No matter how much advice you get or books you read, you will trick yourself into feeling like you can maybe handle it, or even be a master at it, you are lying to yourself. Just humble yourself now, because you know nothing. There are a couple of parts to my meaning when I say this.
No matter what you do there will still be something you are Googling at three in the morning in a panic about, wondering if you need to call the Dr, or if you are just over-reacting. (You will get to that point where you are looking at pictures of used diapers and/or looking up what is normal poo, and what is not.)
You will probably be missing some seemingly integral part of baby raising. You will not have enough onesies, or not enough newborn diapers. Everyone will tell you different, and often times you end up with a ton of one thing and not enough of another. Really it's one of those things where you will burn that bridge when you get there. Just save your gift cards or some cash, just in case say your milk supply dries up and you will need formula, or you have a baby that's 9lbs at birth and growing at an alarming rate and all those cute striped 0-3 month clothes you adored don't fit after the first month. One woman one day told me that I would surely get an oversupply of blankets, because that's what everyone wants to get a newborn baby, and one man told me that I would never have enough blankets and I should buy extras right now because would always be in demand.
Babies do what they want, and tend to have different ideas about what they prefer or how they operate.
For me, I got that Cadillac of a baby tub, the bright blue bath time fun with the works extra-special model, with the whale shaped cup with holes in it for washing hair, the fancy tilt things for when your kid grows and needs different angles... for bathing... or something.
Anyway it was probably my favorite thing I got, it was adorable and super cute. I pictured myself like the lady in commercials, kneeling next to my cherub faced angel, cooing in a sea of love and bubbles, myself being about 20 lbs lighter with perfect skin and hair coiffed in an immaculate retro mom-bob, bonding with my little boy as he gazed up into my face oozing bliss and excitement in a perfect episode of adoration and thankfulness, that I, the wonderful super-mom that I am, procured this vessel of bathing, both efficient and fitting of his taste for comfortability and style.
And then when the first bath time came around, Jack screamed his head off the whole time like a damned banshee. Like I was surely trying to kill him. Like he really didn't appreciate the color blue, he really didn't like the angle, and he sure as hell didn't like the whale cup with the holes for washing his wonderful head of hair. Nope, mom, I am screaming because I am not comfortable and I definitely do not appreciate this bath time Cadillac vessel for bathing.
And as happens so often with babies you have that one sided conversation out loud while trying to figure out what on earth could be wrong, like you are trying to convince them that they are really acting a little out of hand and it's just really not appropriate behavior to be screaming for no reason, and they should appreciate how much I love this bathtub.
"Do I have the only baby that hates bath time? I was specifically told that babies love bath time."
After a heart wrenching experience and wondering if I really have to go through this every time my baby needs a bath and how long we can deal with that wonky milk-neck smell. It ended up that he much prefers baths in the sink. All you have to do is prop him up on something soft and he now cries when you stop bath time.
We as parents want the best for our kids, always, but sometimes what we think is the best really isn't. Babies will come when they are ready, babies will like one thing and not another, you can't convince them to change their minds.
Part two of this sentiment is that you will not be prepared for the feeling. How can you love a stranger so much? How can this new and foreign entity mean so much?
You will think you know what love is. You can be close to your siblings, or your parents, or your significant other, or your best friend, but you have no idea what love is.
You love this thing so much, it screams at you for hours and you feel bad.
You love this thing so much it pukes on you and shits on you and you laugh.
You love this thing so much you will exercise it's little legs for it, you will read to it and sing it songs to help it develop it's little mind.
You will brag about things like when it first held up it's head.
You will rearrange your whole life for it.
You will stay in a bad job to provide for it.
You change your sleep patterns for it.
You will give up everything important for it. Nothing is as important as it.
You will lose sleep thinking about it.
You will feel bad when you aren't around it.
You will need a break, and as soon as you hand it off, you will want it back again.
You will know that when it is uncomfortable or crying, no matter the baby knowledge someone else has, you are the only one that really knows how to soothe it.
You will spend all your money on it.
You will save all your money for it.
You will be in awe over it, that feeling of wonder will never leave.
The list goes on and on, the sacrifices and changes you will make for this little life will not compare to anything else.
My advice on dealing with this rule is:
1. Gather as much information as possible and then be objective.
2. Read your books because they are important. But just know you can't put everything in a book.
3. Google your poo images before hand, if at all possible.
4. Youtube videos of how to put on the baby wrap, or whatever. Keep in mind your baby might not like to ride in it.
5. Pray.
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