in this thread you give me all your newborn baby advice

[SCP]

homebaby won't turn upside down, which means a C-section, which means scheduling it, which means phillyb is gonna have a kid on monday. sweet hot damn that's soon.

go.

The only advice I can offer is enjoy EVERY second of it. It blows my mind how fast they grow up. My boys are 8 and 3 now and it seems like yesterday they were newborns, and thats not a cliche. I absolutely love every stage of development. Take lots of video, lots of photos, hug them every day and just enjoy the happiness they bring. Even when times are tough and stressful, a child's innocence will bring you back to what life is all about.

Oh, and NEVER admit to your wife that you smell baby poop.

Oh, and don't trust your kids with just anybody. fugin sickos in this world. If you end up going the daycare route, its worth every penny to go to a higher end place. The place my 8 year old went to and 3 year old is going to has video cameras that I can log-in to see what's going on. It makes a difference when the caregivers know mom and dad can see them live.

[SCP]

Breast pumps are gold but your wife needs to be dedicated. My wife was a champ about it. Used to go in a closet at work to pump her hoots. It's good for the kids and the wallet.

[RedMage138]

Hire Michael J. Fox as your babysitter. 

[PhillyB]

Breast pumps are gold but your wife needs to be dedicated. My wife was a champ about it. Used to go in a closet at work to pump her hoots. It's good for the kids and the wallet.

"pump your hoots" has now entered my lexicon. thank you for your contribution to the phillyb household.

[TheAmericanDream]

Omg. Get ready for some blow outs.

You will think what in the hell did you eat.

[saX man]

don't drop it

 

[SCP]

Omg. Get ready for some blow outs.

You will think what in the hell did you eat.

.

It's truly amazing how baby poo can go from a babies asshole to every clean surface within a 100 mile radius of the blowout.

[CatofWar]

When the baby is born from to around a week or two its poo will be thick and black, like tar. It will be hard to remove. It's normal, don't freak the fug out like I did. If the kid is a little yellow its no big deal, just set it in front of a window and it will clear up. The nurses will tell you to wake up the kid at night, every 2 to 4 hours for feeding. That's fuging crazy. It's up to you but if you chose to do so your kid will stay on that schedule. The baby will wake up if its hungry. Both my sons slept throughout the night once they were around 2-3 weeks old.

Like others have said sometimes babies just cry. It's ok. If they're not hungry or soiled they might just wanna wail. Let em. Not gonna hurt them. Good luck. This is the best thing that will happen to you.

[chknwing]

I reccomend this product

 

[Kurb]

Best thing I can offer is its not as scarey as people make it out to be.

[Kurb]

Zachary is 16 months now. So it's been a bit since he was a newborn. I was working as a bridge tender at wrights ville beach when was in newborn stage.

Few things I remember:

Change more diapers than your wife does. First few weeks she is a wreck, phyically and hormonally. Clean things, change diapers, cook, etc. she will feel like a milk cow, and rightfully so. You will be exhausted, but her more so, so be ready to go into super hubby mode.

Your wife will likely melt down at least once after you get home. Again b/c of a hormonal "dump". Flowers help. Other than that follow your usual SOP for such.

Touch the kid a lot. Be the after bath time skin to skin warmer. It's likely the best time for such contact. Kiddies know mommys smell from all the booby meals, skin2skin with da creates nod with you as well.

Eat poo and cry. That's really it. Some smiles and such come along the way.

Take a disturbing amount of photos.

You are never tired. Let me repeat YOU ARE NEVER TIRED.

It's minimum six weeks before you can get laid, be prepared to add to,that time frame.

Pacifiers are not bad things.

Breast milk from a bottle is ok, it also gives her a break and let's you in on feeding time.

It's 110000000% ok to send a newborn to the nursery so you can sleep. I actually recommend it.

Some women consider a c-section some kind of failure, ymmv. I have heard recovery takes longer. She will need your help walking, likely, possibly more than that.

Basically you as a human do not exist. "How's mommy and baby?" Is "hello" now.

Everything in the universe that is important will change the moment you lock eyes with your kid. It's cliche as hell, but it was true for me. I was placed on this earth in this realm of existence to be Zachary's dad, I knew if from the first time he looked up at me.

Guess I remembered more than I realized.

As with any advice ymmv.

[pstall]

minimize all the books on raising kids. it will overwhelm you and 10 books will say A is good and make a compelling argument and 10 books will say A is bad and make a compelling argument.

 

sleep fo sho

be mindful of the new parent fog. you will go to sleep on Sun night and wake up and its Friday.

 

lean on family and friends that are close by.

 

don't smother your wife or baby.

 

cozy up with dads you are friends with who have done a good job raising kids. full disclosure. i don't live in the GBO area but am trying to get up there. my input will be free of course. just serve me a good drink(s)

 

utilize the nurse hotline

 

remember that you are not the first parents on terra firma. sounds odd but once you realize millions upon millions of gone before you, then you will be at chill level 2.

 

 

[Proudiddy]

Prepare yourself for the least amount of sleep you have had over any given time period. Well, at least the least amount of QUALITY sleep.

And not to get too personal, but if your wife is breastfeeding it definitely makes the first few months easier.

[KSpan]

Swaddle that kid and swaddle it tight.  Babies love to be swaddled, though they have some kind of black magic that lets them wiggle an arm or leg out no matter how well you do it.