5 Ways life changes as soon as you have a baby...
1). You quickly realize that sleep is really never going to happen in any significant stretch of time. The most sleep I have had in one sprint since the 11 days my baby was born is 3 hrs. Mostly I am averaging 3-5 hours in a 24 hour period.
2). Your body begins surviving on very little food. Your brain goes into like a new mode to get through the nights and days on very little sleep, and getting through other things that are essential to keeping your little one healthy and happy (feeding, pumping to feedlater, diaper changes, washes, holding and comforting them, etc.). I not only forget to eat, but my body doesn't really signal me or give me that "hey, it's been 8 hours since you ate anything" starving feeling. So I have to make sure I am getting something in my body on my own.
3.) There really are a lot of people who want to help, even in small ways and you become incredibly grateful for them. From friends who have ordered us take out, to family and coworkers who have given us gift cards we can use for delivery, to family who came over to wash dishes or do laundry and even just sending things we need via Amazon. I am grateful for each person who has helped in any little way.
4.) Your priorities completely shift. I already mentioned food, but everything becomes all about this little one. Prioritizing anything else is extremely difficult, everything from important things (remembering to get all the insurance forms turned in) to the small things (like showering, using the restroom, doing your dishes, changing your clothes, brushing your hair or teeth) or things that fall way lower on the list. Of course, we do them just not on a schedule like we did before. We are on the baby's schedule now and its 24/7.
5.) IT IS ALL WORTH IT. I can say that the last 11 days have been the hardest, most tiring, emotionally draining, time of my life. Pretty sure my husband would agree. But literally one look at this baby of ours face and it is all worth it. The love I feel for this little human being is beyond compare. It makes me excited to see him grow and change every single day and now I know what other parents mean when they say its the best thing you will ever do.