Comments on: It gets better: a look back at my third newborn experience

By: Eating my own dogfood, months 10 to 12

Eating my own dogfood, months 10 to 12 — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:13:18 +0000

[...] in and it turns out that I am a rookie at having three children but no longer a rookie baby mama. Not that I’m a pro with the baby, but this guy gets to deal with carpools instead of mommy and me swimming classes; he’s more [...]

By: Cara

Cara — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 19:01:21 +0000

This is great. We have a 4 week old and a 4 year old and my husband and I keep going “Did she sleep like this? Did she wake up so much at night? I don’t remember!” It’s amazing how so much of it feels new even though we have done it before.
Our daughter didn’t have so much as a runny nose until the week before she turned 1 — this little guy on the other hand has his first cold already, passed on from big sister…and me, since I got it from her.
Now she just threw up this morning, so fingers crossed that doesn’t get passed on!
I think hearing others’ realities is so helpful — he is wonderful and amazing and super mellow…and he is up a LOT in the night and we are TIRED!

By: Heather Flett

Heather Flett — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 19:11:59 +0000

Heather, thanks for getting back in touch. I guess it helps to know that we’ve all had the “what the hell have we just done?” moments.

The only way out is through.

By: Heather

Heather — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 16:02:13 +0000

Thank you, Heather! You may remember that I posted a desperate comment to you after having my 3rd baby! I was terrified and definitely in the, “OMG, what have we done?” mindset.
I love reading this post. I only wish it had been available about 3 months ago during one of my 2 hour nursing-continually-so-he-wont-cry sessions. But you helped me tremendously anyway, with your supportive emails. Thank you so much! xo
Heather

By: Heather Flett

Heather Flett — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:47:48 +0000

@Alissa, You’re sweet. I already had a private email from a good friend today who asked if I was trying to terrify her. Oops.

By: Alissa

Alissa — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:41:34 +0000

This is the best. You rock, Heather. I know this will help people!

By: Heather Flett

Heather Flett — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:05:50 +0000

Ladies, I always marvel at the moms for whom infancy is easy. But the mind/body forgets the worst of it.

Your comments make me remember it all again. Hugs all around.

By: Kristin

Kristin — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:58:28 +0000

When we had our second, I felt like it was false advertising on the part of every happy family I had ever seen with more than one kid, and I was angry. He had colic, never slept, and I had poor milk production. But he didn’t like a bottle. Awful. The one day I thought it might be okay–he slept for more than 10 minutes in a row, wasn’t trying to nurse every minute he was awake, wasn’t screaming bloody murder–I took a picture and posted on Facebook that we might make it. He was 4 weeks old and it was the first day I wasn’t in tears all day. And by 10 PM that night he was in PICU with sepsis after having coded. So his one good day in infancy was because he was on death’s doorstep with a freak urinary tract infection. And I have to admit, some of the most horrible moments of that hospitalization was the realization that he was only sleeping and quiet because he was sick, and the better he felt, the more he cried and refused to sleep. He was about 7 months when he started to grow out of the constant crying, feeding issues, and refusal to sleep (although he is still a tricky sleeper, but at least he sleeps).
Also now a healthy, happy toddler. Also now totally worth that whole first year. And some days it is super hard to even remember what it felt like. But that first year was a special kind of awful.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:06:51 +0000

Thanks for sharing this and giving us the mantra “it will get better” my baby is now 6 months old and we had a pretty good run but now, just about 2 weeks ago he started with the random crying throughout the night….I am literally running on coffee and a prayer. Repeat: it will get better!!!!

By: Liz

Liz — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:47:46 +0000

Thank you for sharing your frustrations and challenges in those early days. My second son Emmet is 8 days old and my biggest hurdle is my own expectation of normalcy or routine. When we are embarking on a 2 hour soothing session or continuous nursing marathon – I will remember that I am not the only one and that it gets better!