12 Weird Things All First-Time Moms Worry About

This post is sponsored by Evivo, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

By now you’ve probably seen the Luvs diapers commercial showing the first-time mom totally over-reacting and sanitizing everything, and then the second-time mom hands her kid off to the dirty mechanic. Yep, that pretty much sums up the neurotic things that go through your mind as a first-time mom. No matter how many times or how many moms tell you not to worry about said things, nothing can control the overactive mind of a woman who’s just given birth to a tiny human. Not even my well-intentioned husband who I trust more than my own self half the time, can curb the nonsense that came out of my mouth after our first was born. Let’s take a quiz shall we? And be honest, how many of these twelve are you guilty of?

p.s. Don’t worry, a 12 out of 12 just means you’re just as nuts as the rest of us 😉

1. Will my baby get tangled in the umbilical cord?

No seriously. I had major sleep loss over this one. I’d lay there awake at night imagining my baby rolling around and getting wrapped up like a bug in a spider web. Ironically, when he was born he actually had the cord wrapped around his neck three times and even then he was perfectly fine. You can read more about that here. So don’t sweat it.

2. Does everyone poop when they have a baby?

Ok, admit it, you were scared half to death about this one happening, weren’t you? When I was pregnant with my first I remember asking other moms I knew if they had, and I’m pretty sure they all just laughed like – trust me, that will be the least of your worries. Well they were right, and ironically modern science now proves that going #2 during delivery is actually healthy for both mom and baby. Really. I’m not messing with you. Apparently pooping on the delivery table now has an important and very impactful purpose: to strengthen a baby’s gut microbiome. By now, you’ve heard me going on and on about the importance of the critical first 6 months of baby’s life for autoimmune and metabolic development – and the significant role the composition of baby’s gut microbiome plays in this process. Well, if you’re not all for the ole “pooping on your baby” trick, then you’ll be relieved to know that a team of doctors and scientists found a way to repopulate the infant gut with these good bacteria, regardless of whether or not mom poops during child birth or delivers via C-section. And hallelujah, because as far as I know (cuz I’ve also been told doctors don’t always tell you if you poo), I haven’t had to worry about this whole dilemma. Plus, we’ve been using Evivo probiotics with baby Cha Cha since she was a few months old, and have been so blessed with a healthy baby and no signs of colic like her big bro. Phew.

3. Does getting an epidural make my baby high?

Ok so it sounds pretty stupid, but I convinced myself that this was what the epidural debate was all about – when really it’s a lot more complex than that. Even though it really was only for a hot minute that I even entertained the idea of having a natural birth – I learned that the risks are really low which in the end made me feel better. Plus, when push came to shove (literally), all I wanted was to not feel like my torso was being torn in half.

4. How will I know when to breastfeed?

Breastfeeding to me was the most ambiguous thing about pregnancy. It’s like, I knew I wanted to do it but I didn’t consider myself one of those moms signing up for every single class on the subject. So with my first I figured I’d just wing it – that is, until I visited my friend in the hospital who’s baby was born three months before mine. I almost had a minor panic attack watching nurse after nurse lecture her on breastfeeding every five minutes, and then watched her jot down every feeding (whether successful or not) in her breastfeeding journal. Needless to say, I wished I’d taken the classes, and immediately downloaded the most popular “breastfeeding tracker” app which I ended up using religiously. Now with Charlotte, things went way more smoothly and I’ve mentioned before how well she took to nursing compared to Garrett. It’s pretty amazing how different every baby is, and the new advancements in science, like Evivo baby probiotics which uses the good bacteria B. infantis mixed with breastmilk, that restores a baby’s gut so that they can thrive. I’m so grateful we found Evivo and I encourage you to learn more about them!

5. Is baby constipation normal?

I’m not kidding when I say that the first time my baby had constipation, I thought he was never going to poop again. Which actually you would think after dealing with multiple blow-outs a day, would be a welcome notion. I called every mom friend I knew, my own mom, and then finally my sister-in-law the pharmacist who told me I could try juice but that honestly it just had to run its course. Don’t worry, he pooped again, and again, and again. Luckily with my second, I’ve been using Evivo, which is clinically proven to restore B. infantis to baby’s gut, while reducing the potentially harmful bacteria linked to colic, eczema, allergies, diabetes and obesity by 80%. I’ve also not had to worry so much about this whole poo situation which can be tricky once they start solids – if anything, this little lady goes too much!

6. What are those worm looking things in my baby’s poo?

Ok before you freak out like every other mom on the internet, myself included, it’s not worms. When you start feeding your baby solids, bananas are usually one of the first Doctor-approved foods you can feed them. Hence, banana fiber. Hence, black looking threads in the diaper. If you have no idea what I’m talking about – do yourself a favor and do not google it. Gross. Luckily, as a second-time mom, I remembered this little tip and I’m also pleased to say we haven’t had nearly the amount of tummy issues that we did with Garrett, thanks to Evivo probiotics. If you’re interested in trying them out, you can use code BLOG7161 for $10 off a Starter Kit of 4 weeks. Or, use code BLOG7162 to receive $20 off an 8 week or more Starter Kit. These Evivo coupon codes expire 6/30/18, and are limited to the first 50 redemptions.

7. Is my baby too skinny?

I struggled with this for the first few months of our first born’s life while we were still getting down our feeding routine. I finally told myself it was ok to believe the doctors, and well-meaning friends who had been there and done that, when they told me there is no shame in supplementing with formula. On top of all that, he also had colic which is a whole other subject for another day. Long story short, I breastfed, pumped, and supplemented with special sensitive tummy formula, and my son survived. Fast forward four years, and my daughter is actually wayyyy skinnier than Garrett ever was, but now I know it’s just how my kiddos are built – long and lean, thanks to dada. But man does this girl love to eat – she’ll likely be hated by all her high school girlfriends for being able to eat a whole box of donuts and not gain a pound. Sorry, not sorry.

8. Is my baby too fat?

Ok, after everything I just told you, you’re probably thinking I’m a wackadoo for worrying about this. Once my son and I got past the “fourth trimester”, he was finally gaining weight and I couldn’t help but wonder if now he was being overfed. He was starting solids, and yes, I was one of those moms who made her own baby food – so I like to think it was pretty dang tasty. Not to mention, when I went back to work my mom was his daytime caregiver – and we all know grandmas feed a baby like it’s their last meal on earth. Needless to say, this really was the least of my worries – but still a senseless worry nonetheless.

9. What if my baby gets a fever?

I feel like this is a big one for most new moms. Fevers are scary. Period. Especially in this itsy bitsy human who can’t tell you what’s wrong. Most mom’s first reaction is to rush to the ER in the middle of the night – but I’ve heard time and time again from pediatricians that a low grade fever is normal and just the body’s way of fighting off infection. However, I learned just recently when Charlotte ran a high fever of 104.5, that if they show no other symptoms (runny nose, ear pulling, etc.) that you should call your doctor and they’ll likely want to see them, since this can be an indication of a UTI which needs to be treated with antibiotics. The first thing though that the doctor warned me about, was how antibiotics often cause an upset tummy and they recommended we give her a probiotic along with it. I was so happy to say that we’ve actually had her on Evivo’s daily probiotic and it’s really helped keep her tummy healthy even while sick.

10. How does my baby sleep in the car with their neck bent in half?

This one was a constant debate between my husband and I. He claims he watched his niece and nephew bent over like a pretzel, sleeping soundly in their car seat all the time. That’s just how babies sleep. But this over-informed, mom group-loving mama begged to differ. I even bought one of those mini head pillows, and did a constant song and dance moving it back and forth every time my son’s head shifted any time we took a left turn. I eventually gave it a rest when I saw other moms not being turned over to CPS when they ignored the urge to correct their child’s limp head.

11. Does my baby like my nanny more?

So full disclosure, my “nanny” was technically my own mom but I’ll use nanny for examples sake. I’ve heard so many moms worry about this out loud to each other – so much so that I honestly started thinking they might be on to something. I even started tallying up the hours I spent with my son (including the wee hours of the night), just to be certain I was out-mommying my own mom. At the end of the day, no one can replace mommy. Oh and trust me, when they hit three, and every other word out of their mouth is mommy – you may be wishing that weren’t the case.

12. Is it normal for my son to play with his wee wee?

Figured I’d end this on a high note. Hehe, get it? But seriously, everyone knows that boys can’t help themselves when it comes to their wiener. When my son finally found his, it was the most hilarious thing in the world to him. Since then, I got very used to saying things like “We don’t pull on our wee wee”, and “No, we don’t use our wee as a remote control.” I definitely got used to adding these to “The list of things I never thought I’d say until I had kids.” Now if only I could say this list ends here, but trust me – I could go on.

So guys, did I miss any? Feel free to sound off in the comments below!