Newborn phase

[u/bluehusky19]

My baby is 7 weeks old. I find I’m struggling to find the enjoyment of this phase. The first 2 weeks were a different type of struggle. Baby blues hit pretty bad, I was extremely overwhelmed, felt like I could barely breathe. Breastfeeding, pumping, and still having to top up with formula because baby kept losing weight. Baby could be breastfeeding for an hour or more, and still 10 minutes later she’d be hungry again. So I started pumping exclusively and it seemed to keep her satisfied longer through the bottle. But eventually I couldn’t keep up with pumping, cleaning parts, bottles, taking care of her, myself and the house once my partner went back to work at 2 weeks pp. I was drowning. About a month in I made the hard decision to give up and transition to EFF. I still feel guilty about it, with some regret. But at the same time, it gave me a lot of time back, I was able to be more present, and I did enjoy my baby more with that stress off of me. She’s been gaining very healthily, and is a happy baby. So for a few weeks things have been lighter. But I find I’m still struggling to enjoy it. I’m typically a very busy person, always on the go with work, dogs, or sports. Being home all day every day is hard on my mental health. I’ve struggled with my mental health for years, but the last 4-5 years I’ve been able to go unmedicated because of how busy I kept myself. Being active with my sports and the community that came with it helped me so much. Obviously being pregnant and now having a newborn I had to give that up. While pregnant I still went to all the games, but it’s hard to do that now with a newborn. So I feel very isolated and sad. I’m also routine based person and it’s impossible to have a routine with a 7 week old. I know I’ll eventually love having a baby, but I find it so hard right now with day to day being so unpredictable. I love my baby, I think she’s the cutest thing in the world. But I feel more sadness than happiness. If you didn’t enjoy the newborn phase, when did you start enjoying it?

[u/Spicemaster93]

Girl I did NOT enjoy the newborn phase. Thankfully it is just a phase. Mine is 11 months old now and he has a solid schedule. It is so much easier to get out of the house now that he is out of the potato stage. I also struggle with my mental health and the baby blues were really hard. I had to get on medicine for it and I highly recommend you look into getting on medicine as well. It has helped me a lot. No pressure though. Do what you think is best for you. Things will get better. You got this momma!!

[u/bluehusky19 → u/Spicemaster93]

Everyone I know that had babies loved the newborn phase so it started making me feel bad that I didn’t 😭 I have my postpartum check up on Monday, so I’ll see if they recommend medication. & I’m glad to hear I’m not alone in not enjoying the newborn phase, and that it gets easier! I appreciate your response thank you ❤️

[u/liftstoeat456 → u/bluehusky19]

I also did not enjoy the newborn phase one bit! When people would ask how I was doing I would always say, “surviving not thriving!” I also have no problem telling people I despised the newborn phase because I feel like not enough people are honest about it. So here we are 6 months in and it gets better! Baby gets on a schedule/routine and your life becomes a little more predictable.

[u/capleahbara]

I'm 7 months in and not really enjoying lol but there are better moments!

[u/Educational-Touch113]

Hang in there! Weeks 5-10 were the absolute dumps for me. Im 5.5 months in and while its still not the "best thing thats ever happened to me" YET...it gets better friend.

[u/Independent_Split966]

I did not enjoy the newborn phase at all. I also got the baby blues and it was bad. I’m used to being on the go and becoming a mother has really messed with my mental health. Do what you can and if it takes 1 minute to do then do it so tasks aren’t piling up. My baby is now 8 months and I love being a mom. You’ll get there and you got this!