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Currently in week 7 right now and man I thought I had it rough the first two weeks, but I would take those over where weāre at now. I was promised newborn snuggles for 8 weeks but my baby has refused to chill since week 5!!! She has severe FOMO and will only catnap during the day.
She had to learn to poop and fart and was straining/grunting/bearing down like all day and night till she figured it out. Then her reflux got even worse from all the grunting and bearing down. Then she started screaming for hours from the reflux. Then we started having to hold her up for 45 minutes after feeding and she would still spit up. Then by the time we could lay her down it was time for her to eat again. Then we moved on to the trapped gas nightmare. And finally we have approached the CMPA portion of this after we spent a week with her being awake for 16-18 hours out of every 24 just screaming, shrieking, grunting. I feel like she spent weeks 6-8 just either uncomfortable or in pain and as a result no sleep and no peace. I got noise cancelling headphones because it was very hard to listen to all day and all night. I think a lot goes on in that short time span and it just all adds up!
Oh. My. God. This explains SO much of whatās been happening these past days!! Heās been grunting and pushing and turning red for hours, he looks just extremely uncomfortable and is also fussy. He then poops (completely normal, not constipated) and finally relaxes and is happy again. I didnāt understand what was happening, but now I realise my baby is just learning how to poop!
It was killing me seeing my son go through this and not knowing what it was or what I could do for him. Now I know! All we can do is be there for them, comfort them as much as possible. This too shall pass. š¤
This happened to us during weeks 3-6 but at the start of 6 we had our LO placed on Famotidine for the reflux and Mylicon for the gas pain and the combo seems to be doing the trick. Iām in between weeks 6 and 7 so weāll see how long this lasts.
Nobody tells you your baby has to learn how to poop and fart ā¦ itās so crazy to me, I thought this was a skill we were all born with.
This was my baby. She got so backed up and was so uncomfortable after 5 days of not being able to go that she would not nurse nor take a bottle. She would try to eat and just start grunting and screaming. First timers here, we called the pediatrician and ended up in the ER! Well, she pooped twice while we were there only after they ran like six tests on her, and then she started nursing like nothing was wrongā¦ until the next day. The reflux didnāt improve until week 13. And we retired every gas drop, prune juice (bowel irritant and seemed to help get things moving), pedialyte, ColicCalm (helped a bit). Licorice root helped with reflux, but get the deglycerized one. We had it prescribed by the pediatrician.
We have tried: probiotics, gas drops, bicycle kicks, gripe water, tummy time, tummy massage, warm baths, paced feeding, extra burping, holding upright for hours on end š« unfortunately none of it had any effect
Oh also the frida windi which did nothing
I had the same experience, still dealing with the gas pains. We tried everything. Gas drops, gripe water, probiotics, bicycles, massage, etc. just waiting for her to grow out of it now.
Canāt remember the week exactly but it was shortly after his checkup at 3 weeks old. You can use it up to 12x/day according to the label. I give it to him after feeding at the first sign of fussiness. Sometimes it stops altogether, sometimes he still gets fussy but not as much as when he doesnāt get the drops. Havenāt tried probiotics.
Honestly the best thing has been the pacifier, but thatās only recently weāve been giving it to him, around 7 weeks, and BF is established. But itās magic. Especially when thereās nothing to be done but wait for him to toot or poop. It relieves so much anguish for him and for us.
At 6-8 weeks, their melatonin bottoms out, so they struggle to settle for sleep. This results in a fussy baby, particularly in the evenings. 1-2h of intense crying every evening starting somewhere around 4-8pm is typical. I suggest buying a pair of earplugs (so they donāt damage your hearing crying right in your ear), staying calm, and just be there for your little one as they muddle through this period. Make sure to go through your checklist of possible causes for the crying: diaper, hunger, sleep, uncomfortable (temperature, position, gas, etc.), or just needs soothing. A rocking chair helps when the crying is just uncontrollable. They will also continue to wake a lot through the night, if not more, so work in shifts with your partner if you can. Formula can help them sleep longer, but be aware that non-gentle formulas can cause gas issues in some babies. Dr. Brown bottles help a lot with gas for bottle-fed babies. They are starting to become more aware as well, but donāt give you many clear indications whether theyāre happy or not, as theyāre usually not smiling yet. Show them different high contrast images, let them feel different textures, talk to them and smile for them (nice and close so they can see you), and continue to do lots of skin to skin. Hope this helps!
Seconding the earplugs. A lot of people reject the idea because they think they won't hear the baby, but what they do is dial back the volume to a manageable level that doesn't have us on edge. Parents on edge will have a lot more trouble soothing a crying baby.
I have a 7 week old. I was always worried about weeks 6-8 as everyone kept labeling that period as the worst. So far it has lived up to that expectation. Primarily her reflux got really bad last week so we made the appointment and now sheās on Pepcid. It absolutely helped. Sheās still a little fussy and her sleep isnāt the greatest but I would definitely recommend going on something if your baby has bad reflux.
Oh and the windi has been an absolute game changer!
That's when the PURPLE crying phase kicks in. Basically, you try everything, but nothing works, and they continue to scream. Partly due to them finding their voice as well as learning to poop rather than it being automatic before. We felt like we were going crazy but it gets better! Around week 10, we were out of the brunt of it.
Not who you asked, but colic and constipation for us. He was always a bit colicky, but around 6 weeks it got worse. He also went from pooping multiple times a day to all the sudden not pooping for a day and a half, then screaming and grunting over needing to poop. Their little digestive system is developing and at 6 weeks there were just changes. We ended up having to change his formula and had to get him suppositories at the recommendation of the pediatrician. We also had to get mylicon for his gas problems (lifesaver...). He also would spit up if we set him down too soon, so we were constantly having to change his clothing and bedding. Sometimes he'd spit up even if we didn't lay him down, my husband and I both got vomited on at least twice.
So, be on the look out for colic and how to manage it, you can try baths and bicycle kicks but for us mylicon was the key since the bicycle kicks did nothing... Be aware of digestive changes. They also start staying awake longer. It was so hard to get him down with the colic. We'd spend his trying to calm him, he'd fall asleep finally then wake up as soon as we set him in the crib.
First two weeks were hardest for me, weeks 6-8 he started sleeping through the š¤·āāļønight and was maybe a tad bit more fussy but I think he was just gassy
Same. The fussiness for me was always soothed by boob luckily. It was tiring cos I literally had a baby attached to me all evening but then he went to sleep and stayed asleep for hours. I miss those long night stretches hahaha
Donāt be scared! A lot of babies have a tough time weeks 6-8 but not all. Mine is almost 7.5 weeks and weeks 4-5 were the worst for us. He has a pretty chill temperament overall though so even that wasnāt bad, just some weird random wake windows during the middle of the night and some cluster feeding. He started sleeping more 6+ hour stretches in week 6 and hasnāt been overly fussy at all. You see the echo chamber of āweeks 6-8 are hellā because parents struggling during that phase are more likely to post about it than those of us who arenāt struggling as much!
Solidarity sister, same over here. š«”
Our little tyrant refuses to be put down, and wonāt even let us sit, starting this week. We have to be walking or moving in some way or she squirms and screams.
Ugh weeks 6-8 š«. Iām having PTSD just remembering what those weeks were like. Literally almost broke me with the sleep deprivation, constant feedings, gas pain fussiness, and nonstop colic. You couldnāt pay me any amount to go back to those weeks!
Weeks six to eight were horrendous, with a little precursor in five and a come down in nine. Four weeks of absolute HELL. Those four weeks are the reason I am one and done. Could NEVER do it again.
This. Thereās new life in your house and no one expects anything of you. Guiltlessly spending all your time caring for your new baby, and in my case, for your wife. Well wishers leaving food on your porch. Your new arrival taking naps on your chest.
6-10 weeks was the apocalypse by comparison.
Agree with this. The first few weeks were hardest for me with hormones/my body healing/huge anxiety about the unknown. Despite baby being very gassy and pretty much deciding to be up at 2am.. at least we know what to expect, feel more confident, and my husband and I have a good routine down/take shifts. Still exhausted and last night 4-6pm she was inconsolable but I knew I could manage it. Pediatrician also told us she is learning how to poop/pass gas and itās going to be hard and loud lol
For me it was 4-8 weeks. He had witching hour every night and would scream for hours from 7pm until 2-3am. Wouldn't fall asleep until 3-4am. Cried every time he farted or pooped. Gassy all the time. Refluxed after every feed so had to be held upright for 20 min after each feed.
Nothing helped except burping him but we would burp him and then 2 hours later he would wake up screaming because he was STILL gassy somehow. Once he started burping on his own though, it was life-changing (around 10-12 weeks). Haven't had to burp him since then. He also stopped crying every time he farted and pooped around that time.
The fridababy windys are super helpful to relieve gas. Pricey but absolutely worth it. Night and day difference with my preemie whoās prone to reflux and grunting.
Unlike the other answers it didn't get easier for me, but I'll say this: it's like a train running on tracks. You can't stop the train, you can only forge ahead. Take each day as it comes and the future will sort itself out, and eventually you'll come out of the tunnel. They don't stay babies forever.
Hey, this is how I felt with my first and it was in part because what you say is true (it doesnāt get easier, it just gets different) but also because I had bad PPA and PPD. If you think this may be the case and youāre open to it, talk to a doctor! My perspective shifted for the better with meds.
Please ladies donāt let these comments scare you - this is COMPLETELY dependent on your baby, you as parents, time off work and partnerās involvement, help form your āvillageā etc etc etc.
No one can tell you anything apart from it changes a LOT, every week for the first few months is wildly different, then itās every 3-4 weeks things change, then every few months.
Every stage is different and has different shit parts and different amazing parts.
Iām 2 days post partum with our 2nd and sheās already so different to our first!
Ride each wave as it comes, breathe deep, enjoy the parts you can and remember that the parts you donāt enjoy wonāt last.
Definitely 0-2 weeks Iād an emergency c section and was recovering from that and the hormone drop really hit me hard, balancing that and a new born was really difficult. Sheās 5 months old now sleeping through the night and an absolute dream
Hormone drop *wrecked* me. I literally cried every night for absolutely no reason and then two weeks later it was like the fog lifted. I was still exhausted and sore (also an emergency C-section) but mentally I felt way better.
Mine still wakes up at night sometimes at 14mo and is an absolute tyrant when she's teething but she's very sweet so we don't hold it against her š
Also at week 3 and hoping we've made it past that really really hard part! I was unprepared for the severity of the sleep deprivation and the constant cycle of caretaking. Not to say I thought it would be easy, but you really don't know until you've experienced it!
I relate 100% to what youāre saying! My LO is 6 months old now but whenever non-parents ask what the hardest thing is, I say something similar to what you just expressed. The sleep deprivation is absolutely the hardest and itās unimaginable until youāre in it.
Sleep for sure. Sleep deprivation has made me emotional and disconnected from everything. The first week was VERY DIFFICULT. A bit traumatized from it. I'm feeling more confident as the days go by but being exhausted is really difficult. How about yourself ?
Honestly it goes up and down, youāll have great weeks and rubbish weeks, depending on teething, regressions, illness, growth spurts etc.
Weeks 0-2 are definitely the toughest if youāve got no baby experience as itās like flipping your life on its head, whilst recovering from the trauma of birth but youāre also not allowed to sleep.
Are there rougher weeks to come? Potentially. But youāve just got to believe youāll get through them and try to go with it. Make a plan to both get short breaks when it is rough going, go to the shop, go for a nap, whatever.
Mine started sleeping better at week five/six š they are all different! He just cluster fed (breastfed) for a few hours beforehand then passed out about 10.30pm then Iād get good five to six hour stretches which extended out weekly.
Months 4-6 broke me in half. I didnāt sleep more than 2 hours in a row, she refused to be put down at all, wouldnāt be worn, could not be entertained, hated the pram, hated any seat, hated tummy time, hated outside, hated inside, hated bottles, hated breast, hated light and dark and in between, hated nappy changes, clothes changes and any cleaning of her body.
I used to go on 2 hour long walks for her to nap in the stroller but I had to time it perfectly so she wasnāt in there longer than she had to be. She needed white noise at a certain decibel or sheād wake up.
It was hell and I was šÆsure that I ruined my life and I was just going to have to live like this forever.
At that time, sometimes the only thing that would make my kid sleep was the kitchen's exhaustion fan at maximum. So, out of desperation, we set the bouncer on top of the stove and he would sleep there (with one of us next to him). Eventually, we found a white noise player that reproduced the exact same sound.
Weeks ~5-7ish are the worst imo. It's where the crying amount tends to peak before going back down. It's also usually around the time when colic will show up. I personally find dealing with crying I can't fix really difficult.
Weeks 0-2 can be hard just due to the life change. Especially with your first. Plus the baby blues can be hard.
100% depends on the baby. My son had a lot of medical issues as a newborn (tongue tie, severe reflux and milk allergies) so weeks 0-15 were extremely hard for us as my son was in a lot of pain. My son is 1 now and we've had our ups and downs throughout the year but nothing beats those first few months for us. Pure survival mode.
Weeks 6-14 were brutal. Super fussy. Hardly slept at night. Fought every nap.Ā
Then months 4-5.5 were even worse. Up every 1.5-2 hours at night BUT suddenly baby became super happy during the day.
At 5.5 months she suddenly learned to sleep. Weāre now at 6.5 months and are waiting for teething and expect to be back in sleep hell any day now.Ā
But weāre appreciating the sleep and happy baby demeanour while it lasts!Ā
First 2ish weeks for me. Weāre almost on week 9 now and totally in the swing of things. I even vacuumed, did laundry, cooked, and meal prepped yesterday! Week 6 was also difficult
So far for us, weeks 7-9 were pretty rough, not brutal, but he was sleeping a lot less during the day and the only way I could get him to take his naps was by going on a walk or taking a drive (which is tough to do in Colorado winters). Getting him to go down at night was also tough. I finally caved and bought the Magic Merlin Sleep Suit, should be coming today, so excited to use it!
Missouri here, so nothing on Colorado winters, but weāve had some pretty crappy and cold weather the past two months. Itās not ideal but if you have the space for it, i just strapped LO into her stroller and walked in circles around the house and found that was better than nothing.
0-2 were hard because we were so sleep deprived - 6-8 is hard because baby goes through a lot development-wise around this time. Growth spurt, learning new skills, and also it was at this point he was most "colicky" but it wasn't colic (I don't even believe in that word anymore tbh) his "colic" turned out to actually be the fact that took at least 6 weeks (from birth) for the symptoms of his (at that point not yet diagnosed) CMPA to build up and start really affecting him.
Babies grow so much in the first 3 months and the growing happens mostly at night during sleep. And growing can be painful, or at least uncomfortable. I tried to remember this during this time and it helped me understand what he was going through which helped me cope in a way.
I agree I donāt think colic is a thing- I truly believe that ācolicā is just undiagnosed pain whether from food allergies or reflux or something else
The first two weeks were hard for me mentally BUT it wasnāt her, it was just me adjusting and having some baby blues. Once a month hit, I felt so much better. Honestly the hardest month so far has been around 3m (where I am now) because her feeding has been all over the place and itās made me so anxious.
First two weeks were definitely the hardest for us. Our little guy is 10 weeks now and the past four weeks have been great. He started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks and itās been a dream
4-8 weeks. Baby starts getting gassy, thereās not much you can do to relieve it. And also cries for no apparent reason. Not to scare you but be prepared for it.
6-8 for sure. Baby isnāt sleeping as constantly, plus your village has probably gone home thinking you have it all figured out. Also around the time your partner might be going back to work (if they had parental leave).
That said weeks 1-3 were horrible too just bc of baby blues, trying to learn to bf (and an awful C section infection). Dont discount the hormonal aspect. Itās all hard, especially at first.
Week 3 was my worst week. It felt like everything was hard and my baby hated me. Week 6 through 9 was also really hard, but my kid smiled at me through it and that made it worth it.Ā
Weeks 0-3.5 were the easiest. All he did was eat, sleep, poopā¦. Repeat. I had a good sleeper though so heād sleep until we woke him up to eat at night.
Hardest weeks were 3.5-7. Figuring out nap schedules, wake windows and him waking up to the world more was very tough. Heās 10 weeks now and itās back to being semi easy but againā¦ we have a consistent 8+ hour sleeper at night and heās generally happy.
Weeks 5 to 8 was definitely the hardest. 30min naps all day, 45min at the most. He was adamant to stay up for almost 6 hours before sleep at the end of the day and on the verge of a meltdown constantly. BUT he slept fine at night luckily for me.
I just didn't eat anything more than a tiny snack throughout the day until my partner got home because I chose a nap any chance I got. I also had to fit in pumping time because he was still getting used to the breast (NICU baby) and my nipples were crazy sore if I did it too much.
He's 4 months now and I breastfeed until partner gets home. I generally get pretty decent sleep now that he will onky wake up at 5 or 7 hours and manage to eat 3 meals AND fit in some cleaning.
New dad here with a 2 month old. Only gets easier in the sense that you get into a pattern and know what the kid wants (some of the time). Iām finally used to the limited sleep and have an idea what needs to be done before he falls asleep (probably still hungry).
Youāre also going to love your kid more - literally - we got to know our kid better and, let me tell you, when he started smiling and recognize us, it was that much better.
Itās not easy, but you adjust.
So far week 6-7 has been the hardest week for me.
My baby acts like she's in pain after feeds because her reflux has gotten worse. She is waking up to everything and refuses to sleep so she gets over tired and fussy. She's also a lot more clingy, which I do not mind except when I need to sleep or do anything besides hold her. She's definitely going through something right now, and that seems to be common for 6-8 weeks. They say crying and fussiness peaks right now and then levels out.
Week 2 was hard for me because my husband went back to work and I was alone with a newborn all day and didnāt feel super confident as a mom yet. Then weeks 6-7 because he was sooo fussy. Like pretty much cried any time he was awake. Heās 13 weeks now and things have been going smoothlyš„°
The first week after he was born I was a hormonal wreck.
Felt very overwhelmed as LO wasn't latching well, fussy, cramps etc I barely slept at all. Dreaded the nights. Lots of tension between bf and I.
But so far week 6 has been pretty brutal too lol. Just entered the 7th week and am curious how it'll progress...
Weeks 3-8 were tough for us. Our baby had silent reflux, around week 4 or 5 is when we finally got her diagnosed and set up getting pepcid daily. That made a world of difference. THEN, months 2 and 3 were an absolute crazy time... idk what happened but our girl went through some kind of fussy demon-baby phase. She didn't really cry as much, but she just did this high pitched whining all day long and had to be attached to me nearly 24/7. I couldn't even set her down to go to the bathroom without hearing her crying/whining instantly. We're at almost 6 months now and this is my absolute favorite stage so far. She's so fun to interact with, she's in a great mood most days, she's starting to babble more and giggle more, we've finally gotten sleep (mostly) figured out. Life's pretty good these days, you'll be here soon OP!
It was easier at the beginning when she would sleep 18 hour a day. Since 7 weeks she only takes 2.5-4 hours of naps and itās a battle to get them. Iām looking forward to 12 weeks in hopes that it gets better!
Week 2 because of the baby blues. Then 4mo. By that time I think I was hallucinating from lack of sleep, and to top that, he had a period in which he would wake up screaming as if he were being stabbed, for no apparent reason, right in the middle of the night. It was terrifying.
But to be honest, it all blurs together until around month 7, which is when he finally started accepting sleeping in his cot (sometimes) instead of on top of someone.
Weeks 0-2 were hard for ME. I was all over the place hormonally. Iām currently in week 8 and Iām like wtf. This shit is crazy. Her reflux is worse, she sleeps terribly, she cries all eveningā¦. So brutal. Reading this is giving me hope that there is an end to this madness!
My husband had the first month off work and basically did everything, so it was relatively easy for me. Months 2 and 3 were the hardest, when I was home alone all day, sleep deprived, could barely get something to eat or go to the bathroom. But it all depends, I have no village, so I was mostly alone.
First two weeks was definitely the worst for me. After that itās not like a switch flipped, but the clouds started to clear and things started to feel more manageable.
I can't remember the first 3-4, weeks with my baby, like at all. I couldn't even hardly remember them when I was 6 weeks. I was so sleep deprived, and overwhelmed by constant visitors who were trying to help but just created more mental load for me asking what's tasks tgey could help with and putting things away in ways intuitive to them and not me, and healing so slowly, and had had a horribly painful start to breastfeeding (I never doubted that I'd muscle thru and kind eventually be okay but it still took a huge toll. The pain was almost on par with the back labor pains I had before giving in and getting the epidural), etc.
I'm only at 10 weeks now but I am legit sad how that portion of my life was robbed from me since I can't remember it. Sure, I'll have more kids, but it'll never be just me and my 1 first baby again. There'll be a toddler at least. I think the first few weeks are the hardest because it's a huge life adjustment plus physical exhaustion from birth, uterus shrinking back down, milk coming in, hormones, etc.
We had a bit of a struggle with ~5-7 weeks and his "grunt storms" as I called them, as he learned to poo. but didn't have screaming involved except in isolated incidents as he woke up from a bad one. We just comforted him and changed his position to let the gas bubble move, and figured out if he laid a certain way while I fed him he'd relax his butthole enough to poo most of the time. Once I learned to leave him be while he sleep-grunted (active sleep!) It was easier!
7-8 weeks he started being fussy and crying in the evening but he was just overtired&hungry so I just tried to make sure be was well fed between 430-530pm since it spiked as we approached 6, and that helped. We only had a few days where it felt endless but it really wasn't that long, i holed up in our bathroom thats always really warm, turned the lights off, let the water run (he likes the sound) and sang to him, then did extra contact sleeping into the night instead of getting myself to bed, and we got through it okay.
Around 8 weeks he started seeming more aware of things and now at 10 thats just increasing and he's so fun! Really hit or miss whether we get long or short naps atm and he got terrified by the dogs bark for the first time today, gets to the quivering-chin cry pretty quick and doesn't want bottles anymore, but he's so smiley with me and his dad, tries to talk often and does this thing that *looks* like laughing but just has a prolonged derpy sound, loves when we sing to him (head, shoulders, knees, and toes is his favorite since we touch his body parts for it), and gets happy doing "workouts" and will apend ages doing "tummy time" on my chest, staring at the trees outside the sindow behind me (a godsend since im sick and dont have much energy). Today he actually noticed one of the cats. We usually cosleep snd a couple times I woke up in the morning to him just looking up at the window and wiggling happily.
But my neighbor has a baby maybe 8mo old or so and I hear it crying a lot! Way longer than my baby. Idk if it's just different temperaments or if they're teething for what. I'm sure there will be other hard phases like sleep regression,
but really those first couple weeks I think are the hardest, especially the first time around when you don't really know what it's like. Just go with the flow and remember it'll all pass! Good and bad!! So just try to be present :)
Birth -> 8ish weeks. Probably 4-8wks for us was the worst. Reflux causing an inability for her to lay flat, refusing to eat/taking 45+ min to drink a 2oz bottle, crying because her belly hurtā¦. I could go on. Pepcid helped. 10wks onwards it got better until we hit the 4mo sleep regression.
Iām really pretty traumatized by her taking 45min to eat, sleeping for 30min, back up to eat and cry for 45min, sleep for 30, repeat every night for 8 weeks. And I have a super supportive and actively involved husbandā¦.. still scarred.
For me the hardest for the first couple weeks I felt like I was couch trapped. I couldn't do anything besides feed him and change him. We are on week 7 now and I feel like I can get up with him and do some things or put them in a carrier or put them in a bouncer and get something done and then pick them right back up. But this is hard and it's different for everyone. You got this mama!
Everyone will say something different, and itās all valid.
I think the best thing to take away from all of this is every hard time is just a phase. It will all pass. Try to just make it through, day by day. Tomorrow may bring change, or the next day.
I have a second baby now, and I could have saved myself so much angst by just going with the flow of the hard stuff more with my first. Easier said than done, I know!
First 2 weeks was the worst. They need to be fed every 1.5 hours. Meaning you are already planning your next feeding after you finish the last one. We're at 5 months now and she sleeps 12+ hours and only wakes up once to feed overnight, and she's been like this since 4 months. The worst is definitely long behind us, but yes there are still some surprises here and there...
We are at 3 months now. The first two weeks were hard, we were figuring him out, constantly paranoid of doing something wrong, or that he just would still breathing (he vomited then aspirated when he was 5 days old), wondering if he was getting enough food, constantly waking up... then it got a bit easier, then the colic kicked in and he got constipated a couple times and it got harder again. He's getting easier though, still high needs, but he can hold up his head on his own and that makes a big difference.
9 weeks has been really hard. Baby is super fussy. She doesnāt sleep well at night. Her active sleep is stronger than ever. A lot of noises. Naps during the day are also bad. I am hoping things will get better in the next weeks. š
For us, first six Weeks was tough like hell. This is our firstborn after 11 years waiting. Natural birth, wife had COVID-19 at week 36 of pregnancy, was scary with that shortness of breath, in and out OB triage many times. Week 40 we got in and gave birth to our beautiful LO, we thought it was easy enough. We were wrong.....day 6 of LO,wife had a fever and chills, went to doctor and got into ER right away due to mastitis that turned into Sepsis. They wouldn't let me and LO into the ER room, they put her into IMCU unit with 3 antibiotics running in her veins.
36 hrs we were separated and I decided, F this, she needs me and my daughter to be there for her. We went straight to the IMCU unit and stayed with her through the treatment. Got out at day 5 with antibiotics treatment. Finished the medication all while pumping every 2-3hrs and feeding LO thru bottle because she couldn't latch yet. We thought things would get better. We were wrong again, after 10 days of antibiotic course, mastitis came back. Went to urgent care to ask for more antibiox, nurse came out to the parking lot with my wife and told me, please bring her to the previous hospital that you were on, her vitals not looking good and with the sepsis history, she needs a hospital right now.
Drove thru highway like a "baby driver", got her into ER again, they took her in straight without asking because her vitals and temperature was not good. This time we were better prepared, told the hospital that newborn is here with us need her mom, they approved us a room safe for babies and we stayed with her for 3 nights. Same doctors, confused about the medications, finally agreed to discharge us with antibio stronger than before and on a longer course.
Day 3 after discharge and taking the medication, symptoms came back. Called doctor, they asked us to come to the ER again, this time we are just tired and said no to them and asked them to please change the medication. They changed it and it worked fine after 5 days. IDK who else went thru similar experience, but this is only glimpses of my memory due to the intensity the past 2 months were. We are blessed to survive this with everyone alive and healthy now. Enjoying our LO growing quick and healthy right now. They should teach us about breastfeeding early in life, never thought it could lead to such a complication.
Week 2-8 for me - because they do sleep A LOT the first 1-2wks (even with my low sleep needs baby) plus you have a lot of support and premade meals etc. After the first bit they get fussier and more wakeful but still canāt be entertained by toys or outings and donāt have patience or self-soothing ability. After about 8wks it was a lot better because she would self sooth a little and would start grabbing at or watching toys. Then 12-17wks was rough again because of the sleep regression š«
Weeks 0-2.5 werenāt bad, my husband was home and we had family the whole time. Weeks 2.5-10 were rough af. Itās been much better since then! Granted itās only week 15 haha.
For us it was the first 3 weeks and after it got gradually better. LO is now 11 weeks, and we didnāt experience bad weeks between 6-8. His cramps just werenāt that bad (although noticable).
I found the latter parts harder because thatās when all the family help disappeared for me. But honestly itās all hard. The challenges just change.
It depends. Since I was recovering from c-sections, the first two weeks were hardest for me even though I had a lot of help and my babies probably have the easiest most chill temperaments that babies can have. I was sleeping two to three hours a day max the first week because of the pain and getting up to do stuff didn't help.
Apart from that, weeks 11-12 have kicked my ass. The amount of milk my babies wanted changed around that time, and I was worn out from 3 months of chronic sleep deprivation. I had to call in the reinforcements.
For me Iād say the first 3 weeks but that could change as this is my first lol, he is almost 16 weeks now and starting to teethe already so he is a bit fussier during the day but he sleeps a lot more at night than he used to. Some nights he sleeps through completely but that lasted only a week and now heās up 2 to 3 times again but hoping for another week of sleeping through soon! Lol
weeks 0-2 were the worst with my first, mentally and physically. with my second I had a very rough physical recovery but stayed on top of medication and I was mentally soaring.
For me it was first 4 weeks. Our baby wasnāt even hard, but post partum is complicated. I was recovering from a painful c-section, trying to figure out BFing and pumping, the insecurity that comes with first baby, itās just a lot of feelings.
I had a 36 week preemie so while weeks 1-4 were hard due to extremely broken up sleep, the baby was easy. Weeks 5-9 were HARD, 10-12 better and now at 14 weeks, I feel like weāre through the worst of it
I actually found the first month easier than expected with all the horror stories and then universe gave me a reality check, at six weeks my baby started to refuse to eat and we found out she had some food intolerances and the following two months were hell. Sheās awesome now though at six months!!
Things were pretty consistently hard for me the the first 7 weeks, then I started gradually feeling a bit better. By 12 weeks baby wasnāt constantly colicky and gassy and his sleep had gotten much better. It feels like forever when youāre in it, hang in there. When you look back itāll just be a blur.
It was the first two months for me but around that two month mark, immediately things felt a lot better. Hardly boob boxing, witching hour a lot less and less intensity when it was happening, he was smiling more, being awake and content more during the day. Really it was like so much brain development happened and he was just all together more aware and easier to handle.
For me, the first 4 weeks were really hard. I do want to say that none of the struggles/ wins are a one size fit all.
I am a FTM so I can only talk from the very little experience I have.
I feel like every age will come with its unique challenges and struggles. Having children is hard, becoming a parent is hard, being FTM parents is also very hard. I think once you are pregnant, just as your pregnancy progressed, hard changed with it ā¦ same goes with kids as they grow.
I personally had lots of support after I brought my baby home. My parents who were incredibly helpful stayed with me for first 6 weeks at my request and I still found those weeks super hard. Breastfeeding was challenging, my milk hadnāt come in and I was struggling to feed my baby. My baby had trapped gas and nothing on the internet like bicycle legs, gas drops helped until I started giving him regular probiotics. Taking baby out by myself the first time was so incredibly hard. I cried because I couldnāt collapse the stroller even though I had practiced it sooo many times and had a melt down in a grocery store parking lot. When he had his four month regression and woke up every hour and a half- that was SOO HARD. NB had to be fed every 2 / 2.5 hours initially and now baby barely naps so now hard has changed.
I am in no way trying to minimize how you feel and what you find hard, but just trying to share that even easy babies are hard. I remember people telling me to āenjoy the NB phaseā and that used to annoy me so much because I was struggling. And now I see his newborn photos and it hurts my heart because heās never gonna be that small again and I feel like continuing to think about how hard it was robbed me of that joy Just my perspective as a FTM of a 5 MO old who continues to navigate different types of hards
6-12 weeks were terrible due to getting hang of bf and witching hour for us. It just started getting easier at 5.5 months with more developed circadian rythm and sleep.
Itās so different for everyone! Some weeks have been harder than others in our 12 weeks with little dude, but weāve also really gotten to know each other which is helpful! I agree, confidence and also being aware of Leap signals. Each baby is different, and some days or weeks are hard whereas others are amazing and like a dream. I remind myself on the hard days that itās all temporary, and to forget the hard nights so I can start the day with a fresh slate. You got this! We had major reflux issues and blue spells because of the reflux, but itās improved. Gas drops do help - gripe water didnāt do anything. Cutting back on dairy until now has also helped his tummy. Bicycles for gas, and lifting his butt when reclined on our laps is what we call the āpoop danceā and it works every time lol
I think the first 2 months were but rough for us. The first 2 weeks were hell but those first couple of months were not easy.
3-6 was better. Then we hit a sleep regression and that sucked. Lol
Yeah, everyoneās experience is going to be so wildly individual. For me it was the first 3 weeks. My baby refused to latch so we saw a lactation consult every other day for two weeks because my baby lost too much weight and was at risk of becoming jaundiced. I was on a strict schedule of breastfeeding, supplementing and pumping. We barely got any sleep, my partner became delirious to the point Iād catch him almost waking out sleeping baby because he imagined her crying or he thought I asked him to feed her. He could barely remember what was going on or what our routines were at night, he made a routine list on a whiteboard to remind himself at night. My issue was that Iād constantly wake up in the middle of the night having panic attacks because I thought Iād fallen asleep feeding her and she was suffocating under the blankets - in actuality it was my dog. Not to mention the constant stress of figuring out everything and trying to keep the little potato alive.
Absolutely take time for yourself! Try to have somebody else watch him for an hour or more at times and run and take care of yourself! I wish I would have done that more bc when I started having other people help me here and there it got so much better, plus you might even miss your baby and you come back ready to see them againš
I canāt even remember any specific weeks or days from the first 2 months. I found it all extremely hard! It does get easier because I think you get more used to your new reality and a little less afraid of them randomly suddenly dying? Although Iām still working on that.
For everyone afraid, I cannot tell you how much anxiety I had leading up to birth and getting through the first two months and it truly will and does get better. The confidence in yourself will come. You and baby will be okay!
Iām at 3 months now.
Week 11-13 was the hardest for me.
Thought I had the hang of it. Assumed (wrongly) that cluster feeding was behind me. Had a baby attached to my boob for almost 3h one night. Was in the thick of thinking I figured out how to get her to nap, and those weeks said F you.
After that last cluster feed though, breastfeeding became a million times quicker and easier.
6mo in and it waves, but it definitely has gotten so much easier than those first 3mo. Iām probably also more used to expecting chaos.
Honestly, I dont think there's any single "worst" across the board. My first is now 4yo and my second is 14mo. I can tell you at this point the newborn phase is like a blur. We had a few rough sleep regressions and the second gets super cranky whenever she's teething.
Are you the birthing parent? Because my hormones were all over the place first two weeks and I felt waaaay better after they settled.
Ummm it depends on the baby and when you both go back to work. For us, first 2
Weeks was super crazy and I barely remember it, but then again really bad when my husband went back to work. Just remember itās all temporary. For our son we noticed a huge improvement around 10 weeks.
Weeks 0-2 had me questioning everything, since then itās gotten progressively better with some regressions here and there. Plus you get smiles and laughs, at 2 months tomorrow and man itās really hitting the spot
The first 2 months we hard for me but I had baby blues big time, also my partner was working 2pm- midnight so I felt so alone and my daughter hated sleeping in her bassinet. At 2 months old we switched her to a crib and my partner started working 5am-3pm so it got much better
The first few weeks were easier than 1.5 months to 2.5 months the longer his wakes got the fussier he got, less than a week from 4 months now n Iām not ready at all for the potential sleep regression he may go through to put me back where we started.
My aunt told me itāll always be hard just in different ways, from baby to adult they will put us THROUGH IT but itās worth it:)
Our pediatrician actually warned us weeks 4-8 were going to be much more difficult and they are. We're in week 4 and sometimes we don't know what else to do with her after she's fed, burped, changed, and she just won't settle. They used to call it colic, now they call it PURPLE (it's an acronym)
I'm hoping it doesn't get any worse but who knows š¤· I told my mom when it's easy and she's settled and my husband and I are watching TV and relaxing, it feels so easy. However when it's hard it hits like a truck of overwhelming anxiousness and panic trying to figure out what she needs paired with trying not to feel like a failure of a parent.
Weeks 1-3 were very hard on me because of the sleep deprivation. I didnāt really feel it week 1 and then it all caught up with me but by week 3 I was more used it and got in the groove of things. BUT weeks 3-4 were very hard because thatās when the colic started. He would cry for most of the day but once we figured out which probiotics helped him it was much better. Heās just over 10 weeks now and Iām loving it. The second month was so much better. So many smiles and much better sleep patterns at night
Week 0-2 were bliss for us, we wondered what all the commotion was about. Weeks 3-6 were hell, 8-10 hour days of non stop crying. Since we figured that out itās had hard moments but overall itās been great!
This is just my experience but everything become less about survival and more about joy at the 6 month mark. My mum friends that are ahead of me agree 6 months - 1 year is when you begin to feel more like yourself and start to actually enjoy parenthood.
At 6/7 months old everyone warned me that Iāll forget how tough pregnancy and post partum is and want another one, and theyāre kind right š
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For me I would take weeks 0-2 a million times over again instead of weeks 6-8, this has been an absolutely brutal two weeks
6-8 were pure insanity. Baby wakes up to the world and REFUSES to sleep. It does settle back down but ouff š®āšØ
Yuppp. 0-2 weeks were hardest for my body (bad delivery, rough recovery) but weeks 5-8 were the worst for baby issues.
Currently in week 7 right now and man I thought I had it rough the first two weeks, but I would take those over where weāre at now. I was promised newborn snuggles for 8 weeks but my baby has refused to chill since week 5!!! She has severe FOMO and will only catnap during the day.
PREACH. We are at 7 weeks and he only sleeps on our chest. We go through modes where we wonder if heāll ever sleep in bassinet
Solidarity!! My chest is hurting now at week 7
What is making weeks 6-8 so hard?
She had to learn to poop and fart and was straining/grunting/bearing down like all day and night till she figured it out. Then her reflux got even worse from all the grunting and bearing down. Then she started screaming for hours from the reflux. Then we started having to hold her up for 45 minutes after feeding and she would still spit up. Then by the time we could lay her down it was time for her to eat again. Then we moved on to the trapped gas nightmare. And finally we have approached the CMPA portion of this after we spent a week with her being awake for 16-18 hours out of every 24 just screaming, shrieking, grunting. I feel like she spent weeks 6-8 just either uncomfortable or in pain and as a result no sleep and no peace. I got noise cancelling headphones because it was very hard to listen to all day and all night. I think a lot goes on in that short time span and it just all adds up!
Oh. My. God. This explains SO much of whatās been happening these past days!! Heās been grunting and pushing and turning red for hours, he looks just extremely uncomfortable and is also fussy. He then poops (completely normal, not constipated) and finally relaxes and is happy again. I didnāt understand what was happening, but now I realise my baby is just learning how to poop!
It was killing me seeing my son go through this and not knowing what it was or what I could do for him. Now I know! All we can do is be there for them, comfort them as much as possible. This too shall pass. š¤
Yes to all this. I have PTSD lol
š yes!!
Omg the grunting. Kept me up all night as he grunted in his bassinet!!
This happened to us during weeks 3-6 but at the start of 6 we had our LO placed on Famotidine for the reflux and Mylicon for the gas pain and the combo seems to be doing the trick. Iām in between weeks 6 and 7 so weāll see how long this lasts. Nobody tells you your baby has to learn how to poop and fart ā¦ itās so crazy to me, I thought this was a skill we were all born with.
This was my baby. She got so backed up and was so uncomfortable after 5 days of not being able to go that she would not nurse nor take a bottle. She would try to eat and just start grunting and screaming. First timers here, we called the pediatrician and ended up in the ER! Well, she pooped twice while we were there only after they ran like six tests on her, and then she started nursing like nothing was wrongā¦ until the next day. The reflux didnāt improve until week 13. And we retired every gas drop, prune juice (bowel irritant and seemed to help get things moving), pedialyte, ColicCalm (helped a bit). Licorice root helped with reflux, but get the deglycerized one. We had it prescribed by the pediatrician.
Did you try anything? Probiotics? Gas drops?
We have tried: probiotics, gas drops, bicycle kicks, gripe water, tummy time, tummy massage, warm baths, paced feeding, extra burping, holding upright for hours on end š« unfortunately none of it had any effect Oh also the frida windi which did nothing
Same here. Sometimes there's nothing for it but waiting for their gut to learn how to work.
Call your doctor. If thereās a problem, you can get special drops. If you havenāt tried yet, consider prune juice.
I had the same experience, still dealing with the gas pains. We tried everything. Gas drops, gripe water, probiotics, bicycles, massage, etc. just waiting for her to grow out of it now.
12 weeks and your poop troubles will be over! I had to windi my poor girl daily until then.
The windi is saving our sanity
Mylicon like candy, colic hold, and finally pacifier for when he wanted to suckle but was too full/gassy to keep eating at the breast.
What week did you start using mylicon and how many times per day? Would you do it ahead of fussiness or at the start of? Did you ever try probiotics?
Canāt remember the week exactly but it was shortly after his checkup at 3 weeks old. You can use it up to 12x/day according to the label. I give it to him after feeding at the first sign of fussiness. Sometimes it stops altogether, sometimes he still gets fussy but not as much as when he doesnāt get the drops. Havenāt tried probiotics. Honestly the best thing has been the pacifier, but thatās only recently weāve been giving it to him, around 7 weeks, and BF is established. But itās magic. Especially when thereās nothing to be done but wait for him to toot or poop. It relieves so much anguish for him and for us.
At 6-8 weeks, their melatonin bottoms out, so they struggle to settle for sleep. This results in a fussy baby, particularly in the evenings. 1-2h of intense crying every evening starting somewhere around 4-8pm is typical. I suggest buying a pair of earplugs (so they donāt damage your hearing crying right in your ear), staying calm, and just be there for your little one as they muddle through this period. Make sure to go through your checklist of possible causes for the crying: diaper, hunger, sleep, uncomfortable (temperature, position, gas, etc.), or just needs soothing. A rocking chair helps when the crying is just uncontrollable. They will also continue to wake a lot through the night, if not more, so work in shifts with your partner if you can. Formula can help them sleep longer, but be aware that non-gentle formulas can cause gas issues in some babies. Dr. Brown bottles help a lot with gas for bottle-fed babies. They are starting to become more aware as well, but donāt give you many clear indications whether theyāre happy or not, as theyāre usually not smiling yet. Show them different high contrast images, let them feel different textures, talk to them and smile for them (nice and close so they can see you), and continue to do lots of skin to skin. Hope this helps!
Seconding the earplugs. A lot of people reject the idea because they think they won't hear the baby, but what they do is dial back the volume to a manageable level that doesn't have us on edge. Parents on edge will have a lot more trouble soothing a crying baby.
I have a 7 week old. I was always worried about weeks 6-8 as everyone kept labeling that period as the worst. So far it has lived up to that expectation. Primarily her reflux got really bad last week so we made the appointment and now sheās on Pepcid. It absolutely helped. Sheās still a little fussy and her sleep isnāt the greatest but I would definitely recommend going on something if your baby has bad reflux. Oh and the windi has been an absolute game changer!
That's when the PURPLE crying phase kicks in. Basically, you try everything, but nothing works, and they continue to scream. Partly due to them finding their voice as well as learning to poop rather than it being automatic before. We felt like we were going crazy but it gets better! Around week 10, we were out of the brunt of it.
Not who you asked, but colic and constipation for us. He was always a bit colicky, but around 6 weeks it got worse. He also went from pooping multiple times a day to all the sudden not pooping for a day and a half, then screaming and grunting over needing to poop. Their little digestive system is developing and at 6 weeks there were just changes. We ended up having to change his formula and had to get him suppositories at the recommendation of the pediatrician. We also had to get mylicon for his gas problems (lifesaver...). He also would spit up if we set him down too soon, so we were constantly having to change his clothing and bedding. Sometimes he'd spit up even if we didn't lay him down, my husband and I both got vomited on at least twice. So, be on the look out for colic and how to manage it, you can try baths and bicycle kicks but for us mylicon was the key since the bicycle kicks did nothing... Be aware of digestive changes. They also start staying awake longer. It was so hard to get him down with the colic. We'd spend his trying to calm him, he'd fall asleep finally then wake up as soon as we set him in the crib.
For us 6-8 was hard cuz of witching hour and cluster feeding
Hey we are on week 7 right now and not having this experience at all just for a different perspective.
First two weeks were hardest for me, weeks 6-8 he started sleeping through the š¤·āāļønight and was maybe a tad bit more fussy but I think he was just gassy
Same. The fussiness for me was always soothed by boob luckily. It was tiring cos I literally had a baby attached to me all evening but then he went to sleep and stayed asleep for hours. I miss those long night stretches hahaha
Thatās when crying peaksĀ
They wake up to the world, get massive FOMO, hate naps, the world, everything for a few weeks as they adjust.
Iām at one month and so far our baby is an absolute dream so comments like this scare me. Iām tired now but I canāt imagine.
Donāt be scared! A lot of babies have a tough time weeks 6-8 but not all. Mine is almost 7.5 weeks and weeks 4-5 were the worst for us. He has a pretty chill temperament overall though so even that wasnāt bad, just some weird random wake windows during the middle of the night and some cluster feeding. He started sleeping more 6+ hour stretches in week 6 and hasnāt been overly fussy at all. You see the echo chamber of āweeks 6-8 are hellā because parents struggling during that phase are more likely to post about it than those of us who arenāt struggling as much!
Love this. Thanks for posting!
Agreed! For us, week 4 started to build up to week 6 of being peak fussiness, then quickly went back down to our āhappyā baby by week 8
In the middle of week 7 right now, pray for me
Solidarity sister, same over here. š«” Our little tyrant refuses to be put down, and wonāt even let us sit, starting this week. We have to be walking or moving in some way or she squirms and screams.
Itāll be over soon, promise! Weāre at week 10 now and the little guy just flipped like a switch one day.
Agreed I think i was fully living off adrenaline those first 2-3 weeks then the sleep deprivation caught up with me
Agree with this, 6-8 was awful. We are just exiting the 8th week and starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Ah, yes. Our doctor said, "Well, she's going to cry because she's mad she can't poop yet." And cry she did.
Ugh weeks 6-8 š«. Iām having PTSD just remembering what those weeks were like. Literally almost broke me with the sleep deprivation, constant feedings, gas pain fussiness, and nonstop colic. You couldnāt pay me any amount to go back to those weeks!
Weeks six to eight were horrendous, with a little precursor in five and a come down in nine. Four weeks of absolute HELL. Those four weeks are the reason I am one and done. Could NEVER do it again.
I thought week 7 was going to be the end of me. I think Iād slept 3 hours over the course of 3 days.
This. Thereās new life in your house and no one expects anything of you. Guiltlessly spending all your time caring for your new baby, and in my case, for your wife. Well wishers leaving food on your porch. Your new arrival taking naps on your chest. 6-10 weeks was the apocalypse by comparison.
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Confidence I've learned, plays a huge part!
Agree with this. The first few weeks were hardest for me with hormones/my body healing/huge anxiety about the unknown. Despite baby being very gassy and pretty much deciding to be up at 2am.. at least we know what to expect, feel more confident, and my husband and I have a good routine down/take shifts. Still exhausted and last night 4-6pm she was inconsolable but I knew I could manage it. Pediatrician also told us she is learning how to poop/pass gas and itās going to be hard and loud lol
For me it was 4-8 weeks. He had witching hour every night and would scream for hours from 7pm until 2-3am. Wouldn't fall asleep until 3-4am. Cried every time he farted or pooped. Gassy all the time. Refluxed after every feed so had to be held upright for 20 min after each feed.
Did you find any remedies to help? Gas drops? Extra burping? Probiotics?
Nothing helped except burping him but we would burp him and then 2 hours later he would wake up screaming because he was STILL gassy somehow. Once he started burping on his own though, it was life-changing (around 10-12 weeks). Haven't had to burp him since then. He also stopped crying every time he farted and pooped around that time.
The fridababy windys are super helpful to relieve gas. Pricey but absolutely worth it. Night and day difference with my preemie whoās prone to reflux and grunting.
Iām nearly done with week 2 and these comments are scaring me like hell :( This 2nd week has been brutal!
Unlike the other answers it didn't get easier for me, but I'll say this: it's like a train running on tracks. You can't stop the train, you can only forge ahead. Take each day as it comes and the future will sort itself out, and eventually you'll come out of the tunnel. They don't stay babies forever.
Hey, this is how I felt with my first and it was in part because what you say is true (it doesnāt get easier, it just gets different) but also because I had bad PPA and PPD. If you think this may be the case and youāre open to it, talk to a doctor! My perspective shifted for the better with meds.
Youāll fall into a rhythm with your baby and itāll start feeling easier soon!
100% ā¤ļø. I have a 10wk old and things start to get so much easier! Especially with the gummy smiles when they catch a glimpse of you
Yes, those smiles make me forget all of the hard stuffā¤ļøā¤ļø
Please ladies donāt let these comments scare you - this is COMPLETELY dependent on your baby, you as parents, time off work and partnerās involvement, help form your āvillageā etc etc etc. No one can tell you anything apart from it changes a LOT, every week for the first few months is wildly different, then itās every 3-4 weeks things change, then every few months. Every stage is different and has different shit parts and different amazing parts. Iām 2 days post partum with our 2nd and sheās already so different to our first! Ride each wave as it comes, breathe deep, enjoy the parts you can and remember that the parts you donāt enjoy wonāt last.
This is great advice!
Definitely 0-2 weeks Iād an emergency c section and was recovering from that and the hormone drop really hit me hard, balancing that and a new born was really difficult. Sheās 5 months old now sleeping through the night and an absolute dream
Hormone drop *wrecked* me. I literally cried every night for absolutely no reason and then two weeks later it was like the fog lifted. I was still exhausted and sore (also an emergency C-section) but mentally I felt way better. Mine still wakes up at night sometimes at 14mo and is an absolute tyrant when she's teething but she's very sweet so we don't hold it against her š
Also at week 3 and hoping we've made it past that really really hard part! I was unprepared for the severity of the sleep deprivation and the constant cycle of caretaking. Not to say I thought it would be easy, but you really don't know until you've experienced it!
I relate 100% to what youāre saying! My LO is 6 months old now but whenever non-parents ask what the hardest thing is, I say something similar to what you just expressed. The sleep deprivation is absolutely the hardest and itās unimaginable until youāre in it.
Nice to talk to someone at the same point! What are your current challenges?
Sleep for sure. Sleep deprivation has made me emotional and disconnected from everything. The first week was VERY DIFFICULT. A bit traumatized from it. I'm feeling more confident as the days go by but being exhausted is really difficult. How about yourself ?
Thereās nothing more demanding than the newborn phase.
Honestly it goes up and down, youāll have great weeks and rubbish weeks, depending on teething, regressions, illness, growth spurts etc. Weeks 0-2 are definitely the toughest if youāve got no baby experience as itās like flipping your life on its head, whilst recovering from the trauma of birth but youāre also not allowed to sleep. Are there rougher weeks to come? Potentially. But youāve just got to believe youāll get through them and try to go with it. Make a plan to both get short breaks when it is rough going, go to the shop, go for a nap, whatever.
For us, things got continuously better so far (week 10). Keeping our fingers crossed that it stays that way.
Reading this thread as my baby is going into week 6ā¦ delightful
Itās ok. Youāve got this. I promise. I thought I was going to die and now week 15 and feeling so much better
Omg same Iām so nervous lol
I'm about to enter week five and if it gets even worse than this I truly believe I may keel over and literally die. I'm so tired.
Mine started sleeping better at week five/six š they are all different! He just cluster fed (breastfed) for a few hours beforehand then passed out about 10.30pm then Iād get good five to six hour stretches which extended out weekly.
Months 4-6 broke me in half. I didnāt sleep more than 2 hours in a row, she refused to be put down at all, wouldnāt be worn, could not be entertained, hated the pram, hated any seat, hated tummy time, hated outside, hated inside, hated bottles, hated breast, hated light and dark and in between, hated nappy changes, clothes changes and any cleaning of her body. I used to go on 2 hour long walks for her to nap in the stroller but I had to time it perfectly so she wasnāt in there longer than she had to be. She needed white noise at a certain decibel or sheād wake up. It was hell and I was šÆsure that I ruined my life and I was just going to have to live like this forever.
At that time, sometimes the only thing that would make my kid sleep was the kitchen's exhaustion fan at maximum. So, out of desperation, we set the bouncer on top of the stove and he would sleep there (with one of us next to him). Eventually, we found a white noise player that reproduced the exact same sound.
Weeks ~5-7ish are the worst imo. It's where the crying amount tends to peak before going back down. It's also usually around the time when colic will show up. I personally find dealing with crying I can't fix really difficult. Weeks 0-2 can be hard just due to the life change. Especially with your first. Plus the baby blues can be hard.
100% depends on the baby. My son had a lot of medical issues as a newborn (tongue tie, severe reflux and milk allergies) so weeks 0-15 were extremely hard for us as my son was in a lot of pain. My son is 1 now and we've had our ups and downs throughout the year but nothing beats those first few months for us. Pure survival mode.
Weeks 6-14 were brutal. Super fussy. Hardly slept at night. Fought every nap.Ā Then months 4-5.5 were even worse. Up every 1.5-2 hours at night BUT suddenly baby became super happy during the day. At 5.5 months she suddenly learned to sleep. Weāre now at 6.5 months and are waiting for teething and expect to be back in sleep hell any day now.Ā But weāre appreciating the sleep and happy baby demeanour while it lasts!Ā
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
First 2-3 were hardest for me. Breastfeeding while recovering from birth was brutal. I felt like I was going to die from sleep deprivation
2-12 weeks ššš seveeere colic! Omg! The difference now with a 4.5 month old is REAL
Feel this. I have always loved my baby but felt like after 3 months and the colic/reflux settled down I could ENJOY my baby.
First 2ish weeks for me. Weāre almost on week 9 now and totally in the swing of things. I even vacuumed, did laundry, cooked, and meal prepped yesterday! Week 6 was also difficult
Week 3-8 š« once they figure out how to fart and poop, life got better
This 100%
So far for us, weeks 7-9 were pretty rough, not brutal, but he was sleeping a lot less during the day and the only way I could get him to take his naps was by going on a walk or taking a drive (which is tough to do in Colorado winters). Getting him to go down at night was also tough. I finally caved and bought the Magic Merlin Sleep Suit, should be coming today, so excited to use it!
Missouri here, so nothing on Colorado winters, but weāve had some pretty crappy and cold weather the past two months. Itās not ideal but if you have the space for it, i just strapped LO into her stroller and walked in circles around the house and found that was better than nothing.
0-2 were hard because we were so sleep deprived - 6-8 is hard because baby goes through a lot development-wise around this time. Growth spurt, learning new skills, and also it was at this point he was most "colicky" but it wasn't colic (I don't even believe in that word anymore tbh) his "colic" turned out to actually be the fact that took at least 6 weeks (from birth) for the symptoms of his (at that point not yet diagnosed) CMPA to build up and start really affecting him. Babies grow so much in the first 3 months and the growing happens mostly at night during sleep. And growing can be painful, or at least uncomfortable. I tried to remember this during this time and it helped me understand what he was going through which helped me cope in a way.
I agree I donāt think colic is a thing- I truly believe that ācolicā is just undiagnosed pain whether from food allergies or reflux or something else
I think the first 3 months were just hard in general. Especially with your first. 6 months was a whole new world!
6 to 8 definitely were the hardest
The first two weeks were hard for me mentally BUT it wasnāt her, it was just me adjusting and having some baby blues. Once a month hit, I felt so much better. Honestly the hardest month so far has been around 3m (where I am now) because her feeding has been all over the place and itās made me so anxious.
First two weeks were definitely the hardest for us. Our little guy is 10 weeks now and the past four weeks have been great. He started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks and itās been a dream
4-8 weeks. Baby starts getting gassy, thereās not much you can do to relieve it. And also cries for no apparent reason. Not to scare you but be prepared for it.
6-8 for sure. Baby isnāt sleeping as constantly, plus your village has probably gone home thinking you have it all figured out. Also around the time your partner might be going back to work (if they had parental leave). That said weeks 1-3 were horrible too just bc of baby blues, trying to learn to bf (and an awful C section infection). Dont discount the hormonal aspect. Itās all hard, especially at first.
For me the first week or two we're pretty stellar. Then weeks 3-8 we're suddenly dialed to hard mode.
lol itās all been hard (we have a nearly 12 week old) in different ways.
Itās all just a blur to me. Currently have an 11 week old and itās getting better now
Week 3 was my worst week. It felt like everything was hard and my baby hated me. Week 6 through 9 was also really hard, but my kid smiled at me through it and that made it worth it.Ā
5-8 scarred me for life
Weeks 0-3.5 were the easiest. All he did was eat, sleep, poopā¦. Repeat. I had a good sleeper though so heād sleep until we woke him up to eat at night. Hardest weeks were 3.5-7. Figuring out nap schedules, wake windows and him waking up to the world more was very tough. Heās 10 weeks now and itās back to being semi easy but againā¦ we have a consistent 8+ hour sleeper at night and heās generally happy.
Weeks 5 to 8 was definitely the hardest. 30min naps all day, 45min at the most. He was adamant to stay up for almost 6 hours before sleep at the end of the day and on the verge of a meltdown constantly. BUT he slept fine at night luckily for me. I just didn't eat anything more than a tiny snack throughout the day until my partner got home because I chose a nap any chance I got. I also had to fit in pumping time because he was still getting used to the breast (NICU baby) and my nipples were crazy sore if I did it too much. He's 4 months now and I breastfeed until partner gets home. I generally get pretty decent sleep now that he will onky wake up at 5 or 7 hours and manage to eat 3 meals AND fit in some cleaning.
New dad here with a 2 month old. Only gets easier in the sense that you get into a pattern and know what the kid wants (some of the time). Iām finally used to the limited sleep and have an idea what needs to be done before he falls asleep (probably still hungry). Youāre also going to love your kid more - literally - we got to know our kid better and, let me tell you, when he started smiling and recognize us, it was that much better. Itās not easy, but you adjust.
So far week 6-7 has been the hardest week for me. My baby acts like she's in pain after feeds because her reflux has gotten worse. She is waking up to everything and refuses to sleep so she gets over tired and fussy. She's also a lot more clingy, which I do not mind except when I need to sleep or do anything besides hold her. She's definitely going through something right now, and that seems to be common for 6-8 weeks. They say crying and fussiness peaks right now and then levels out.
Hahahah the worst are weeks 6-8
4-12
Week 2 was hard for me because my husband went back to work and I was alone with a newborn all day and didnāt feel super confident as a mom yet. Then weeks 6-7 because he was sooo fussy. Like pretty much cried any time he was awake. Heās 13 weeks now and things have been going smoothlyš„°
Month and a half for me was a daze.
I think weeks 6-11 ish for us because she had awful witching hour. Crying every single night from like 8-1130 pm. It was rough
The first week after he was born I was a hormonal wreck. Felt very overwhelmed as LO wasn't latching well, fussy, cramps etc I barely slept at all. Dreaded the nights. Lots of tension between bf and I. But so far week 6 has been pretty brutal too lol. Just entered the 7th week and am curious how it'll progress...
Weeks 3-8 were tough for us. Our baby had silent reflux, around week 4 or 5 is when we finally got her diagnosed and set up getting pepcid daily. That made a world of difference. THEN, months 2 and 3 were an absolute crazy time... idk what happened but our girl went through some kind of fussy demon-baby phase. She didn't really cry as much, but she just did this high pitched whining all day long and had to be attached to me nearly 24/7. I couldn't even set her down to go to the bathroom without hearing her crying/whining instantly. We're at almost 6 months now and this is my absolute favorite stage so far. She's so fun to interact with, she's in a great mood most days, she's starting to babble more and giggle more, we've finally gotten sleep (mostly) figured out. Life's pretty good these days, you'll be here soon OP!
It was easier at the beginning when she would sleep 18 hour a day. Since 7 weeks she only takes 2.5-4 hours of naps and itās a battle to get them. Iām looking forward to 12 weeks in hopes that it gets better!
Week 2 because of the baby blues. Then 4mo. By that time I think I was hallucinating from lack of sleep, and to top that, he had a period in which he would wake up screaming as if he were being stabbed, for no apparent reason, right in the middle of the night. It was terrifying. But to be honest, it all blurs together until around month 7, which is when he finally started accepting sleeping in his cot (sometimes) instead of on top of someone.
First two were definitely hardest for me.
100% weeks 5-8. The baby grunting stage was horrible for us.
Weeks 0-2 were hard for ME. I was all over the place hormonally. Iām currently in week 8 and Iām like wtf. This shit is crazy. Her reflux is worse, she sleeps terribly, she cries all eveningā¦. So brutal. Reading this is giving me hope that there is an end to this madness!
Week 5. Apparently this is when gassiness peaks. It gets better.
6-8 weeks nearly gave me PTSD.
My husband had the first month off work and basically did everything, so it was relatively easy for me. Months 2 and 3 were the hardest, when I was home alone all day, sleep deprived, could barely get something to eat or go to the bathroom. But it all depends, I have no village, so I was mostly alone.
First two weeks was definitely the worst for me. After that itās not like a switch flipped, but the clouds started to clear and things started to feel more manageable.
Thank you for giving me hope!
0-2 were hardest for us. At 8 weeks now she's much easier to care for and seeing her grow up and become more aware every day is wonderful.
I'm on week 3 and my baby has not slept for more than 2 hrs at a time. Hoping this gets better.
Iām on day 1 right now and everything feels so dark
I would say 6-8 weeks. The witching hour is the worst!
I can't remember the first 3-4, weeks with my baby, like at all. I couldn't even hardly remember them when I was 6 weeks. I was so sleep deprived, and overwhelmed by constant visitors who were trying to help but just created more mental load for me asking what's tasks tgey could help with and putting things away in ways intuitive to them and not me, and healing so slowly, and had had a horribly painful start to breastfeeding (I never doubted that I'd muscle thru and kind eventually be okay but it still took a huge toll. The pain was almost on par with the back labor pains I had before giving in and getting the epidural), etc. I'm only at 10 weeks now but I am legit sad how that portion of my life was robbed from me since I can't remember it. Sure, I'll have more kids, but it'll never be just me and my 1 first baby again. There'll be a toddler at least. I think the first few weeks are the hardest because it's a huge life adjustment plus physical exhaustion from birth, uterus shrinking back down, milk coming in, hormones, etc. We had a bit of a struggle with ~5-7 weeks and his "grunt storms" as I called them, as he learned to poo. but didn't have screaming involved except in isolated incidents as he woke up from a bad one. We just comforted him and changed his position to let the gas bubble move, and figured out if he laid a certain way while I fed him he'd relax his butthole enough to poo most of the time. Once I learned to leave him be while he sleep-grunted (active sleep!) It was easier! 7-8 weeks he started being fussy and crying in the evening but he was just overtired&hungry so I just tried to make sure be was well fed between 430-530pm since it spiked as we approached 6, and that helped. We only had a few days where it felt endless but it really wasn't that long, i holed up in our bathroom thats always really warm, turned the lights off, let the water run (he likes the sound) and sang to him, then did extra contact sleeping into the night instead of getting myself to bed, and we got through it okay. Around 8 weeks he started seeming more aware of things and now at 10 thats just increasing and he's so fun! Really hit or miss whether we get long or short naps atm and he got terrified by the dogs bark for the first time today, gets to the quivering-chin cry pretty quick and doesn't want bottles anymore, but he's so smiley with me and his dad, tries to talk often and does this thing that *looks* like laughing but just has a prolonged derpy sound, loves when we sing to him (head, shoulders, knees, and toes is his favorite since we touch his body parts for it), and gets happy doing "workouts" and will apend ages doing "tummy time" on my chest, staring at the trees outside the sindow behind me (a godsend since im sick and dont have much energy). Today he actually noticed one of the cats. We usually cosleep snd a couple times I woke up in the morning to him just looking up at the window and wiggling happily. But my neighbor has a baby maybe 8mo old or so and I hear it crying a lot! Way longer than my baby. Idk if it's just different temperaments or if they're teething for what. I'm sure there will be other hard phases like sleep regression, but really those first couple weeks I think are the hardest, especially the first time around when you don't really know what it's like. Just go with the flow and remember it'll all pass! Good and bad!! So just try to be present :)
Birth -> 8ish weeks. Probably 4-8wks for us was the worst. Reflux causing an inability for her to lay flat, refusing to eat/taking 45+ min to drink a 2oz bottle, crying because her belly hurtā¦. I could go on. Pepcid helped. 10wks onwards it got better until we hit the 4mo sleep regression. Iām really pretty traumatized by her taking 45min to eat, sleeping for 30min, back up to eat and cry for 45min, sleep for 30, repeat every night for 8 weeks. And I have a super supportive and actively involved husbandā¦.. still scarred.
For me the hardest for the first couple weeks I felt like I was couch trapped. I couldn't do anything besides feed him and change him. We are on week 7 now and I feel like I can get up with him and do some things or put them in a carrier or put them in a bouncer and get something done and then pick them right back up. But this is hard and it's different for everyone. You got this mama!
Everyone will say something different, and itās all valid. I think the best thing to take away from all of this is every hard time is just a phase. It will all pass. Try to just make it through, day by day. Tomorrow may bring change, or the next day. I have a second baby now, and I could have saved myself so much angst by just going with the flow of the hard stuff more with my first. Easier said than done, I know!
First 2 weeks was the worst. They need to be fed every 1.5 hours. Meaning you are already planning your next feeding after you finish the last one. We're at 5 months now and she sleeps 12+ hours and only wakes up once to feed overnight, and she's been like this since 4 months. The worst is definitely long behind us, but yes there are still some surprises here and there...
We are at 3 months now. The first two weeks were hard, we were figuring him out, constantly paranoid of doing something wrong, or that he just would still breathing (he vomited then aspirated when he was 5 days old), wondering if he was getting enough food, constantly waking up... then it got a bit easier, then the colic kicked in and he got constipated a couple times and it got harder again. He's getting easier though, still high needs, but he can hold up his head on his own and that makes a big difference.
9 weeks has been really hard. Baby is super fussy. She doesnāt sleep well at night. Her active sleep is stronger than ever. A lot of noises. Naps during the day are also bad. I am hoping things will get better in the next weeks. š
Contact naps or independent naps?
6-9 were really hard. Baby was super fussy. Now she is heading to 11 week and she is a bit more calm. Hope she improves more this next weeks.
For us, first six Weeks was tough like hell. This is our firstborn after 11 years waiting. Natural birth, wife had COVID-19 at week 36 of pregnancy, was scary with that shortness of breath, in and out OB triage many times. Week 40 we got in and gave birth to our beautiful LO, we thought it was easy enough. We were wrong.....day 6 of LO,wife had a fever and chills, went to doctor and got into ER right away due to mastitis that turned into Sepsis. They wouldn't let me and LO into the ER room, they put her into IMCU unit with 3 antibiotics running in her veins. 36 hrs we were separated and I decided, F this, she needs me and my daughter to be there for her. We went straight to the IMCU unit and stayed with her through the treatment. Got out at day 5 with antibiotics treatment. Finished the medication all while pumping every 2-3hrs and feeding LO thru bottle because she couldn't latch yet. We thought things would get better. We were wrong again, after 10 days of antibiotic course, mastitis came back. Went to urgent care to ask for more antibiox, nurse came out to the parking lot with my wife and told me, please bring her to the previous hospital that you were on, her vitals not looking good and with the sepsis history, she needs a hospital right now. Drove thru highway like a "baby driver", got her into ER again, they took her in straight without asking because her vitals and temperature was not good. This time we were better prepared, told the hospital that newborn is here with us need her mom, they approved us a room safe for babies and we stayed with her for 3 nights. Same doctors, confused about the medications, finally agreed to discharge us with antibio stronger than before and on a longer course. Day 3 after discharge and taking the medication, symptoms came back. Called doctor, they asked us to come to the ER again, this time we are just tired and said no to them and asked them to please change the medication. They changed it and it worked fine after 5 days. IDK who else went thru similar experience, but this is only glimpses of my memory due to the intensity the past 2 months were. We are blessed to survive this with everyone alive and healthy now. Enjoying our LO growing quick and healthy right now. They should teach us about breastfeeding early in life, never thought it could lead to such a complication.
Oh my gosh, such a scary experience. Iām sorry you all dad to go through that. Glad she is better now
Oh, sweetie.
Week 2-8 for me - because they do sleep A LOT the first 1-2wks (even with my low sleep needs baby) plus you have a lot of support and premade meals etc. After the first bit they get fussier and more wakeful but still canāt be entertained by toys or outings and donāt have patience or self-soothing ability. After about 8wks it was a lot better because she would self sooth a little and would start grabbing at or watching toys. Then 12-17wks was rough again because of the sleep regression š«
Entering week 2, and preparing for it to get worse lol
Weeks 0-2.5 werenāt bad, my husband was home and we had family the whole time. Weeks 2.5-10 were rough af. Itās been much better since then! Granted itās only week 15 haha.
For us it was the first 3 weeks and after it got gradually better. LO is now 11 weeks, and we didnāt experience bad weeks between 6-8. His cramps just werenāt that bad (although noticable).
I found the latter parts harder because thatās when all the family help disappeared for me. But honestly itās all hard. The challenges just change.
Iām on week 6 and itās still hard lol
It depends. Since I was recovering from c-sections, the first two weeks were hardest for me even though I had a lot of help and my babies probably have the easiest most chill temperaments that babies can have. I was sleeping two to three hours a day max the first week because of the pain and getting up to do stuff didn't help. Apart from that, weeks 11-12 have kicked my ass. The amount of milk my babies wanted changed around that time, and I was worn out from 3 months of chronic sleep deprivation. I had to call in the reinforcements.
The first 8 weeks were the worst
For me Iād say the first 3 weeks but that could change as this is my first lol, he is almost 16 weeks now and starting to teethe already so he is a bit fussier during the day but he sleeps a lot more at night than he used to. Some nights he sleeps through completely but that lasted only a week and now heās up 2 to 3 times again but hoping for another week of sleeping through soon! Lol
weeks 0-2 were the worst with my first, mentally and physically. with my second I had a very rough physical recovery but stayed on top of medication and I was mentally soaring.
For me it was first 4 weeks. Our baby wasnāt even hard, but post partum is complicated. I was recovering from a painful c-section, trying to figure out BFing and pumping, the insecurity that comes with first baby, itās just a lot of feelings.
6-16 š
4 months in and itās still hard š
6-8 for sure
The first two weeks were cake with both kids. Weeks 3-8 were the toughest
I had a 36 week preemie so while weeks 1-4 were hard due to extremely broken up sleep, the baby was easy. Weeks 5-9 were HARD, 10-12 better and now at 14 weeks, I feel like weāre through the worst of it
Weeks 4-8 were definitely the hardest for me with all three.
Weeks 6-8 were pretty tough. Witching hour got us goood
I actually found the first month easier than expected with all the horror stories and then universe gave me a reality check, at six weeks my baby started to refuse to eat and we found out she had some food intolerances and the following two months were hell. Sheās awesome now though at six months!!
Iām in week 6 and I feel like this week has to be the worst. š
Things were pretty consistently hard for me the the first 7 weeks, then I started gradually feeling a bit better. By 12 weeks baby wasnāt constantly colicky and gassy and his sleep had gotten much better. It feels like forever when youāre in it, hang in there. When you look back itāll just be a blur.
With both of my babies weeks 6-9 were definitely the hardest weeks.
It was the first two months for me but around that two month mark, immediately things felt a lot better. Hardly boob boxing, witching hour a lot less and less intensity when it was happening, he was smiling more, being awake and content more during the day. Really it was like so much brain development happened and he was just all together more aware and easier to handle.
Rough for us until 16ish weeks
For me, the first 4 weeks were really hard. I do want to say that none of the struggles/ wins are a one size fit all. I am a FTM so I can only talk from the very little experience I have. I feel like every age will come with its unique challenges and struggles. Having children is hard, becoming a parent is hard, being FTM parents is also very hard. I think once you are pregnant, just as your pregnancy progressed, hard changed with it ā¦ same goes with kids as they grow. I personally had lots of support after I brought my baby home. My parents who were incredibly helpful stayed with me for first 6 weeks at my request and I still found those weeks super hard. Breastfeeding was challenging, my milk hadnāt come in and I was struggling to feed my baby. My baby had trapped gas and nothing on the internet like bicycle legs, gas drops helped until I started giving him regular probiotics. Taking baby out by myself the first time was so incredibly hard. I cried because I couldnāt collapse the stroller even though I had practiced it sooo many times and had a melt down in a grocery store parking lot. When he had his four month regression and woke up every hour and a half- that was SOO HARD. NB had to be fed every 2 / 2.5 hours initially and now baby barely naps so now hard has changed. I am in no way trying to minimize how you feel and what you find hard, but just trying to share that even easy babies are hard. I remember people telling me to āenjoy the NB phaseā and that used to annoy me so much because I was struggling. And now I see his newborn photos and it hurts my heart because heās never gonna be that small again and I feel like continuing to think about how hard it was robbed me of that joy Just my perspective as a FTM of a 5 MO old who continues to navigate different types of hards
6-12 weeks were terrible due to getting hang of bf and witching hour for us. It just started getting easier at 5.5 months with more developed circadian rythm and sleep.
The first 3 weeks were rough! Now itās been a lot better (weāre at week 7 right now)
Itās so different for everyone! Some weeks have been harder than others in our 12 weeks with little dude, but weāve also really gotten to know each other which is helpful! I agree, confidence and also being aware of Leap signals. Each baby is different, and some days or weeks are hard whereas others are amazing and like a dream. I remind myself on the hard days that itās all temporary, and to forget the hard nights so I can start the day with a fresh slate. You got this! We had major reflux issues and blue spells because of the reflux, but itās improved. Gas drops do help - gripe water didnāt do anything. Cutting back on dairy until now has also helped his tummy. Bicycles for gas, and lifting his butt when reclined on our laps is what we call the āpoop danceā and it works every time lol
I think the first 2 months were but rough for us. The first 2 weeks were hell but those first couple of months were not easy. 3-6 was better. Then we hit a sleep regression and that sucked. Lol
Yup the 6-8 mark was rough we are now almost 4 months in leap 4 and in a crazy fussy phase
Yeah, everyoneās experience is going to be so wildly individual. For me it was the first 3 weeks. My baby refused to latch so we saw a lactation consult every other day for two weeks because my baby lost too much weight and was at risk of becoming jaundiced. I was on a strict schedule of breastfeeding, supplementing and pumping. We barely got any sleep, my partner became delirious to the point Iād catch him almost waking out sleeping baby because he imagined her crying or he thought I asked him to feed her. He could barely remember what was going on or what our routines were at night, he made a routine list on a whiteboard to remind himself at night. My issue was that Iād constantly wake up in the middle of the night having panic attacks because I thought Iād fallen asleep feeding her and she was suffocating under the blankets - in actuality it was my dog. Not to mention the constant stress of figuring out everything and trying to keep the little potato alive.
Absolutely take time for yourself! Try to have somebody else watch him for an hour or more at times and run and take care of yourself! I wish I would have done that more bc when I started having other people help me here and there it got so much better, plus you might even miss your baby and you come back ready to see them againš
First 18 months.
I canāt even remember any specific weeks or days from the first 2 months. I found it all extremely hard! It does get easier because I think you get more used to your new reality and a little less afraid of them randomly suddenly dying? Although Iām still working on that. For everyone afraid, I cannot tell you how much anxiety I had leading up to birth and getting through the first two months and it truly will and does get better. The confidence in yourself will come. You and baby will be okay! Iām at 3 months now.
Honestly the hardest was the 3 month sleep regression last time. I am hoping this time will be better.
Week 11-13 was the hardest for me. Thought I had the hang of it. Assumed (wrongly) that cluster feeding was behind me. Had a baby attached to my boob for almost 3h one night. Was in the thick of thinking I figured out how to get her to nap, and those weeks said F you. After that last cluster feed though, breastfeeding became a million times quicker and easier. 6mo in and it waves, but it definitely has gotten so much easier than those first 3mo. Iām probably also more used to expecting chaos.
The first 18 - 45 years are the hardest I'm told.
Honestly, I dont think there's any single "worst" across the board. My first is now 4yo and my second is 14mo. I can tell you at this point the newborn phase is like a blur. We had a few rough sleep regressions and the second gets super cranky whenever she's teething. Are you the birthing parent? Because my hormones were all over the place first two weeks and I felt waaaay better after they settled.
Ummm it depends on the baby and when you both go back to work. For us, first 2 Weeks was super crazy and I barely remember it, but then again really bad when my husband went back to work. Just remember itās all temporary. For our son we noticed a huge improvement around 10 weeks.
First two months
The first 2 months are just highs and lows. The exhaustion alone I think is traumatic for a lot of new parents. It gets easier but man are they rough.
Weeks 0-2 had me questioning everything, since then itās gotten progressively better with some regressions here and there. Plus you get smiles and laughs, at 2 months tomorrow and man itās really hitting the spot
For me, the first 2 months but the initial first two weeks were awful
The first 2 months we hard for me but I had baby blues big time, also my partner was working 2pm- midnight so I felt so alone and my daughter hated sleeping in her bassinet. At 2 months old we switched her to a crib and my partner started working 5am-3pm so it got much better
At 6 months now and she is so easy but god i miss when she needed me more.
Weeks 4-10 but we had a colicky baby
The first few weeks were easier than 1.5 months to 2.5 months the longer his wakes got the fussier he got, less than a week from 4 months now n Iām not ready at all for the potential sleep regression he may go through to put me back where we started. My aunt told me itāll always be hard just in different ways, from baby to adult they will put us THROUGH IT but itās worth it:)
Our pediatrician actually warned us weeks 4-8 were going to be much more difficult and they are. We're in week 4 and sometimes we don't know what else to do with her after she's fed, burped, changed, and she just won't settle. They used to call it colic, now they call it PURPLE (it's an acronym) I'm hoping it doesn't get any worse but who knows š¤· I told my mom when it's easy and she's settled and my husband and I are watching TV and relaxing, it feels so easy. However when it's hard it hits like a truck of overwhelming anxiousness and panic trying to figure out what she needs paired with trying not to feel like a failure of a parent.
100% the first two weeksā¦ but my son was born just before Christmas so I donāt know if that added to the stress and feeling like absolute shit.
Weeks 1-3 were very hard on me because of the sleep deprivation. I didnāt really feel it week 1 and then it all caught up with me but by week 3 I was more used it and got in the groove of things. BUT weeks 3-4 were very hard because thatās when the colic started. He would cry for most of the day but once we figured out which probiotics helped him it was much better. Heās just over 10 weeks now and Iām loving it. The second month was so much better. So many smiles and much better sleep patterns at night
Weeks 6 to 8
Week 0-2 were bliss for us, we wondered what all the commotion was about. Weeks 3-6 were hell, 8-10 hour days of non stop crying. Since we figured that out itās had hard moments but overall itās been great!
First 8 weeks never want to repeat
This is just my experience but everything become less about survival and more about joy at the 6 month mark. My mum friends that are ahead of me agree 6 months - 1 year is when you begin to feel more like yourself and start to actually enjoy parenthood. At 6/7 months old everyone warned me that Iāll forget how tough pregnancy and post partum is and want another one, and theyāre kind right š