by Deidra Romero posted in Parenting

I really had no idea what how hard being a first-time mom would be. I knew the lack of sleep would be hard, but I was incredibly unprepared for the severity of it. I mean, I didn't even go to a single child birthing or baby care class. I just assumed I could figure it all out on the fly.
I mean, how hard can it be" It's just a baby.
VERY hard. That's how hard it can be. So hard you want to cry and scream and tell yourself you are the worst mother in history. And here's why it's so freaking hard.
1. Childbirth recovery can be brutal. I really did little research on what this process would be like. I had no idea that for some women it's a total breeze and for others it literally takes months.
2. You don't know what you don't know. With my second baby, I knew so much more about baby care and routines and baby products. With my first I never used nursing tops. Like why" What was I thinking" I was clueless. 3. There's so much nervous energy. I felt like I constantly needed to be doing something when my son was an infant. I was too anxious to rest. I was checking him constantly and trying to stay on top of the laundry. If I could go back, I would tell myself to rest -- not just sleep -- but rest.

4. Everything is different. When I say everything is different, I mean waking up and making coffee isn't even the same anymore. I didn't anticipate how much my daily routine would change?even the smallest details.
5. Your body feels ...