12 Weird Things All First-Time Moms Worry About
By now you’ve probably seen the Luvs diapers commercial showing the first-time mom totally over-reacting and sanitizing everything, and then the second-time mom hands her kid off to the dirty mechanic. Yep, that pretty much sums up the neurotic things that go through your mind as a first-time mom. No matter how many times or how many moms tell you not to worry about said things, nothing can control the overactive mind of a woman who’s just given birth to a tiny human. Not even my well-intentioned husband who I trust more than my own self, half the time, can curb the nonsense that came out of my mouth after our first was born. Let’s take a quiz, shall we? And be honest, how many of these twelve are you guilty of?
p.s. Don’t worry, a 12 out of 12 just means you’re just as nuts as the rest of us :)
1. Will my baby get tangled in the umbilical cord?
No seriously. I had major sleep loss over this one. I’d lay there awake at night imagining my baby rolling around and getting wrapped up like a bug in a spider web. Ironically, when he was born he actually had the cord wrapped around his neck three times and even then he was perfectly fine. You can read more about that here. So don’t sweat it.
2. Does everyone poop when they have a baby?
Ok, admit it, you were scared half to death about this one happening, weren’t you? When I was pregnant with my first I remember asking other moms I knew if they had, and I’m pretty sure they all just laughed like – trust me, that will be the least of your worries. Well, they were right, and ironically modern science now proves that going #2 during delivery is actually healthy for both mom and baby. Really. I’m not messing with you. Apparently pooping on the delivery table now has an important and very impactful purpose: to strengthen a baby’s gut microbiome. By now, you’ve heard me going on and on about the importance of the critical first 6 months of baby’s life for autoimmune and metabolic development – and the significant role the composition of baby’s gut microbiome plays in this process. Well, if you’re not all for the ole “pooping on your baby” trick, then you’ll be relieved to know that a team of doctors and scientists found a way to repopulate the infant gut with these good bacteria, regardless of whether or not mom poops during childbirth or delivers via C-section. And hallelujah, because as far as I know (cuz I’ve also been told doctors don’t always tell you if you poo), I haven’t had to worry about this whole dilemma. Plus, we’ve been using Evivo probiotics with baby Cha Cha since she was a few months old, and have been so blessed with a healthy baby and no signs of colic like her big bro. Phew.
3. Does getting an epidural make my baby high?
Ok so it sounds pretty stupid, but I convinced myself that this was what the epidural debate was all about – when really it’s a lot more complex than that. Even though it really was only for a hot minute that I even entertained the idea of having a natural birth – I learned that the risks are really low which in the end made me feel better. Plus, when push came to shove (literally), all I wanted was to not feel like my torso was being torn in half.
4. How will I know when to breastfeed?
Breastfeeding to me was the most ambiguous thing about pregnancy. It’s like, I knew I wanted to do it but I didn’t consider myself one of those moms signing up for every single class on the subject. So with my first, I figured I’d just wing it – that is until I visited my friend in the hospital who’s baby was born three months before mine. I almost had a minor panic attack watching nurse after nurse lecture her on breastfeeding every five minutes, and then watched her jot down every feeding (whether successful or not) in her breastfeeding journal. Needless to say, I wished I’d taken the classes, and immediately downloaded the most popular “breastfeeding tracker” app which I ended up using religiously. Now with Charlotte, things went way more smoothly and I’ve mentioned before how well she took to nursing compared to Garrett. It’s pretty amazing how different every baby is, and the new advancements in science, like Evivo baby probiotics which uses the good bacteria B. infantis mixed with breastmilk, that restores a baby’s gut so that they can thrive. I’m so grateful we found Evivo and I encourage you to learn more about them!
5. Is baby constipation normal?
I’m not kidding when I say that the first time my baby had constipation, I thought he was never going to poop again. Which actually you would think after dealing with multiple blow-outs a day, would be a welcome notion. I called every mom friend I knew, my own mom, and then finally my sister-in-law the pharmacist who told me I could try juice but that honestly it just had to run its course. Don’t worry, he pooped again, and again, and again. Luckily with my second, I’ve been using Evivo, which is clinically proven to restore B. infantis to baby’s gut, while reducing the potentially harmful bacteria linked to colic, eczema, allergies, diabetes, and obesity by 80%. I’ve also not had to worry so much about this whole poo situation which can be tricky once they start solids – if anything, this little lady goes too much!
6. What are those worm looking things in my baby’s poo?
Ok before you freak out like every other mom on the internet, myself included, it’s not worms. When you start feeding your baby solids, bananas are usually one of the first Doctor-approved foods you can feed them. Hence, banana fiber. Hence, black looking threads in the diaper. If you have no idea what I’m talking about – do yourself a favor and do not google it. Gross. Luckily, as a second-time mom, I remembered this little tip and I’m also pleased to say we haven’t had nearly the amount of tummy issues that we did with Garrett, thanks to Evivo probiotics.
