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I'll say 2-3. My son was a very low key happy easy baby and always a great eater and sleeper. He did wakeup every 2.5 hours for the first month but would literally eat for 15 minutes and go right back down.

The hardest parts were lack of sleep made me a crazyish person (only got bad when I went back to work at 4wks old and was pumping and always busy) & the usual little newborn phases like gas / witching hour that looking back didn't last long. We were very lucky and I hope it goes as well with #2.

Maybe a 3. My daughter was easy and I'm incredibly grateful and know how lucky I am. We were having to wake her up every 3 hours to eat, once we got the all clear after about 2 weeks to let her sleep (once she was back up to birth weight) she started going for about 4 hour stretches, sometimes 5. She didn't cry much, more of a whine than anything, and ate well. She wouldn't latch so I was exclusively pumping and that was the hardest thing, having to set an alarm to wake up and pump before getting my daughter up to eat. Stopping that at 3 months changed everything and we were all so much happier. By 8 weeks she was sleeping through the night (6-8 hour stretches, one wake up, and down for another 4 hours). Honestly it was much easier than I expected. I really hope this next one is like her. Now no one warned me that at 18 months she would turn into a tantruming lunatic, but that's a different topic

First kid. It was an absolute hell for many reasons: colic, sleep deprivation, fighting, inlaws. Second kid: easier, still tough at times, but more manageable.

So, I am only two weeks in but I would give it a 3-4...he's a pretty easy baby but we've had feeding issues due to weight loss. I am actually handling stuff a lot better than I thought I would. We are still having latch issues but are working on it.

The first month was probably a 7-9. Way harder than I expected. I knew I would be tired and it would be challenging but I thought being a Nicu nurse It wouldn't be that bad since I take care of newborns for a living .. I was wrong! For me the mental exhaustion was toughest. Physically I was surprised how I felt fine on little sleep but knowing this was a never ending cycle of feelings and no sleeping was tough mentally. Breast feeding was so much more painful and tough than I imagined and just recovering from the delivery took a few weeks. And the hormones! I was never hormonal or emotional during pregnancy but wow was I ever after delivering. But those early days will also be filled with great things too. Just being a few months out now it seems like such a blur and it goes by fast. It's Good to prepare yourself but there is also no preparing yourself for how much you will just be in awe of them and love them so much.

10... Though I can't say it's a true 10 because my Dd had no health issues, it was just for me the hardest transition I had ever gone through. Recovery, sleep deprivation, breastfeeding, no time to eat, sleep, or shower.... It was hard. Get food help and someone to watch baby for a few hours if you can. I went from a life where I valued career and making money as a big part of my self worth/productivity and having a baby turned my life around. I was a mess...

I'd say a 4 -- it wasn't a walk in the park but it wasn't awful either. DD had jaundice and had to go for heel pricks the first couple days we were home, and that was hard (both driving back to the hospital, which was 20-25 minutes each way, and especially holding her down and hearing her scream when they drew the blood). Fortunately, her levels went down quickly so she never had to be under bili lights. Breastfeeding was stressful at first, and although I never had cracked or bleeding nipples, DD had a posterior tongue tie and I ended up with nasty vasospasms (shooting pains in my boobs when she nursed but also at random other times). Having her tongue tie clipped was also kind of stressful but it was quick and definitely worth it. Aside from that, itvwas tough to sit and nurse...and nurse...and nurse when I had a second-degree tear (not so bad generally, but it was a funny shape and couldn't be stitched properly so it took forever to heal) and sitting was the last thing I really wanted to do. But the sleep deprivation wasn't actually as bad as I'd steeled myself for, and DD was never much of a crier until recently when she crashed headlong into toddlerhood. There were definitely some parts of the newborn phase that were hard and seemed endless at the time, but in retrospect it was totally doable...but if I'd had a difficult baby, I probably wouldn't be saying that!!

I'd say 5.... Dd was very easy going and an amazing sleeper. I didn't realize how easy I had it haha. The tough part was adjusting to life as a parent. I was overly worried (we had BFing issues but once I started EPing and supplementing I became much happier), and I missed having all the time in the world to myself.it took me a while to feel like a mother. I don't think it's anything I could have prepared myself for, just a reality of our new normal.

I'm praying this one (#2) will take after her big sister and be a happy, easy going, sleep loving baby. I think the transition will be much smoother this time.

Probably a 2-3 baby wise. He was happy and easy but didn't nap so I couldn't.

The worst part was I had a horrible recovery. I remember saying "this would be so easy if I wasn't in so much pain".

With my first it was definitely about an 8. She was a very difficult baby with reflux issues and colic. She was very unhappy and I didn't know what I was doing.

My second was a 2 though! I chalk it up to his personality. He is so easy going. I really just think it depends on your kid.

Baby 1 was about a 2 maybe - I'd psyched myself up for never sleeping again, horrible recovery, and all kinds of terrible things, but really, it was a breeze. No feeding issues, DD slept well, and we were just so happy - it truly was wonderful. The only reason I didn't give it a 1 is because DD had a bit of a witching hour most evenings for the first few weeks (an hour or so of inconsolable crying before she'd finally settle down for a 6 hr sleep), and because BF'ing was painful for the first couple of weeks.

DD2 was a 2 as well - not as good of a sleeper as her sister (no 6 hour stretches from her at 2 weeks old, that was for sure!) but super mellow and chilled. Total walk in the park.

I never quite got it when people would say that the newborn days were so, so hard. We must have just been lucky because they were super easy for us and we loved them. Hoping the same happens for you as well!

I never know how to answer these questions. My LO was never a good sleeper, and she had her breastfeeding problems (tongue and lip ties, tight jaw) and then her overall feeding issues (MSPI)--BUT she was not a crier. SO I felt very lucky that aside from the bad sleep and the eating problems, she was easy enough.

During the first year, I would have said she was maybe a 4. When I was in the thick of it, I was just doing it and didn't think it was that hard (aside from a handful of major meltdowns when the lack of sleep would catch up to me).

But after her first year when she started finally sleeping better, I realized HOW MUCH EASIER it could be. So maybe in hindsight, I would make her a 6-7, because at the time I didn't realize how insane her feeding and sleeping issues were making me, but once it was all over and the weight was lifted from my shoulders, I realized it WAS hard.

Now days, she's like, the easiest toddler ever. I'm drinking coffee and HBing, and she's coloring by herself at her play table. She is just the light of my life and such a joy these days. Not super tantrummy (so far), eats well (most days). Every time my mom watches her, she tells me what an easy kid she is, and the daycare teachers say the same.

I'm one of those that "doesn't understand" why people say toddlers are so hard (just kidding. I realize kids are all different).

7, maybe? I had an easy recovery, physically, and never experienced PPD. The first 2 weeks or so were hard, of course, but the hormonal high made it seem not bad. Then a month or so in she seemed to develop colic and just cried a lot and would only sleep in the moby, walking, outside. She wasn't any easy newborn, and I constantly questioned everything I was doing. We had our moms come stay with us for the first couple weeks but she didn't really get colicky until after they left. But also, I admit probably a lot of it was me as much as her.

I'm hoping the next one will be more easy going and sleep more, and that I will feel more confident anyway.

For me it really depended on the moment. Overall, probably a 4. I probably remember it more fondly than it actually was! Here are the pros and cons as I remember them:

Cons:
- Sleep Deprivation
- Nursing troubles
- Trying to figure out this tiny, helpless person
- Tracking when she ate and pooped and peed, and was she gaining enough weight
- Googling things and then feeling like a horrible mother
- Feeling lonely

Pros:
- Curled up on the bed/couch/armchair snuggling my daughter without distraction
- Learning to trust my own parenting instincts! After all, nobody else knew my daughter better than I did.
- Watching my husband bond with our daughter.... fell in love with him all over again!
- Finding a daily routine that worked for us (a routine, NOT a schedule!)
- Finding a support group of other new moms in my community

The best advice I could give you or any other new mama is: Avoid the internet! It WILL hurt your feelings and make you feel like a failure, which is the last thing you need. DO trust your instincts and don't be afraid to reach out to your pediatrician. Find a new mom support group. It will give you a reason to get out of the house, a sympathetic ear when things feel impossible, and friends who know exactly what you're going through.

LO1: 7-8...she was a super easy baby but i just had no idea what i was getting into. that was a really hard adjustment and i was depressed about it.

LO2: 1-2. also a super easy baby but i knew what to expect and i took care of myself better with this one. made a world of difference.

I seemed that everyone described newborn days as doomsday, I was prepared for a nightmare, so he felt like 2-3, but he was probably a 4-6 in reality. Surprises for me were how much he had to be held, he was sad more than he was happy if awake the first few weeks, it took a looong time for him to be ok with 5min+ stretches of self-entertainment (like laying on the playmat while I did the dishes), and sleeping wasn't his forte for a long time. I also struggled the first 8 weeks with major insecurity over whether we were bonding.

I was surprised how quickly your body adjusts to lack of sleep. (And also how quickly it adjusts once you get used to good sleep again!!! Haha). Overall everything was a fog those first few months, but it was a happy fog. You will never be so happy doing something so exhausting!

Definitely a solid 10. Probably not a 10 compared to maybe other people's more difficult newborns, but it was definitely the hardest thing i've ever gone through in my life so far. Looking back, i realize i had a pretty easy newborn (no colic, no health issues, really minimal crying if ever) but the sleep deprivation, the baby blues, made it hard for me to bond with my baby for weeks. Things turned around for me dramatically around 8 weeks when he started sleeping through the night (started with 6 hour stretches all the way to 10, and i know i am very fortunate in that department) and you would be surprised what a little bit of rest can do for your spirits. Expect it to be tough, but also know it gets better!!!

Probably an 8. My son was very high needs and would cry whenever he wasn't in my arms attached to my boob. I could never lay him down anywhere. He hated his swing, hated the bassinet, just wanted me, me, me all the time! It was exhausting, because I never could get a minute to myself. He was rather grumpy too for the first several months, and would whine constantly even though he had just ate and had a clean diaper. He had jaundice for the first week of life, so we had 3 extra doctor appointments we had to take him to, plus we were sent home with a bilirubin blanket to use on him. Again, I had to hold him in my arms while he was wrapped in the thing. He was also a bad sleeper and had reflux. I didn't have much support from family or friends, so I felt completely alone for the most part. DH wasn't helpful, because he said he had no idea what to do. If the baby cried, he handed him to me. I'm hoping the second will be easier!

Probably an 8 or 9. It was really rough- I was not prepared for how hard I would be. Crying all day when she wasn't nursing, breastfeeding issues, colic...

Hearing people describe their newborn experience that was so different than mine makes me really hope that I get that this next baby.