At the present moment, I know a few expectant mothers and/or moms who delivered babies within the past week or are set to deliver soon. It’s like a 2020 mini baby boom! Ahhh, congrats!

With all of these new moms gazing into brand new sets of eyes and wondering a few things about those first few months, I thought it would be a nice time to share some of the top newborn myths I believed when I had my first.

I’m no expert, just a mom, doin’ her thing and blogging about it. :)

But if my words help you in the slightest, then that will make me oh-so-happy. And don’t worry, I have a feeling these baby myths should have you feeling less stressed out or overwhelmed than you may be feeling right now.

The first on this list has to do with delivery: ow.

BABY MYTH #1: Delivery is going to be just as tough as the movies.

The delivery itself is a game of mind over matter. You may have an easy delivery, where the baby is like hey, I’m here! Most others, however, will have a long game of labor and waiting, impatience and waiting, pushing, contractions, delivery.

After seeing many deliveries on movies and on tv, you’d think it was just like the movies.

I mean, not exactly, I get there’s a big difference between a movie and real life, but you expect lots of screaming and shouts, “GIVE HER THE EPIDURAL!” and jokes about the partner passing out overseeing it happening.

And then you expect to look all nice and refreshed when they hand you the baby but really, you’re so tired. Bring your bag of beauty tricks if you must, but I wouldn’t have even spent an ounce of precious energy on a swipe of blush. Or lip gloss. You’re just so tired.

There’s no guidebook to deliver, and you never know if yours will be super easy or a little bit tougher. A woman once summed it up nicely: “Labor is hard work.” She left it at that. She said, “It’s not so much painful as it is just very hard work.” And it is. It is a different experience for each woman, but we can all agree: it is hard work.

The reward, obviously, makes you forget all about it… and you deliver baby number two, but this time it’s easier and you’re cracking jokes with your husband and the nurses shut your door because you’re too loud and having too much fun. ;) Facts.

So, in conclusion, it’s not like the movies at all, it’s 100x better.

Cute card below that always makes me smile! By Snowtap.

BABY MYTH #2: New baby clothes are easy to put on.

Dressing our first in an actual outfit for his “going home outfit” was tough! Yes, they’re teeny and tiny, but so are those clothes and all the snaps and buttons. Getting their arms and legs into clothing is hard because you are freaked out about moving them, as they feel so fragile!

It is scary trying to dress them, even when you feel like you don’t want to move their arms or legs too much. But don’t worry, you get the hang of it pretty quickly.

BABY MYTH #3: Baby diapers are stinky.

No, their first few poops don’t really even smell like anything at all. I remember the first few dirty diapers and thinking, that’s it? That’s no problem!

And when they get bigger, well, that changes, but it’s still not as bad as people make it out to sound. I’ve changed plenty of diapers and it is just easier to take care of it ASAP. :)

BABY MYTH #4: Baby blankets are for babies.

This is the funniest one and I’ve had conversations about this with people. Everywhere you look, baby blankets are available in all kinds of sizes and colors and styles and prices — but the baby never actually gets to really use the blanket in his or her crib for a long, long time.

They are adorable, though, especially the personalized name blankets! And great for newborn photos.

This is obviously due to not wanting any loose articles of clothing or blankets in the crib with your baby, which is very important. With our first, it felt odd to me that you would put a baby in a bed with no pillow, no blanket, no stuffed animals; all, of course, for the health of the baby and the way to do it.

But you realize that all those baby blankets you bought? Yeah, you’ll snuggle them in your lap and tuck them in on stroller rides, but they don’t really use them in their beds until much later. You may catch yourself snuggling up to it on the couch, though, when you eventually fall asleep in-between feedings.

Who can resist a stack of these soft blankets tho?!

So the baby blankets… might really be for the moms or dads. :)

To make myself feel better about staying warm in the crib, I used these wearable blankets that I absolutely loved and recommend to anyone having a baby. I liked this brand because they have a microfleece, a real lifesaver during harsh Michigan winters. It’s a sleeveless style, so you dress your baby in pajamas underneath and then the sleeping sack on top. It keeps them nice and cozy, but without getting too hot; and they can’t get the material around their face, so YOU sleep like a baby knowing they are safe.

This was an essential baby must-have for me and I bought new ones as our kids got older. We eventually even had our toddler wearing this one that Andrew says looks like a Flying Squirrel outfit, and he’s sort of right, but it is so cute!

It really helped us when our first was kicking off his covers during the night. You never worry they’re cold since the sleep sack is always in place.

You can get one in a variety of colors; I think it is an essential item to add to your baby registry here. And if you want to see the ‘Flying Squirrel’ version for toddlers, here it is. The feet openings are a great addition so if they get out of bed in the middle of the night, they don’t trip and fall. Smart.

BABY MYTH #5: All babies like to be swaddled.

This might be a fact for you, but for me? MYTH! Both of our boys hated swaddling. So, feel free to buy swaddles or one swaddle baby sleeper, but don’t invest in too many until you know whether or not they even like the swaddling.

BABY MYTH #6: You’ll never get sleep again.

One of the biggest annoyances to me is when people tell a new mom-to-be, “Get sleep now!” or “Sleep while you can!”

I find it such a negative takeaway from all the beauty and fun of newborns. And it’s such a small amount of time when you look back upon it.

I’ll admit, you are VERY tired in those early weeks. You are exhausted beyond.

But it’s not like you can save up sleep in a battery or prepare yourself mentally for it.

But eventually, although you may not believe me when you’re reading this in the middle of the night during a feeding, you will sleep soundly again, you might even sleep in!

Does it feel like the sleep you ordered is out of stock? Sure thing! Will you no longer dream of fancy vacations or nice things, but instead have a desire for a block of 8 hours where you can climb under your blankets and sleep? Yes!

Will you never sleep again? NO! You will sleep again. You really will, and you doubt me, but it’s true.

Here’s my best advice: the three-month rule.

Give yourself THREE months. I know that sounds impossible. It feels unreasonable, really. But imagine yourself three months from the time you had a newborn. Just know that in three month’s time, your baby will be on a better sleeping schedule, you’ll be more rested, you won’t feel exhausted, you’ll have this thing down to a science, and you’ll know your baby’s sleeping routine better.

Plus, by the 3-month mark, babies tend to develop better sleeping schedules and may even be sleeping for larger blocks of time during the night, which means so will you.

Someone passed on those words of wisdom to me before I had my first, and I’m glad I held on to those words. Keep repeating it to yourself whenever you need a reminder: just give it three months. And you know what? I bet in three months, one day you’ll realize, HEY! It has been 3 months and she was right! I’m totally rocking this thing and I feel so much better! I have energy!

It’s true. Would I lead you astray? Nope.

BABY MYTH #7: You must be very quiet while babies sleep.

One of the best nuggets of advice someone passed along to me was: don’t try to be so quiet when your baby is asleep.

Sure, don’t be loud and rude… I’m talking a little more hushed than usual to let them sleep — but go about your activities as you normally would. For us, this worked wonders: our babies became heavy sleepers, sleeping through loud noises and music and cooking and laundry machines running.

If I was worried about sound all the time, I’d be hesitant to get anything done when they slept, and perhaps the tiniest noise would wake them up after months of sleeping in completely quiet environments.

This also helped tremendously when we had baby #2. Our first was able to sleep quietly through the night even when the baby would wake up for feedings. Either it is the way they are meant to be heavy sleepers or the way we ran things around here as normal as possible noise-wise, but either way, I’ll take it! :)

But also, don’t feel the NEED to get anything done when your baby is taking a nap. Sometimes, that’s nature’s way of saying it’s time for you to nap, too. Go ahead and put your baby in a crib all safe and sound; climb into your bed in the same room or, like I did many times, totally passed out on the floor in the nursery with that tiny baby blanket we mentioned in the first point. Ha!

BABY MYTH #8: You can’t take newborns anywhere.

It feels like you can’t take babies anywhere at first, since they’re so fragile and tiny and new.

It’s true that you may want to law low and hang out at home for a while, to keep babies from catching colds and viruses. But don’t feel stuck in the house!

Babies are the MOST portable when they are so little and sleep for many hours of the day.

If you need a nice outing, take your baby for a stroller ride. If it’s nice outside, you can even take your baby outside on a nice blanket on the grass and enjoy some fresh air and sunshine.

Pretty soon you’ll get used to going places with your baby, even for a drive to get a coffee for yourself (oh, yes!) or to drive around and see if they’ll fall asleep.

Our kids always love a car ride and fall asleep during them frequently, to this day. I remember many times when it was nap time and I could not get one of them to nap, so I would go get a coffee, get them all set up in their car seat, and go for a nice relaxing drive and see the fall leaves, or listen to music while he snoozed away.

It is essential to get out of the house a bit, even in small doses, so you don’t go nuts indoors.

If you’re having a hard time with newborn life at first, I remember reading this blog post about a mom who needed some sort of routine to keep her sanity. I think we can all relate, especially in those first few weeks.

So, she would get up early, bundle up the baby in the jogger, and go for a walk. Come home, make breakfast, feed the baby. Then an hour later, bundle up, go out with the jogger, a nice stroll, come home and have lunch and feed the baby. It seemed like a lot of walking, but those endorphins get pumping, you’re getting fresh air, and you’re getting out of the house.

I always thought it was a great suggestion for any new mom or dad struggling with the newborn stage. Babies are, in fact, quite portable. :)

BABY MYTH #9: Babies need lots of things.

Is it fun to have lots of baby things at-the-ready? Sure thing! I mean, just look at this face!

Do you absolutely need to have every single thing on your registry or wish list immediately when baby arrives? Nope!

Babies need the obvious things: your love, attention, care.

Product-wise, babies need:

– diapers
– wipes
– breastmilk or formula + bottles (I personally liked these, but you do you!)
– a few outfits
– a few bibs
– a safe crib or bassinet to sleep in; sheet plus one backup sheet (and waterproof sheets underneath, I cannot stress these enough!)
– car seat
– blankets for holding and snuggling
– sleep sack for staying warm while sleeping (as mentioned earlier)

They don’t need anything else really at first. Babies won’t be mad at you for not having a nursery put together… they won’t judge you for not having a Pinterest-ready set up… they won’t want to play with any toys yet… and you can toss anything you need in any tote bag, not necessarily a baby bag!

Okay, and maybe they need a few funny bodysuits, ’cause they’re pretty fun. This one makes me laugh every time! By EAndMeCo.

See also: “Would Poop Here Again” bodysuit // and these Office-themed baby outfits.

BABY MYTH #10: You’ll know your baby immediately.

If you’ve just had a newborn and you feel like, whaaa? Who is this person?! Don’t fret. You have this instinct that you’ll know your baby instantly after having bonded with them for 9 months in utero, and of course, you definitely do.

But when you meet them, and you get to know things about them, it’s hard to not take it personally when they cry, even though you swore up and down this was the way you could get them to fall asleep, or soothe them, etc.

That’s totally normal. You will have that initial love-them-more-than-anything feeling and you’re instantly their protector, but don’t forget, you are meeting a new human being! You’re new to them! They’re new to you!

And you’re navigating this entirely brand new world together. It’s fun, promise.

He or she will have likes, dislikes, favorite ways to sleep, snuggle, or lay; they won’t like a particular bottle, they won’t like to sleep in the crib, or they might; they might scream at the sound of your mobile, or it will soothe them to sleep. It’s all a toss-up!

Take time to get to know your baby and don’t worry so much about “getting it all right”. You ARE getting it all right. And every day that you show up and be the best mom you can be, you’ll learn more about your baby and get to know everything about them in a way no one else has the pleasure of knowing! You’re his or her mom! You’re awesome!

And you’re doing a great job.
Never forget that.

I hope this list of newborn baby myths has given you some helpful tips and made you smile a little! If you have tips to add, please include them in the comments. As moms, we can take all the tips and tricks and advice we can get!

XO
Emma