Wait, what manual??!! That's right, babies don't come with an instruction manual, but if they did, here are some things you probably would NOT find in it...
- When changing a diaper, be sure to put the new diaper under the old one BEFORE opening the dirty one. Babies are known to pee when air hits them, and they will poop more every time you try to wipe their pooper..so have 3 or 4 diapers ready at every diaper change as well as a new outfit or two just in case. Especially in the middle of the night when this is more likely to occur.
- Speaking of diaper changes, do not be alarmed if it sounds like an explosion when your baby poops. This is perfectly normal and does not cause your baby any harm.
- Speaking of explosions, make sure to put diapers on rather snuggly. Things have a very creative way of sneaking out!
- When feeding a bottle, have a burp rag handy to catch all the spills so you don't have to change the baby's outfit. Babies can be very drippy.
- Babies make lots and lots of laundry, so be prepared to do it!
- When picking up a hungry baby, beware of what comes near their mouth, they will try to suck on anything. Your only warning is a wide open mouth swinging violently back and forth searching for anything that remotely resembles a nipple of any kind.
- Don't be alarmed by sounds that the baby makes in her sleep, they may range anywhere from little grunting noises, to what may sound like a sheep, a puppy, or even a machine gun. These are completely normal and no cause for concern.
- Even though your newborn may be so soundly alseep that she will not move a muscle no matter what you do to her, it is perfectly normal for her to wake up the moment you lay her down in her own bed.
- Babies love to be swaddled in a blanket tightly when put to bed, but no matter how tightly you wrap them, the baby will always find a way to get her arms out of the blanket when upset to she can flail them around while grunting and trying to suck on them.
- A poopy diaper is almost always directly followed by a look of contentment in the baby's eyes and what I call "a cheerio face" where the lips make an O shape. No one knows why this happens, but it is extremely common.
- Babies most frequently poop in a clean diaper right after a diaper change.
- Do not be alarmed by strange facial expressions during sleep that can change from one second to the next. The baby may be smiling one second, rolling her eyes the next, and whimpering the next. This is just practice for the teen age years and research has shown that it is perfectly normal.
- Parents should adjust their lives so that they can find a way to function on very little sleep, 4 to 5 hours a night is normal for the first few months if not more after your baby comes home. Just suck it up.
- So to sum up, between the laundry, feedings, diaper changes and lack of sleep, enjoy your infant...they are only little for a short time:)
