When my son was born, I didn’t have a clue how to take care of a newborn. The only baby I’d ever spent much time with was my cousin’s baby, and she was 6 months old when I got to meet her. So I was clueless on what the first 6 months would be like. Shoot, I didn’t even know how to pick up my baby, let alone how to care for him.

Thankfully I had a lot of help. My mom, sister and husband were all a huge help to me, and the nurses at the hospital taught me a ton before we were discharged. But no matter how prepared you are, there’s always gonna be some curve balls thrown your way.

Like baby’s first blow out. I called my mom in a panic because I didn’t even know where to start with that mess. There was orange baby poop all over the place. Baby ended up just taking a bath. That’s my advice to you. If you don’t know where to start with a big mess like that, just wipe them off a bit and then put them in a bath. Water and unscented soap work way better than wipes anyway.

Then there was the time he decided he was going to go on a hunger strike. He didn’t nurse for 10 hours, and he was still too young for solids yet. Man did that freak me out. But you know what? He was fine. That night he nursed to sleep and was a happy boy the next day.

Then I worried about his neck in the car seat. In my opinion, it was too straight up and down for him. I sat in the backseat with him for a few months until I thought he’d be okay and his neck was strong enough.

I was also worried about him getting too cold or too hot in his bassinet. Blanket or no blanket? Listen to my instincts or the doctors? He won’s stay swaddled so how do I keep him warm enough on these frosty nights? The questions and the worries were rampant.

For how small they are, they sure can make some big messes and cause a lot of stress. But they also bring a lot of joy, and laughter into our lives.

Learning how to be the mom of a baby has been one of the most rewarding and challenging things I’ve ever done. And I certainly couldn’t have done it without my husband and my mom and sister. I don’t think moms were meant to parent alone. It takes a village. If you don’t have a support system, I pray that you can find one. Taking care of a baby on your own is hard. Not impossible, as there have been many mommas doing it alone, but it’s definitely not ideal.

I want all the momma’s out there to know that you’re not alone! Someone, somewhere has dealt with the same thing you are!

What’s something you worried about, or think you will worry about? Send me a message and let’s talk about it! I’d love to hear from you.