New mom surprises

Bea grows and changes every day. Last week, she found her tongue. This week, she’s using it to blow raspberries. It’s adorable and amazing. When I stop to think about it, I can’t believe everything she has learned (and the clothes she’s outgrown) in just three months.
The last few months have been full of changes and realizations for me as well. As my first postpartum trimester comes to a close, I thought I’d share the three things I found most surprising:
1. When they say, “you’ll lose a little hair,” they actually mean, “you’ll lose pretty much all of it.” I knew my big ol’ mane of pregnant lady hair wasn’t going to last forever. What I didn’t know was that when it decided to go away, it would start falling out by the handful. Without getting too graphic, it’s like I’m left holding a blonde hamster every time I run my fingers through my hair. No matter how much I wash, brush, and vacuum, I can’t keep up. It’s disturbing for everyone in the household—especially when Andy or I pick up Bea and she’s covered in a shaggy dusting of my hair. Ew.
2. Nursing bras are important. Even though I was planning on breastfeeding, I really didn’t think much about nursing apparel while I was pregnant. With so much planning going on, it seems like it’d be common sense to look beyond all the maternity clothes and baby gear and throw a couple of nursing tanks onto the pile, but I didn’t. Then, Bea arrived and I quickly realized my two nursing bras and one tiny box of awful throw-away nursing pads was a severe underestimation. After a couple of weeks of extra laundry (and extra nipple discomfort), I picked up a few more bras and a couple packs of gloriously soft washable nursing pads. My life instantly changed for the better.
3. Even when your clothes fit again, you can’t wear what you want. While I was pregnant, I spent a lot of time fretting about how long it would take to shimmy back into my pre-pregnancy clothes. What a waste of mental energy! If you wonder why moms have a reputation for wearing the same thing several days in a row, it’s because picking out an outfit is highly complex—and it usually has nothing to do with whether or not their clothes fit. Every outfit has a whole list of considerations: Is it impractical for nursing? Is it dry-clean only? Does it require special underwear? Does it restrict movement? Does it show any weird post-baby bulges? Will it scratch, poke, or irritate the baby? Will it show drool stains? Is it still showing drool stains from the last time I wore it? Does it require me to shave my legs or paint my toes?” If the answer is “yes” to any of these questions (and it almost always is), then the search continues for something else. To save time and disappointment, that something usually involves yoga pants.
I may miss my hair and 80 percent of my closet, but just for the record, a single giggle-inducing raspberry is totally worth every failed follicle and dejected piece of clothing! And that may be the biggest surprise of them all.