I Survived Pregnancy, Now What?!?

I read every book, website, magazine, blog and talked to every mother I knew about pregnancy. And then the baby came, before I'd gotten to that chapter in "What to Expect" I might add. At that point my questions multiplied and my time to read diminished. Not just time, but willingness. The truth is I learned early on that EVERYTHING you hear about babies is out of context.

I had this mistaken impression that everything would be a steady progression (thank you, NICU). I thought she'd go from eating every 3hours to every 4hours, from sleeping in 3hour chucks to all night and so on. It all depends on whether it's a growth spurt, the temperature, whether she's sick, how much running around or napping she's done, etc.

Also, everybody learns to be a parent by trial and error. So throw out the books. Well, keep one to reference for medical issues, but toss the rest. If the baby is peeing and pooping she's getting enough to eat, if she's not fussy then she's not hurt or sick enough to see the doctor and no one dies if her socks don't match her outfit.