They say when you have a baby your maternal instinct kicks in. That someway, somehow you'll "just know" how to keep a tiny human alive...

Eat... sleep... poop... repeat, right? NOPE!

My husband and I went to birthing classes. While I found them terrifying, my husband found them helpful and educational. Sure, they taught me how to breath (which I've been doing on my own for 31 years now thank you) they forced me to watch a woman give birth on all fours like a barn animal, they told us what to pack in my hospital bag (check here for what I actually used) and what tests would be done on our little bundles of joy right after birth.

What they didn't tell us, is how to do literally everything else.

Maybe I'm lucky, but my labor and delivery was easy. Painful, but bearable. Doctors, nurses and loved ones surrounded me throughout the entire process and thank God, no complications. The time in the hospital was great! After many failed attempts to swaddle our six hour old baby I made my way to the front desk and pathetically asked for "those wonderful diaper ice packs for me and for someone to please, for the love of God, show us how to swaddle him" they smiled and a wonderful, grandmotherly Russian nurse appeared with the glorious ice packs for me and showed us how to swaddled him. (Though I'm pretty sure she did it one handed, and tossed him around like a football after) How do they do that so easily?!?

When we brought him to sleep in the nursery on night two and said we'd pick him up around 3:00 am and I ended up doing the walk of shame to pick him up at 7:30 am  announcing we were the worst parents ever for leaving him that long, they chuckled, told us to enjoy it and brought him back to us.

Once we got home however, it was a different story. We still had support, but were determined to do as much of the care taking as possible on our own. Night one- we swaddled him as best we could, we fed him the "30 mls" we were told not to exceed (of breast milk and formula- more on that later) and we laid him on his back in a little bassinet next to our bed. We both had big plans of showers and getting ready for bed. Our little man had very different plans for us. He wouldn't stay swaddled, he screamed unless we were holding him and only wanted to sleep on his stomach on our chests.

Amazing how quickly one tiny human can flip your world and dictate your every move, isn't it?

My husband took the midnight to 4 am shift and I took the 4 am on shift. The boys had an enjoyable night of Star Wars cartoons and snuggles before I was woken up for my shift which consisted of mindless television and kisses on the top of his perfect little noggin.

In retrospect, we should've known that the first few nights would be an adjustment. We should have seen the red flag waving when we struggled(it took three of us)  to dress him in his "Introducing me" going home outfit.

 

Things got easier pretty quickly. We stopped swaddling his arms in and he was much happier, we let him sleep in his swing that left him on his back, but not flat and he started sleeping 4 to 6 hours a night. ( we know, were lucky)

After Google searches and questions to mum, we took it upon ourselves to increase the amount of food he was getting because lets face it- an over nine pound baby on 30 mls of food isn't much.

Here are some things they don't teach you:
1. How to swaddled your baby
2. How to dress him
3. How to give him a bath while his cord is still attached ( don't get that bad boy wet!)
4. How to bath him after his cord falls off (I dare you to try it alone and not get water in his ears!)

5. When to increase his food intake and by how much ( at week three, Reagan is at 6 ounces 6 times a day- each baby is different!)

6. He may develop a little rash in the early stages of life, they look like little pimples. They go away on their own and you're not a terrible parent that you didn't notice the second they appeared on his back!

7. Poop! Yes, look for yellow and seedy... would it have killed them to let us know it resembles diarrhea and may happen often the first few days?

Like any new parent, we're learning as we go. No matter what they didn't teach us, we couldn't be more in love and van happier to have him in our lives. Its already hard to imagine our lives without him.

What are some things you wish you were prepared for before bringing your tiny human home?