What is easier about being a mom, giving birth, etc. and taking care of your LO than you thought it would be when you were pregnant? And conversely, what is harder than what you expected?
So far for me, only two weeks in, it was definitely way harder than I ever expected having to deal with the postpartum hormones. So far, it's been easier than I expected to deal with waking up for night feedings.
grapefruit / 4006 posts
easier: labor/delivery. losing postpartum weight. harder: ditto on the postpartum hormones. losing control of my day. overall, the physical parts of having a baby were much easier than i expected and the mental parts are so much harder than i ever could have imagined.
pear / 1579 posts
For me, my delivery even though it was a CS was perfect! I just wish I would've been full term. Like you, night wake ups have been easier than expected. Those have made me realize that I have a lot of patience!
What's been hard is being at home all day for the last ten weeks. There's no way I could be a SAHM. I commend them!
honeydew / 7235 posts
Easier: labor/delivery - even though it was tough, it wasn't as bad as i thought! (Yes, had an epi - that def helped!)
Easier: night time wakings
Harder: breastfeeding! But after about 2 weeks it was good, it was just tough at first!
squash / 13764 posts
Harder: breastfeeding. Waaaay harder. And adjusting to being at home with LO.
Easier: sleep deprivation! I do way better on less sleep than I thought I would.
persimmon / 1165 posts
@hilsy85: ditto on the breastfeeding!
@MarieJ: I also thought my c section delivery was easier than I was expecting. I can actually say the same thing about the contractions, up to just past 4 cm dilated. Made me realize I have a higher threshold for pain than I thought.
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6703 posts
Harder - breastfeeding (so we pump), fussiness
Easier - sleep deprivation, weight loss
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
easier: breastfeeding, pp recovery, sleep deprivation
harder: pp weight loss, having no "set" schedule for daily routines
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
I agree that night wakings weren't as hard as I envisioned after the first month.
It's been way harder keeping up with what used to be menial tasks- clutter in the LR, dishes, laundry etc. And it all takes three times the amount of time it used to.
GOLD / papaya / 10206 posts
Easier- baby sleep. Even when she was waking at night I was dealing fine. And she essentially sleep trained herself.
Harder- getting anything done. I dreams of maternity leave getting all sorts of stuff done around the house........ I was wrong.
nectarine / 2994 posts
easier: labor/delivery was easier then I thought, even though it hurt! Breastfeeding is easier - I thought it was going to be harder but I think I got super lucky.
harder: being organised! I still live with my in-laws (argh!) and their house is pretty small so we're super cramped with baby stuff, and it takes quite some time trying to organise it each week.
pomegranate / 3204 posts
Easier: labor & delivery, pp weight loss
Harder: PP recovery, breastfeeding, working full time and pumping, sleep training, frequent night wakings
GOLD / papaya / 10166 posts
@sunshineandsushi: First off, I love your avatar pic! Ok, to answer your question, labor/delivery was so much easier than motherhood. I haven't been around children much before DD so I had no idea what to expect.
honeydew / 7687 posts
easier - breastfeeding
harder- figuring out how to convince a baby to sleep..!! and struggling with adjusting to not having any control over my day. I've worked with kids forever but it's totally different 24/7 and your own!
cantaloupe / 6630 posts
Easier: c section, staying at home with A (love it so much), night feedings
Harder: breastfeeding, dealing with her unexpected health issues and staying strong for her at ultrasounds and appointments, getting her to go down at night.
grapefruit / 4441 posts
Easier: pretty much everything with regards to caring for the baby, night wakenings, breastfeeding (it's hard, but I expected it to be), hormones/mood have not been a problem (and I thought they might be)
Harder: the pushing phase of childbirth was more exhausting than I'd imagined, pp recovery was longer/more painful, trying to find some sort of schedule/routine has been tough, getting stuff done at home during the day while on maternity leave is harder than I thought, and my relationship with my husband is strained, which I didn't expect.
GOLD / wonderful pea / 17697 posts
Harder: Sleep. We ended up co-sleeping because he wouldn't sleep otherwise, and would only nap in my arms after nursing. We've been working on sleep training the past week, which is skin hard for me.
Easier: Breastfeeding, sleep deprivation
GOLD / pineapple / 12662 posts
Harder: weight gain, induction (unplanned), breast feeding, going back to work, sleep training
Easier: sleep deprivation . . . at this point, any 2-3 hour stretch of sleep feels like a full 8!
ETA: Harder: weight loss . . . it just.won't.budge. I think I am one of the unlucky ones that hang on to the weight while breast feeding.
cantaloupe / 6610 posts
Easier: Delivery, BFing, &taking care of a newborn in general...I solo parent while DH works offshore for 3 weeks at a time and we manage pretty well. And sleep deprivation...It's funny how the body is so smart it can just accept that there is NOT an option for more sleep with a newborn, so it learns to function on minimal sleep. I got 5 hours last night for the first time in forever & I feel like a new girl!!!
Harder: PP weight loss, dealing with body image
hostess / wonderful grape / 20803 posts
Easier: Labor and delivery, loving my son unconditionally, losing post-partum weight.
Harder: Breastfeeding, dealing with sick baby in daycare, juggling work life balance, having zero time to myself.
| Today | Monthly Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 0 | 1 |
| Posts | 1 | 3 |
Ask for Help
Make a Suggestion
Frequently Asked Questions
Bee Levels
Acronyms
Most Viewed Posts
Hellobee Gold
Hellobee Recipes
Hellobee Features
Hellobee Contests
Baby-led Weaning
Bento Boxes
Breastfeeding
Newborn Essentials
Parties
Postpartum Care Essentials
Sensory Play Activities
Sleep Training
Starting Solids Gear
Transitioning to Toddler Bed
All Series
Who We Are
About the Bloggers
About the Hostesses
Contributing Bloggers
Apply to Blog
Apply to Hostess
Submit a Guest Blog
Hellobee Buttons
How We Make Money
Community Policies
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
21 comments