers hold up to tough leaky messes, but they don't show you the poop that also came out of those diapers or the third outfit change of the day because spit up stinks, poop gets everywhere and sometimes you will get peed on.  Somehow I have a feeling those advertising agencies leave those "precious moments" out of the proposal.

But then there are the moments that no one tells you about, the ones that you want to remember when the crying begins or when the poop starts to fly.  The moments where you are okay with waking up at 1:15 in the morning to go and feed your baby.  The moment when you are okay with feeling like a milking cow because only you can feed your baby.  Yes, you may be cursing at your husband who offers to help - in which I did reply, "what are you going to do, hold my boob?"  (sorry mom). But at least he offered. However you are okay with it being the middle of the night because those late night moments won't last forever; you won't always be able to hold him and stare at his perfect profile that can be seen from the hallway light.

Those are the moments you may feel like the diaper commercials are real.  

Then your baby stretches, farts and you realize there are real life moments funnier than the commercials and you'd rather have those. Because baby farts are funny....and one day you won't be able to laugh at his gas. At least not in front of his face.