"Nobody Warned Me About This Part of Parenthood!"

Before I became a parent, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. I read all the books, took the classes, and listened (patiently) as seasoned parents shared their wisdom. I thought I was ready.

Then, my baby arrived, and reality hit me like a truck.

Nobody told me that newborns grunt like tiny farm animals in their sleep, making me jolt awake every few minutes, convinced something was wrong. No one warned me that I’d find myself frantically Googling “Can babies forget how to breathe?" at 3 a.m. Or that I’d somehow function (barely) on three hours of broken sleep while still being expected to form complete sentences.

And the diapers—oh, the diapers. I had heard about blowouts, but nothing could have prepared me for the day my baby turned his onesie into a hazmat situation. I stood there, horrified, debating whether to even attempt cleaning it or just cut my losses and throw the whole thing away.

Then there were the emotions. One minute, I’d be staring at my baby with overwhelming love, and the next, I’d be sobbing because I accidentally put the baby wipes in the fridge. It was as if someone had rewired my brain overnight.

But here’s what I wish someone had told me: The hard parts are temporary. The sleepless nights? They don’t last forever. The endless worrying? It eases—at least a little. And the exhaustion? Well, okay, that might stick around, but you do learn to function on it.

So if you’re in the thick of it, feeling like you’re barely holding it together, let me remind you: You are not alone. You are doing so much better than you think. And I promise, one day, you’ll actually look back and miss these beautifully chaotic, sleep-deprived moments.

Until then, just take it one messy, love-filled, coffee-fueled day at a time.