5 Things That I've Learnt so Far

1. Having a well-stocked snack drawer will help you no end! I found that being up all night for the first week and a half, plus breastfeeding for 6-8 hours a day (yup, really) made me really ravenous. Plus, I didn't really have time to sit down and eat a proper meal in the first few weeks and was burning lots of extra calories breastfeeding. My sister-in-law made me a load of flapjacks, which were really handy at breakfast time.
2. Dry shampoo is your new BFF. Seriously, most days I feel disgusting! I now bath with my baby and do my make-up in 2 minutes flat. Also, you can use baby wipes to give your face a quick clean or have a whore's bath.
3. They say it's OK not to be perfect, but you are. You and your baby are actually perfect for eachother and as much as people can give their advice and opinions, nobody will know your baby as well as you do. Before Isabella was sleeping through the night, I didn't really mind being awake because that was our special time, we used to have cuddles and little chats and she'd practice her smiling.
4. Stroppy time is perfectly normal. I've yet to find 1 pregnancy book to warn of this! When Isabella was a couple of weeks old, every day when it got to late afternoon/early evening, she would start being stroppy and want to be walked around and nurse for a minute or 2 at a time, then whinge some more. This would go on for at least an hour and I would try everything to calm her down. It wasn't until I started googling it, that I found out that it was perfectly normal and it's just because babies are learning so much so fast and adjusting to being in the world, so at the end of the day it all becomes a bit too much for them. Especially if you have a really alert baby who's interested in everything as they can get overstimulated easily. Luckily, it passes! 
5. You bloody deserve it!!! I tried doing the Special K diet to get rid of the rest of my baby weight, but I couldn't keep it up as I was too tired, plus breastfeeding really takes it out of you! So now, if I want to have a bit of chocolate or have an over-priced latte, I do it because I've been through 10 months of pregnancy, 6 hours of labour, godknowshowmany stitches, been pooed, wee'd, dribbled and thrown-up on (sometimes simultaneously) and I bloody deserve a treat now and then! After all, mummies don't get lunch breaks!