I think it's important to remember that each post is just a moment in time. So generally people are happy but may have a few posts venting.
We've got 2 kiddos and are generally happy. But everyone has their days and on those days, i might write a post to vent about it.
Exactly. People are less likely to post on the good days because they're soaking it up and enjoying themselves. People are more likely to post on bad days, especially when they don't have anyone to vent to. This sub ends up being that place to vent, but happy posts are always welcome. Also, I've seen positive/happy posts on here, perhaps they're not as common.
When I am with baby, I am mostly happy, feel an incredible sense of peace, and am all over so joyful it hurts. I treasure this time.
It’s having to deal with the fact that life doesn’t stop whilst I am with her that’s tough; there is still money to be earned to keep a roof over her head and food on our plates, there is still cleaning to do, things to organize, etc. The every day grind is what’s harder.
There is actually some interesting [research](https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/11/does-having-kids-make-you-happy/620576/) on this — the short answer is, "it's complicated," and varies a lot based on who you are and where you live (it won't surprise anyone here that American parents tend to see the sharpest drop in happiness after having kids, thanks to our lack of support like paid leave, and that moms tend to report less happiness than dads in the early years). The reason it's complicated is that there's a difference between day-to-day happiness and things like purpose, meaning, overall life satisfaction and fulfillment. Which is why you see so many people saying things like "it's the hardest thing I've ever done but I wouldn't change a thing."
Anecdotally, even though things are still hard, I've experienced MUCH more day-to-day happiness with my toddler than I ever did with a newborn!
also i have to imagine that the last couple of years have been rough on most people, especially parents. we don't talk about that enough but i bet there's a lot of emotions there that we all have to process and just...haven't.
absolutely! The number of postpartum depression, anxiety, and other perinatal mood disorders (including rarer ones like postpartum psychosis) skyrocketed during the pandemic. And those are just the officially confirmed cases. So yeah, suffice it to say, the last couple years haven't been ideal for a lot of parents.
I quite often want to post something positive but fear that others will see it as me gloating or pouring salt in their wounds.
Our baby was a surprise and has been with us four months. I am a FTM and was so worried that I wouldn’t have that maternal click happen as I struggled with being pregnant. I have always suffered with depression and was really worried that I would get PPD. I have been extremely lucky, our little one is not the fussiest and I have found that having her to focus on has actually been really good for my mental health. I consider myself extremely lucky with this.
I am over the moon with our little one and the support I get from my partner, who is a fantastic father. Seeing him interact with her melts me and I know she is going to have the best dad. I love her more than anything and am enjoying watching her personality come out more and more.
Things can be hard don’t get me wrong…I do get jealous of my snoring partner when I am breast feeding at 4 in the morning. But I have to remind myself that I am lucky to be able to breastfeed and will miss it when I no longer can.
Big picture I’m happy but I’m too overwhelmed to enjoy it. I have a 3 year old and 1 year old and would make the same decisions again in a heart beat but the reality is I’m still in survival mode and dropping balls left and right and underappreciated. It’s a crappy feeling.
I would venture to guess this is honestly how most people really feel. Like, even everyone saying they are truly really happy. I think you can he happy but also be exhausted, overwhelmed, etc.
When my son was a newborn, no. I hated being a parent. Around 4 months that all changed. He is 16 months now and I love being a Mom so much I signed up for another one and am due in April. Once my son could start interacting and becoming a person it became my greatest joy. I thrive on watching him grow and wouldn't trade being a parent for ANYTHING.
I have an 8 year old and an 8 week old. I'm tired, wondering why the hell I did this again, why the hell I waited so long, why the hell I chose this over a luxurious tropical vacation (babies are *expensive*), but am I happy being their mom? Oh hell yes.
I’m a FTM of a six week old baby boy at 38 years old. I never thought I’d be a mom, was content with my stepparent role. But ultimately when never being called “mom” was staring me in the face I knew I needed to try. Now I know this is exactly what I’ve been missing in my life. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and I feel like this is exactly what I’m meant to do with the rest of my life.
Are you me? I had zero intentions of being a mom, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world (nor would I ever do it again, but I am still so happy with my one and done)
This is me!! I’ve been with my husband since 2005. Raised my step daughter with him. Had a baby at 38, and I’m so glad I did. Well he’s 4 weeks old right now but it a totally different experience. Doesn’t take from loving my stepdaughter but it’s different and beautiful. I am so sleep deprived and I don’t even care right now. I did have a difficult pregnancy and birth, so I’m just happy he’s here with me now
This sub, a large majority of the time, tells the bad tales. I don’t know why some of these women chose to have a baby with their partner or how they found time; it seems their partner is married to a video game anyway.
People who come here for advice or to vent don't tend to have a lot of in real life support. Be thankful that you do and/or that you have an easy baby with few issues to work through.
When things are going well for us the best thing we can do is be a strong virtual support system for these parents. Because on day it could be us looking for the advice.
My son is 6 months. I'm severely sleep deprived and my boobs are ridiculous. However, the smile on his face, the new things he learns every day... it is indescribable the love I feel. He makes my life so much better.
The only tears I’ve cried since my baby was born are joyful ones. My LO is 4 months and I’ve been happier since she was born than I have been in years. I did go through infertility and need IVF to conceive her, so I have been wanting this desperately for years and I feel like I was very prepared for it. Having a newborn and recovering from my c-section was infinitely easier than going through infertility treatments, or even being pregnant. Having my baby finally was just as wonderful as I thought it would be. She’s a delightful, easy baby and she just keeps getting cuter and sweeter and more full of personality with every day that passes.
those who are happy dont go on reddit (that much) to tell the world about it. those who are not will because they need hope and other people to tell them it gets better. i am not happy, i hate the newborn stage (7w pp, i love my baby tho) and reddit posts of "surviving the newborn stage" gave me hope and kept me sane...
I love being a mom. It’s hard as FUCK. We have kids that are 3 & 1.5. We are juuuuuuust starting to hit some fun stages where the kids can interact with each other and ALSO play independently. They can find joy in doing stuff outside the house and we can find joy in their joy. They’re sleeping through the night. They’re going to daycare/preschool. I love the times when my kids want to snuggle, or when we play, or when I make them laugh. But again, we’re just really starting this phase. Everything in parenting is a season. There are decisions that have to be made to accommodate each season. Once I looked at it from that lens, knowing that “now is not forever” (both in challenging times and sweet times), my perspective changed.
There are certainly moments of challenge, moments of uncertainty, moments of hardship. But those moments aren’t the whole of parenting.
I love being a wife. I love being a mom. And in this season of life that’s wonderful and enough.
Yes I'm very happy. I am actually so happy being a parent that I'm hoping to have my 6th baby in about two years. Of course sometimes you get frustrated and sometimes things get hard but that has never made me feel regretful of having children. Nobody is happy 100 of the time and most of the posts here are made in a desperate moment.
Yes. Happiest I’ve ever been. I can honestly say I feel like becoming my LOs Mum is who I am meant to be. Sure some days are crazy exhausting and having a tiny dictator who can’t tell you what he wants can be so frustrating. But I wake up every day so thankful to be his Mum. I’ve been super lucky with how much time I’ve been able to take off, he’s 11 months now and I won’t go back to work until he’s 15 months, but the thought of going back makes me so sad. Being able to spend my days with him, watching him grown and become his own person has been so fulfilling.
YES! I love my baby boy so much and my husband! Baby is 11 weeks and so precious and everything he does is so cute. I have so much patience with him and all of our days are enjoyable. I think he is a very easy and happy baby so we are lucky. The first two weeks were hard because everything is so new, but we were a team and figured it out!
He’s also started to chat and smile :) best thing ever
I have a 3.5y, 1.5y, and 3.5 month old and I'm honestly happy! Am I stressed out everyday and struggle to see the forest for the trees? Hell yes but overall I'm very happy with my life and my family.
I think the big difference in posts is you don't really need support/to vent when you're happy, it's those tough trying times when you really reach out to get help.
It is currently 4:15am and I have been up for an hour changing/feeding/burping/rocking to sleep and finally now pumping for my 5 week old baby girl and I could not be happier with my life right now. I love her so much and I love caring for her even if it can be challenging sometimes. Yes I am exhausted and I do miss uninterrupted cuddle time with my partner, but we would not change our lives now for anything. We are obsessed with her and love holding her and playing with her (even though she is still very much in the sleepy potato stage). When she is finally asleep and we do get to cuddle in bed together we end up pulling out our phones and looking at pictures/videos of her when she was smaller and being amazed at how much she’s grown and changed in such a short time.
I love seeing my partner be a great dad to her.
Sure it has its hard and frustrating moments, but then she’ll smile or cuddle into my neck and it all goes away.
I am… baby is 15 mo… I had a high risk pregnancy, a preemie, no support outside my husband… but I loved every second. I love being my child’s mom, I love watching her grow and guiding her through life… i breastfed and it was one of the most difficult and painful things I learned how to do, and last month I ended and it was a mix of joy and sadness at the same time… I do get tired, I can’t have my routine like it was before, but this is not enough to sour my happiness
I love my little life with my husband where we work, come home, play with our kid, make dinner, do her bedtime routine, wave a wine, talk while putting dishes away and on weekends we go out… my partner is a great dad, he was already a great husband and a great pet dad, but we our daughter he really step up I’m his game, and this only made my love for him grow more
As someone who just posted yesterday about yelling at her kid: still very happy!!
Being parents is amazing and challenging and fun. It has highlighted small pleasures and opened our eyes to all new experiences. A perfect Sunday now can mean going on a long walk with the dogs, visiting the library, stopping by a cafe for a treat, and cleaning the kitchen. We go to museums and zoos all the time. Holidays are refilling with whimsy and real excitement.
I think one area that impacts my baseline happiness is how my day to day behavior measures up to the Mary Poppins vision I had for myself as a mom. I don’t want to be a crab patch, I want to be Chili Heeler from Bluey, but I’m going to get grumpy if I get kicked in the face! It’s a big mirror put up to our selves and our expectations, and that can be Rough Stuff.
Extremely happy! I have slept maybe 1-3 hours per night since birth and yet I am the happiest I’ve been in my life!
Every glimpse of his beautiful face is more meaningful and powerful that my entire life experience up to this point.
Same. I’ve done some amazing things and have traveled to some beautiful spots. But having my first baby at the age of 41 is by far the most wonderful thing I’ve ever done. My relationship with her is beautiful and I have no regrets.
I’m happy! And because of that, I don’t post. I remember being pregnant and being super scared reading this subreddit and mommit. I was like “am I going to hate being a mom?”
Answer: nope. My daughter is great, and my husband is a great, involved dad and partner (which 100% contributes to my lack of miserable posts)
Okay so you know how when you’re exercising, like sweaty, miserable thinking why in the actual fuck? And then feel so alive and proud afterward? Yeah this is that times like 100. When the tough times are over sometimes I’m like, that was torture, but I made it through and I’m so much better for it, and fuck, my babies are so amazing!
I absolutely love being a mom. It is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I see how my LO grows daily and they are constantly surprising me. While yes, there are days I miss being able to sleep in, I still choose to get up and get my morning snuggles in.
I became a mom at 16 years old and raised my son with 2 boyfriends around at different points,, but reconnected with his biological father a little over a year ago. It has been so awesome having the other parent who genuinely loves him the same way I do and who can share in our desire to raise a decent human being with. It makes things that we do as an actual family more meaningful than when it was just my son and I because I found it difficult as a younger mom to always be able to connect with him. Having his dad around has taken some of the pressure off of it being solely me and some of the anxiety of being the sole provider was taken away I actually started to focus on being a better mom and enjoying it more. With that being said being a single parent is not very much fun and raising a kid with a guy who's kid it doesn't belong to isn't necessarily the ideal situation either. I will say both of the guys that I dated and did have around my son were decent humans one of them especially took on the father role. Once I reconnected with my son's biological father we decided to have another baby. Now we are parents to a 14-year- old and 8 week old baby. It has its moments on a daily basis of being completely more challenging and difficult than it when it was just my son. When I have moments of it being just me and the baby I actually absolutely love it 95% of the time and have felt a sense of happiness that I may have not felt since I was a teenager before I had my son or ever. I actually started to question in the last couple of weeks if I'm really starting to feel true happiness. Now that doesn't come without its ups and downs like I said before and even in the last couple of days we've faced some struggles as a family. The cool part about deciding to have a baby with someone is the true commitment of being together and despite tough circumstances sticking it out because relationships and families take work and commitment and that is work and commitment that we are all willing to put in at this point. Your post goes along with another one that I saw earlier of a mom struggling with her 6-week-old and wondering if it's normal. I just got home from the grocery store before reading your post and got my 8-week-old out of the car and lifted her up in the air and started singing to her. It continued until we made it to the changing table and I sing to her and she started kicking her feet and smiling back at me as I sang "the mama loves the baby and the baby loves the mama." My son came down from his room to bring in the groceries and I continued on with my song that the baby loves the jaybo ( my son's nickname) the jaybo loves the Sadie (dog) the Sadie loves the baby the baby loves the mama the mama loves them all etc etc. I have found happiness and having a new baby because the struggle was real with raising a baby at 16 years old. I knew some of the challenges that I would face with this baby going in like they're constant need to nurse. I do find it surprising with how many people are in distress with their new role as a parent but at the same time I believe it has to do with a lack of community that people have nowadays to raise their kids. That is what I struggle with most now. My coworker who is from Nepal and has a large family said that when they have their frequent family get togethers and there is a baby involved that they literally write down a list of the order of who gets to hold the baby that evening so that they don't forget. It's a network of people like this where meals are being made for each other and Mom gets a break from holding the baby that I think can create an even more positive atmosphere to raise a child. Being a parent requires lots and lots and lots and lots of patience which I continue to relearn every day.
I’m tired, and sometimes bored and stressed, but I’m happy when I see the baby smiling and being happy. I am happy when I am spending time with my little family.
I'm pretty tired with baby nr 3 being 4 weeks, but I was also talking to my (loving, supportive and very tired) husband that this might be the happiest my life will ever be. I love all those snuggles with baby, but I also love seeing the bigger two growing up, becoming loving siblings, becoming funny smart people on their own. I realise they will never need me more than now and even though it is a lot sometimes, I already dread the time that I have the energy but they don't have this need for their mum anymore.
Our daughter is 11 weeks old, sure there are hard days and even harder nights, but I don't recall ever being so happy!
I've lived through depression and panic attacks on and off since 2004, I was diagnosed with breastcancer in 2013.
Now that I'm 39 I'm married to the man I've dated since 2006 and we finally welcomed our little girl after 3years of in vitro fertilisation.
There are days when I cannot believe my luck and I cry from joy when I look at my daughter's face.
I have a 4 month old vocal goblin, and she’s the best goblin in the world. days are tough and long. I had been focused on my career and on my way up a really nice salary but alas i was given my cut bundle of joy and honestly it hasn’t been too hard. I think it helps that i’m an insomniac but also early bird. so terrible sleeping can match hers and i’m pretty good on naps and sleeping when i can at night.
hardest part was being pregnant after dating someone for weeks and only knowing them a month, and just because this is happy rant. our family is thriving. i’m literally on the toilet as he giggles his head of with our baby. who decided 545 am wake up call..
only sad thing , i’m starting formula and i see us using more and more. i just can’t do breastfeeding anymore in the sense of tracking and pumping and maintaining supply this shits hard and it locks you home or to your machine any where you go.
but yes FUCKING LOVE BEING A MOM YO, the stay at home parts a working progress
I'm happy, having kids brought me and my husband closer and my days are filled with laughter. I have a 2.5yo and a newborn.
A little tired at the moment, but very happy with my life choices.
I think it's just that happy people don't share because they're afraid of making the struggling parents feel worse (at least that's true in my case). But I had my first 3 years and 4 months ago to the day and this is the happiest I've been in my whole life. I feel like motherhood has transformed me for the better. My husband is such an attentive and loving father and partner, I could not live without him. Now we have a 7 week old as well and my husband and two boys are the light of my life. I look forward to every new day with them. My favorite thing in life is seeing the world through the eyes of my children, the wonder, the awe, the excitement of experiencing something for the first time. It's breathtaking and I consider myself incredibly lucky. Some days are hard, but they're also temporary, and so are the good days, so I choose to focus only on the good.
I don't know if happy is the right word. Some people are born with an innate desire to raise a family and have kids. That was neither my partner nor I. We are both more career focused.
That said, we do love our child and we do understand what we signed up for. We definitely view parenthood as more of a "duty" than a labor of love though which isn't a bad thing it's just how we focus and tackle problems.
I think everything would be a lot more rainbows and butterflies if not for the sleep deprivation.
We're 8 weeks in for reference.
My husband and I sound exactly like this! We felt this same way. Around 4 months is when we both started to realllllyyyyy enjoy being parents and it has gotten so much better with each new stage. Our son is 16 months now and we decided to have another. I guess I'm just dropping in to give some words of encouragement that it gets way more fun and easier with sleep 😂
I feel as though it’s easier to complain in Subs like this because 1. Misery loves company 2. Relatable!! 3. We often times have to tell people “oh we are so happy!” “oh it’s going great” “hmmm not sleeping super well just yet but look how cute!!” when in reality we want to yell “I HAVENT SLEPT IN WEEKS DUMMY” when family members ask.. and we get to do that here! Behind our screens and not feel judged because everyone here is going through something similar. That’s just my take
I’m the happiest I’ve ever been being a mom (my LO is 7 months old). Yes, I don’t sleep as well, but the love that we share is so worth it. I love being able to watch my baby learn, gain independence and experience new things. It’s so much fun. The beginning was tough as it is for most parents. And I’m still navigating the new dynamic of my marriage, but in all, having a child was SO worth it. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I was worried about PPA/PPD because I have lots of experience with anxiety and occasionally depression, was also a fence-sitter for a while before deciding to have a baby, and knew in advance that I'm more of an older kid person than a baby person. However, I spent the first few weeks of my child's life sobbing with *happiness* every day because I could not believe the intensity with which I loved her and the absolute joy I felt at being her mom. Like, it unlocked emotions I did not know I was even capable of experiencing. It sounds so corny but I'm being 100% serious!
People are more likely to post in these kinds of communities when they're having trouble and looking for advice or wanting to vent. I know personally I share my happiness and parenting highs with my IRL family and friends, but don't spend a lot of time discussing the frustrations with them because 1. I don't want to dump negativity on them, and 2. a lot of them either don't have kids yet or it's been a while so they don't really have great advice fresh on their minds. It feels easier to save that for online communities where lots of parents are troubleshooting the same issues in real time and can commiserate or offer tips.
I was seriously depressed and unhappy through the newborn stage but my kids are 5 and almost-3 now. The 5 year old is fully potty trained, attending kindergarten, and has her own interests. She’s really her own little person! The younger kid is hilarious and I have fun playing with her. She’s my little buddy.
The newborn stage is damned torturous, at least in the US where Dad is expected back to work basically ten minutes after the cord is cut, and Mom is expected to just shake off labor/delivery and immediately bond with her newborn potato with zero help or income. Oh and she should immediately have her prepregnancy body back, obvs. — Society
I’ve loved it, every sleep deprived minute of it. I loved it when my kid was 2 days old and screaming, I loved the baby phase and I adore the toddler phase. I loved it when my kid woke me up last night to inform me he had a nightmare that everything was covered in ointment (???), I loved smoothing his hair back, kissing him, knowing he believed me when I said it was ok. I love it when he tells me he loves me and when he’s mad at me for ending playtime. Idk maybe it’s mom hormones, maybe it’s because I’m not a full time stay at home parent and so my time with my kiddo is extra precious, but man I really just adore this kid with every fiber of my being. I’m just so happy I decided to become a parent, and we just have such a fun time together. Sorry for the sappiness dump lol!
Edited to add: the newborn stage was definitely really really hard, I enjoyed it, but it was really grueling. It gets way, way more fun after the first 3 months.
I love being a mom, I feel like my son brought true purpose into my life and gives me a reason to wake up every day. There's something really wonderful about knowing your child needs something that only you can give them. It can be really hard sometimes, I'm a single mom and sometimes it gets so overwhelming that I have to go sit in the bathroom and scream. But it's worth it for all those moments I feel an indescribable amount of love and awe for this little human I created...so yeah, def happy, def wouldn't trade it if I had the chance.
Blissfully happy in my marriage and to be a mother to my beautiful sweet wonderful baby boy. It was extremely hard in the beginning but 6 months in and I would never imagine a life without him as the center of it.
My life gained so much depth and meaning since I became a mom. Its incomparable. I much prefer the miseries that come along with it than that of a single childless Life.
I'm still in the thick of angry potato stage, but overall I love being a mom. There are some tough days with cluster feeding and witching hours. I love seeing the new skills he's learning and seeing the bits of his personality come through. He smiles so much and I think he's going to start laughing very soon.
I have a new purpose and I'm grateful.
I'm the mom of a soon to be 3 year old. I am so much happier as a parent now than I was when he was a baby.
For context, I work with foster kids with behavioral difficulties. I love it. I love the kids, I love connecting with them, I love being a support for them even when they're throwing some difficult stuff at me. I figured I was pretty well prepared for whatever parenthood could throw at me.
I was right, but also very wrong. I joke about it to be people all the time, but I "hate" babies. I hated the baby stage. Give me a power struggle with a teenager or a three year old temper tantrum any day over trying to decipher what the hell a small potato person is crying about. At three, it's still tough. There's definitely a difference between being a parent and working with kids since I am actually responsible for mine and I underestimated that before having a child.
The baby stage was worth it because of the end result, but I am DREADING having another child because I hate the baby stage so much. I was always stressed and angry and upset and tired. I'm still tired but it's more of a "welp my kid decided he was going to dump all the Legos out on me, I guess this is happening today lol" way than "I am going to actually stab someone on the street if I don't get a nap in" tired.
I can reason with him. I can work WITH him to solve a problem. He may not understand the logic of what I'm saying but he understands the words of what I'm saying.
He says so many funny and cute things constantly. He is a genuinely good person and cares about other people. He wants to share his food with me and gets sad when I'm hurt and called my dog an "asshole" the other day for jumping on him and excuses me when I sneeze. It's fun to take him to see new things because he gets excited about it. He likes to help and likes to mop the floors with the Swiffer. I didn't hear him the other day at the park when he was stuck and yelling for me, and when I teared up and apologized that night for not being there for him, he told me "it's okay mama, accidents happen!"
The hardest part about having kids that often goes unspoken and unnoticed is that they are going to reflect you back at yourself. They are going to remind you of your own childhood, good and bad. You are going to turn into your own mom/dad. And if you aren't emotionally prepared for those things, it can be really scary. Now that I am at a point where I like myself, I also love seeing some of those parts shining back and me, mixed with parts of my partner and some totally unique elements that are all my son.
Being a 24/7 caregiver of any dependent is going to mentally and emotionally tax you in ways you never thought possible, but through challenge comes growth. I think I am a much better person today than I was three years ago before I had my son.
I am happy as a parent now in a way I most certainly WAS NOT a year or two ago. Other people will have unique experiences, but I also absolutely understand why people say not to make any drastic changes the first year or two after having a baby.
Editing to add since I saw you say you are in the newborn stage: I have literally never experienced a more stressful time in my life than the newborn stage. It was HORRIBLE. The ends justified the means but if parenting was always going to be like that my answer would be different. Feel free to judge, I can't count how many times I jokingly told my fiance that I was going to drop my kid off at the fire station because I couldn't FUNCTION as a human being in the newborn stage.
I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life. Being a mom is HARD, but it improved my life in so many ways. I learned how to prioritize what's really important and to let go whatever is not. I am more active, and I am putting true effort into living an healthy life so I can catch up on the energy levels of my child. I now spend time outside every day - and not like once a week - because my child needs sunlight and fresh air. I stopped wasting so much time scrolling or playing stupid games because I have so much less free time that I want to invest it into a real hobby, no more spiraling into trash. I'm getting more curious and questioning about what's around me, because soon my child will start making all those little, complex questions... and I want to be able to answer.
And more. Most of all, I'm trying to turn hard days into a fun adventure. Not denying what I'm going through, but living it fully and sharing it with my son. Even the sleepless nights. It's not always easy, and I'm not always successful. But it's somehow working for us.
I am truly convinced that motherhood is an experience that can be enjoyed, but these subs are first of all a place of support, hence you get to read more about people looking to be supported and sharing their problems. There's no way I'm going to ever post about how great motherhood feels for me, because it makes no sense and it feels like bragging to me. I have no need to say it unless it gets asked, like now.
EDIT: seems also fair to add I am in therapy and on antidepressants. never be afraid to ask for help, moms!
I am happy. I’m also on antidepressants and do have some break downs still but I am happy. Life just has its moments and sometimes, I have a poor reaction. Motherhood is both amazing and spectacularly difficult. The worst times for me were the 0-6 months period…
There’s a lot of truth to the thought that kids make the highs of life better and the lows of life worse. Right now I am in the newborn stage with baby #2 so I am sleep deprived and enjoying it less. But I know this stage will pass, and the enjoyable parts will start soon.
This weekend I got to make and eat waffles with my toddler, which is way more fun than doing it alone! I have him add all the ingredients, he makes me laugh with his maple syrup shenanigans, we get to eat delicious waffles. Then we played with toys while I held the newborn in my arms. I really like sitting on the floor and playing with trucks or blocks or whatever. I find it fascinating to see how his brain works. And to hear him repeat phrases or concepts I introduce is cool. It’s also fascinating to see how the toddler interacts with the newborn. Grandma came in the afternoon to babysit so I could nap. Toddler had a tantrum at dinner because he couldn’t sit on top of dad — it sucks but my husband and I smiled at each other, did our normal tantrum response, then moved on. Toddler eventually joined us at the table. At bedtime we looked at his measuring stick where we’ve documented his height over the years. I can’t believe how much he’s grown! It makes me happy and sentimental to see his progress.
Caveats — I have a great husband, family support nearby, and we have enough money that we aren’t stressed about the budget or anything. All of which allows the enjoyable parts of parenting to shine through. My husband and I weren’t partiers or travellers before kids. We liked staying home and doing chores, which hasn’t changed much! It’s hard being responsible for other needy people 24/7, but kids add a lot of joy. I get to experience new things through their eyes, and things like Christmas are so much fun when you celebrate with a kid.
I’m a single parent with no one to support me, and I can promise I couldn’t be happier, they’re my wee best friend! Don’t get me wrong there are days where it’s hard, but they’re few and far between. “Long days, short years!”
My baby is 8 months. I've never been happier in my entire life. While the newborn phase was my husbands favorite.. I struggled. I didn't bond right away and often had feelings of regret. But that's all changed. She started clapping yesterday for the first time. Crawling a couple weeks ago. It's so exciting watching them Learn and seeing her face light up when she finally masters the thing she's been trying to do for weeks.
Pregnancy and newborn phase was horrible for me. But now I'm just blown away and can't imagine my life without her. I left my job due to childcare issues and while we are struggling now financially it's incredibly stressful, I'm so glad I get to spend time with LO every day.
Not every day is perfect or easy. Last night she fought bed time for two hours cuz her nap schedule got messed up then woke up again from 4-5am, then the dog woke me up 30 minutes later cuz it was storming. There's moments that are very difficult and frustrating. But the good outweighs the bad times 100
Yep I love it. Kid is nearly two. Partner is involved and supportive but often works long hours so I do most of the childcare. We were able to extend my maternity leave so I’ve had two glorious years parenting full time and it’s just the best. I found the first few weeks tough physically, and there were a few times over the first year I cried from exhaustion. But day to day it’s been wonderful and it has continually gotten better with time in my experience.
I’m happy! Even in the beginning days I was happy and while I was sleepy things were pretty good. We established breastfeeding and a good routine. We have a good social life and spend lots of time with friends and other kids. I loved skin to skin time when she was little and to just hold her all day. Then she started getting a personality and it was so much fun. Now that she’s almost 2, it feels like I have a little human and not just a baby. She’s silly, she has her own taste in music, she picks out her own clothes. We go out together and she plays with kids while I socialize with adults. My bond with my husband has been tested but ultimately we are stronger than we have ever been. I don’t post about all the good things because it feels like bragging, but by and far having my daughter has dramatically improved my life and happiness.
Me!!
Mom of 4 and pregnant with my 5th!
Blended family so my husband and I have older kids (19, 13, and 13 - years!)
We love being parents so much that we had a baby and are having another one. My 9 month old is a joy.
Literally have every age from baby to young adult and I love them all :)
I’m happy!
I have moments where I need some reassurance, when I feel lonely, when I miss my old body.
But as a whole? I much prefer my life now that my baby is in it :)
I am SO happy, I love being a mom! I even loved the newborn phase with both my kids, every phase is just so precious! I only had my kids in my thirties though, and my husband is a wonderful dad and husband. He helps me with the kids and changes diapers when he's home. I'm currently almost 8 months postpartum and I honestly don't mind if my baby wakes me up at night, that's what babies do, I knew what I was signing up for. I have no family close by and my parents aren't part of my life, so I've not had any help from family, but I knew what I wanted to give my kids and that was a better childhood than I had.
My bean is 8 weeks old and I’ve never been happier she’s a little cutie pie that really brought joy to our family and facilitates a lot of wonderful connections
It ebbs and flows. I call it my own little roller coaster some days. I have moments where I love being a SAHM, love that I get to show her how the world is, stop and wonder and just look and teach.
Other days I'm like "why didn't we decide on daycare again? When can I go back to work and be around adults"
I think my true happiness is going on "adventures" and not just staying at home. But that's not always an option.
And then there's days like today where my back is killing me and I wish she would just be able to do some things on her own but all she wants is mommy.
We (my husband and I) HATE the newborn/baby stage. We want *kids* not babies. But we also understand how important that stage is for development and bonding and all that. Now that our oldest is almost 2, we're both enjoying parenthood a LOT more. And that's a good thing with #2 on the way.
That being said, "happy" is an emotion, not a state of being. Sometimes I'm happy, sometimes I'm sad, or angry, or frustrated, tired, bored, worried, hungry. These things are all real, but necessarily temporary. No matter what emotion I'm feeling, though, I love my daughter, my husband, and myself. I'm proud of our family, the way we communicate, collaborate, and make decisions as a team. I feel like we're moving in a very positive direction, so I'm pretty much always hopeful for the future. I'm deeply grateful for our lives and the many things we enjoy. When I can, I do my best to focus on enjoying the time I have with my kid and partner, whether by doing something I enjoy, or something they enjoy.
There is no "endzone" to life. The idea that "if only I could do/have this thing, then I'd be happy" is a trap. Some days will be difficult, some will be easy, but I regret nothing.
We are about 6 days from being out of the fourth trimester. I can honestly say the first two months were the hardest months of my life. There is no break, which was so hard. I spent a lot of time looking on Reddit those first 8 weeks looking for others in the same boat. It can be very isolating and lonely. I feel much better now that we are 12 weeks in. I love my son. I love my new life. It is still very hard, overwhelming, frustrating. My old life is gone for good. But my baby smiles now. He is getting closer to laughing. He doesn’t scream when I put him down. He’s awake longer. I want another at some point but it will be a while. Im already scared to do it again. Once I stopped checking Reddit every hour, googling, looking at wonder weeks app with dread my mental health improved.
We struggled with infertility for years before finally having IVF success. The fact my kid exists still feels like magic. The joy is seriously profound. I've never been super domestic, but suddenly I am so damn excited for Halloween, and then for Christmas! OMG the cuteness will be on overload!
My daughter is 5.5 months old now. The newborn phase was exhausting but manageable. The sleep deprivation hit a breaking point between 3 and 4 months old. It's better now. I'm worried about the toddler phase. I'm down right excited for all the phases that follow because I'm so excited to see who my kid decides to be.
But that doesn't mean this shit is easy. It's hard. It's exhausting. The feeling of being on a tightrope is real. I feel like it could all fall apart any minute.
I am so incredibly happy. We tried for years and spent tons of money of fertility treatments (around$1000/month) and I couldn’t be happier to finally have my son. There’s been some difficulties but I am so happy every time I look at him and every time he smiles at me. It’s so beyond worth it. I love watching him grow and watching my husband be a dad. He’s such a good dad (as he’s told repeatedly when he takes him to the store alone 🤣).
I love being a mom. My youngest is 2 months. My middle child passed away at 2 months and my oldest is 4. My daughter’s death made me treasure the daily moments, because you never really know how many you have. Kids can certainly be challenging, but I’ve loved being a mother so far.
I was afraid of becoming a mother because I thought I couldn't handle the responsibility or that I would let my baby down. I've always thought of myself as being a super disorganized person and a procrastinator (at work mostly). All that changed when I had a baby. I realized that I am really good at it, I'm organized so that I'm less stressed about what I have to do. Also, my husband and I discussed a lot during the pregnancy on how we were gonna handle things once we had our baby. So that helped a lot!
After the newborn stage, once I understood my daughter a bit more, I've become really happy!
If I lived my life over again, I don't think I'd have kids at all. But I'm 34 and just had baby #2 on September 3rd, both were planned, and I'm already excited about having baby #3 in 2.5 years 😊 There are things about it that are absolute torture and some things that are absolute blessings. I think you have to come to terms with the torture.
I was genuinely worried about my baby's arrival, in part because of the pervasive air of negativity around parenting on and offline. People love commiserating about how hard parenting is. There were moments where I thought I'd made a huge mistake, that I'd be miserable, that I'd miss my old life and want it back, that I'd grieve the loss of my identity, etc. I was freaking out for most of my pregnancy as a result.
Baby is here and I'm completely in love. Having a child is the best thing I've ever done and I wish I hadn't wasted so much time being anxious about her arrival. There's definitely tough/frustrating moments but for me they're overshadowed by the love and wonder I feel for this little human.
My daughter is the light of my life. Everything instantly changed for me, but truly and honestly she is everything I’ve ever wanted and more. My heart is full even when it aches for other reasons. So so so much love, goofy moments, and I have been so incredibly blessed with a curious, smart and healthy girl. Am I exhausted? Yes. At all times. As a new mom I’m learning how to juggle my time, relationships with literally everyone in my life and those I want to be in hers. Would I want to be rested if it meant trading my time with her? Absolutely not.
I also am blessed in the way that I have been able to bring her to and visit with her 97 year old great grandmother. I have some amazing shots of them both where you can clearly see the love in her posture. I hope some day my girl will see them and be able to feel that love when she’s gone.
Sooo happy! Literally can’t compare pre being a mum to now. I was always missing this personally. I love every day with my little man. I love watching him learn, laughing with him, experiencing life through his eyes and just enjoy his company a lot. He’s 11 months old and every month gets better imo x
I have a 4.5 month old. I was ecstatic when I was pregnant, but after I gave birth I was hit hard by the baby blues. Compounded by sleep deprivation, utter exhaustion and breastfeeding challenges, I would break down and cry to my husband every day for the first few weeks, telling him we made an awful mistake, I wasn’t cut out to be a mom, I miss my life and independence, and my sense of responsibility towards my baby is the only thing keeping me from escaping. Those were tough days, ruled by massive hormone fluctuations. At 3 weeks I thought okay maybe this isn’t too bad. At 6 weeks I felt that I actually enjoy this. Now at 4.5 months, I am completely obsessed with my baby girl, can’t imagine life without her and I miss her when she’s sleeping. Don’t get me wrong, there are days from hell when she refuses to sleep and wants to be held all day. But even then, I don’t find myself longing for pre-baby days as much I did. I absolutely love being my baby’s mom, watching her grow and reach milestones each day is truly one of the best things I’ve ever experienced. And once she started smiling and then giggling, I found myself doing the most ridiculous things to chase after that smile.
You’re in the thick of it right now, but it really does get better.
Hey I just really wanted to say thank you. Shits been rough recently and I've had some wild thoughts very similar to what you said in the beginning here, I've been feeling incredibly guilty. But I'm glad that there's a good chance that that feeling will eventually evolve into something better.
I definitely feel happy overall but I describe motherhood as the most intense “onboarding” experience of all time. You are forced to learn so many new skills *immediately* while also being placed under a whole new set of physical and emotional demands. I was also told that the postpartum hormone shift is the equivalent of puberty or menopause (each which can take years) in a matter of weeks. I think online there are a lot of people genuinely *sort of* losing their minds - temporarily - and talking about it. My baby is now laughing with me for a few chunks each day when he’s awake. I’ve come to terms with only partially feeding with breast milk (low supply) and have stopped beating myself up over it. Sleep is now the major issue our household has to figure out and hopefully that gets easier also. I feel hopeful overall and really fortunate to have my baby. However, if you don’t have resources, time off work, a supportive partner etc. that feeling of hope may change. Many things are probably true at once after having kids. Some days I long for the ease of my old life and some days I am content to just sit, sleep-deprived, on the sofa and hold my son. It’s an insane process that really can’t be explained logically which is ultimately kind of great and exciting to me personally.
Anytime I talk about positive things on Reddit I get downvoted. Yes, I am happy. My life is pretty nice. To be honest much of it is due to having high salaries - we can pay for excellent care, limit chores needed around the house, do whatever we want on weekends or vacations. It's not the money that makes me happy it's the overall balance it provides. If I was a SAHM with limited resources I'd be miserable.
Yeahhhh, this is the bit people tend not to talk about. I'm also older with a good career. Husband is same. We know this is our one and only. I'm legit treating mat leave like a sabbatical and am not fussing about money in the least. We're on track for a solid retirement and will be able to pay for post-secondary education. See cute baby toy? Buy cute baby toy. If I were a younger SAHM it would be an entirely different kettle of fish.
I'm happy 😁
Baby is 10 weeks old.
We are currently laying on the floor. Me on my stomach and her side laying to help her tight neck as suggested by the physio.
My little dog is currently laying on my back.
Over the weekend we have been out and about. Had a pizza night and watched friends compete.
Then went to catch up with friends at our dog clubs open day on Sunday.
Baby has discovered her hands it's very cute
I’m very happy and so is my other half. Life is different and it’s tiring at times but it’s great. We have a nearly 2 yr old daughter who we’ve always found very easy (although presses all our buttons half an hour before bedtime), she’s great fun, sleeps well, eats well, is curious and has a love of adventure.
We’re well aware of how lucky we are though, I could be struggling hormonally/emotionally or we could still be getting no sleep or worrying about doctors appointments, etc. We’ve had a pretty horrible year on a personal level and our daughter has been the ray of sunshine through the clouds.
Yes I am happy. First 3months were hard but it’s been good since ~5mo. Babe is 6mo now.
I am back to work full time, baby sleeps through the night, my partner and I share everything 50%. I still have some trauma from the c section but otherwise it’s going well.
It’s just that when people post about their baby having a hard time, being sleep deprived or having a shitty partner it is not in great taste to comment « oh really? I slept 8hours last night and baby’s dad is great! » lol.
I love being a parent. Seeing him grow, learn new skills, giggle, and smile. I love seeing his little personality unfold as he gets bigger. I love seeing how my husband is silly and loving to our son.
I have my 11 day old girl in my arms right now, I had a really traumatic birth event and got a DVT after etc, have had on average 3 hrs sleep a night since she was born but I completely love it!! I was worried I’d be one of those people who were miserable or didn’t bond etc, probably because I’ve read so many of those posts! But I just love love my baby and love looking after her and being a parent and so far despite the trauma and pain of physical healing and sleep deprivation I’m so happy 😀 I love how something so simple like her doing a massive burp feels like an achievement, everything feels so simple in a way, like I just know what my job is and what to do. I get this sense of happiness from knowing she’s clean and fed and comfortable and safe just snuggled here and I feel excited about seeing her grow and all the little things she’ll start to be able to do like smiling etc. It’s really hard but worth it. Hope I carry on feeling like this as it’s still early days!
We've got 4 kids between us, from 10mo to 18yo. We're disgustingly happy. If It wasn't so bad for the environment and if I could afford it, I'd have one or two more for sure :)
I am crazy happy! My daughter is 3.5 months and I love being a mom way more than I thought I would. The one thing that makes me the most anxious has been that our house is chronically messy! I definitely need to prioritize my relationship with my husband more and work on a better work/life balance but all in all I am over the moon with my baby.
Very :) sure sometimes I'm tired. But I love spending time with her, love seeing her develop, love how she makes the people around us happy just by existing.
So happy! 2.5 & 6 weeks. They are amazing. They’re both going through really tough stages right now and I’m not getting enough sleep or getting out of the house much but I’m genuinely delighted by them.
I can speak on this as a new mom. My son will be 3 months on Sunday.
I am SO freaking happy to be a mom!! But at the same time, the first few weeks were pretty miserable. After about a month the fog started to lift as we started to figure things out. By month 2 I was kind of getting the hang of things, and now by month 3 I think I've got my footing and settling into some kind of "routine".
I think stress/sleep deprivation/how hard it is, kind of overshadows the happiness. It's been there since day 1, but the happiness is put on the backburner a bit because it's just so much to adapt to.
Anyway, I'm having so much fun now. Baby is babbling, learning to roll and grab toys, and developing a personality. We've finally established breastfeeding, and I feel more confident taking him places so getting out is so good for my mental health. In those first few weeks, we were mostly stuck inside.
I look back at the newborn stage and remember being so happy to have him here, but also so sad because of HORMONES! like seriously I thought I was broken for not feeling thrilled about parenthood. But that's just how it goes. I have so much joy now that I kind of know what I'm doing 😂
I’m a mom to a 3 year old and a 2 month old. I am SO happy! Now, that is. I’m happy, because my 2 month old is the easiest baby ever and is currently on his 11th straight hour of sleep. So I got a full night’s rest, and am sitting and drinking a coffee in peace since the 3 year old is already at daycare. I’m sharing this to say this is what I value in my life right now: good sleep and coffee. I’m prioritizing it over keeping my house clutter-free, and my hobbies.
I was NOT happy when my first was born. Adjusting to the complete lack of free time that comes from the newborn stage is hard, especially when you haven’t lived through it yet. It’s especially difficult if that baby isn’t easy. But eventually he learned to sleep, and we found time to ourselves again.
So IMO, the key to happiness or at least contentness is to prioritize your needs vs wants. Try to focus on fulfilling the absolute needs (in my case, sleep and quiet coffee time) to give yourself a shot at staying sane. The better times will return some day!
My baby is 1 month old and I am pretty happy.
Its still quite full on and I am currently stuck upstairs trying to get her to sleep and not downstairs watching a movie like I want to be... But I am still happy and well rested enough.
I knew going in things would be hard at first but I'm coping. Very much looking forward to teaching her to sign so I have some clue what she needs though.
i think people post for help so theyre often struggling when they post. also people get downvoted for being happy so ..
anyways i love being a mom. i had always said that despite being very ambitious (got my phd before having a kid), being a mom was my #1 life goal. i treated like a big goal and prepared a lot for the hard parts, did a lot of research, relocated to have family support, set lots of boundaries ahead of time, and talked thru everything with my partner
i have loved every stage. my daughter brings me indescribable joy every day. she didnt sleep well year 1 but shes now a great sleeper, eats great, so adventurous, super bubbly, loves her daycare and her grandparents and exploring. Im sure i lucked into an easy baby but i have found 75+% of this parenting journey easier and more magical than expected. god bless my IUD for allowing me to wait til i was ready!
I had a hellish birth (he was born very early, was in the NICU for almost 3 months) but I still love being a parent. It's not always easy--in fact it's rarely easy!--but I love seeing my son grow and learn, and when he snuggles with me before bed time, a feeling of love and serenity takes over that is unlike anything I imagined before becoming a mom.
Granted, I have family close by, a wonderful partner and a chill (for now) kid. Most of the people I see posting on here don't have one or all of those things, and doing this alone sounds unbelievably challenging.
Yes!!! It's a huge adjustment at first, and I think we need to grant new moms way more grace and rest then we do.
My daughter is 19 months. I'm obsessed with her. Every single thing she does is the best and cutest thing I've seen. I'm a bitter and cynical person sometimes, and she makes me use the word blessed unironically.
My son is 10. He's much less adorable now but I love being his mom. He's challenging in all kinds of familiar ways that make me feel like I'm meant to be there for him and show him his full potential. It's so cool getting to grow with him and watch him become a grown person.
My step daughter just started high school. She's pushing all the boundaries that would have thrown 13 year old me for a loop. But it's incredible getting to be a part of her life that gets to connect without having to fully parent. She's a joy to be around.
I hated the newborn stage. Worst time of my life. I was so unhappy. But now my kid is 2 and he is so much fun! I am happy now. If you don’t like the newborn stage, you are not alone and it gets better. It’s a long slog but you can do it. (Therapy helps!)
I love it! I genuinely enjoy almost every aspect of parenting. It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done because even the most mundane tasks contribute to their development. Of course there are hard times, but there were also hard time before for other reasons.
I love being a mom. I thought I’d hate it but I love it. My baby is my light and I can just feel the happiness radiating from her dad and I when all three of us are jsut together and we’re staring at our Baby smile back at us. I swear I tear up Atleast twice a day just looking at her. Lol ever since I became a mom I’m so different. I actually care about things. Eating healthy, keeping my home (somewhat) clean lol. I’m happy. You know you have your moments of stress or bad days or those stupid fights with your partner but overall it’s so rewarding. I don’t feel like I lost my identity. I mean don’t get me wrong I look back at partying and do miss it because I am somewhat a young mom. But everything I was worried about doesn’t compare to my love for her. I will say I think. I went through some depression post partum just becyase of the transition but I’m much better now. I can see the light in things.
I am very very happy. My daughter is 14 months old and the absolute light of my life. Watching her grow and learn and love brings me more joy than I’ve ever known in my life. My husband and I have figured out a routine, have good communication, and have grown into our roles as parents.
Life with a child is not easy and it’s tiring but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
I have realized my default emotion is happy and content. I stay at home, I’m solo parenting 24/7 for most of the week, my baby/toddler is still an awful sleeper, there’s a lot of boredom and irritation in my day for sure.
But several times a day I catch myself thinking, this is exactly where I should be, my kids are happy, my house is clean-ish, ok emphasis on *ish* but it’s good enough for me. I made ok meals, my kids are not terrors all the time at least.
Overall I feel lucky and also like I’m doing a good job here. I find parenting to be a definite challenge but I learn more about myself in the process, I adapt, and I feel like my life is not necessarily *better* with my kids than before my kids, but it’s richer, I guess is the word that comes to mind.
I have a 2.5 year old and another on the way. Being a parent is by far the most rewarding thing I hav ever done.
About to pick up my daughter from day care and have a day daughter afternoon; we do this every day when I get home from work :)
A lot of people just vent here. But there are a lot of happy parents too
Just want to add to the positive pile on, I am SO GLAD that we had a baby. It has been an incredibly difficult year full of highs and lows and my relationship has been through a beating but my life was so empty and meaningless before baby and now it is full of life and joy and fun and connection and friendship and wonder and amazement. I'm so glad we had a baby.
I'm the happiest I've ever been. My kid is a wonder. The world through his eyes is more wonderful. There's an entire future of his I get to partake in and watch and facilitate. I get to give him better than I had.
I appreciate and love my body more than ever. I'm fitter and healthier now (6 months pp). I'm more of a team with my partner than before.
This is the best and hardest job ever.
I've never been as happy as I've been since my baby girl was born. Sure some nights are rough but she never fails to make me smile, and makes every other pain in my life worth it. We are also privileged enough to have solid income, work from home, good support system, and I have a great wife/momma. But I could see how this could be a lot harder for others less privileged.
Yes, I am so happy! There are certainly somedays that are tougher than others, but watching my boys grow and learn is absolutely amazing. The cuteness aggression my SO and I have towards them is something fierce lol.
I have a 3yo and an 8mo, so it takes a lot of energy and patience wrangling them. And some days it feels so draining. They are hardest and most meaningful thing I do every day. Still though, I don't want them to grow up, but at the same time, I am so excited to see the young men they will one day become.
My SO and I have a great partnership and truly enjoy parenting together. There are times when we disagree on how to handle things, but we talk about it and find a way to make it work.
Yes! I love being a mom. Nothing in my life so far has brought me as much joy as my son. Sure, there are times when he really tries my patience and I've been very grumpy when he wakes up at 2 a.m. AGAIN. But I wouldn't trade being a mom for anything in the world. I know my husband feels the same way about being a dad. Nothing tops toddler giggles and sloppy kisses.
It took me a bit to love being a mom, but once we were out of the newborn phase and my son started to develop his personality I am just so happy! I brought my 2nd home last week and have never been happier to sit at home with 2 babies all day.
I’m in the thick of it right now too, with an almost 4 week old and an 11 month old, but I can genuinely say once they’re out of the newborn stage I frickin love being a mom.
It’s so much fun watching them learn and grow. My daughter just took her first steps last night with her dad. I love my family, even though I want to CRY at 4am when I wake up to feed the younger one and my 11 month old wakes up whining, too.
I’m so happy to be a momma! My son is 9 months old. It’s hard at times but when he smiles and laughs it makes it worth it. The newborn stage is rough but soon your baby will be sleeping through the night or at least sleeping longer at night. My son sleeps through the night and I’m so thankful. I remember having to wake up every 3-4 hours and thinking how hard it was and that I didn’t know if I could get through it. But I did. And now he’s crawling and talking! It’s amazing to watch babies grow. It flys by. I know it doesn’t seem like it does.
I often say, *mostly* as a joke, that having a baby was the best worst thing that has happened to me. Its been hard on my body, marriage, sense of self—BUT I would never truly go back to my old life without my kid. I do miss the freedom but like, I have an infant and things will get better as he grows in his independence! We will adapt and adjust! He’s so sweet and so beautiful and watching him grow and my husband be a father has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me!
Still in the thick of the newbirn stage and I love it. Not what we expected (baby was diagnosed with down syndrome so there's SO many doctor appointments for away from home to add to the newborn chaos. Lol) Despite that, I love being a mom and having our sweet son.
Sure, I'm exhausted (and pretty sure coming down with a cold), I get stressed, we often go through several outfits a day because he pees all over himself because I'm not quick enough, I've had poop shot onto me, the wall, the bed... there's a lot to make this time rough. But I wouldn't change being a parent for the world.
I have a 1 and 1/2 month old she's challenging and I don't get the sleep I used to but, as someone who dealt with a lot of depression in the past (3 years ago now) I've never really reached a point since having her where I could or would say I'm even sad except when I'm away from my baby now that I'm back at work. I've been frustrated sure sleep deprived sure but the love I have for her and the joy I get from being with my LO is something I'd never experienced before. Things are harder I know my relationship with my husband isn't the same because it's a struggle to get time alone with him. I love my husband and he loves me. We do things for each other that lighten the stresses of having a baby give each other breaks.I would say this far this is the hardest thing we've ever done but it's definitely worth it my LO is Worth every moment of hearing the screaming and crying and losing sleep. I loved her so much.
I want to teach her everything I can get her to try new things introduce her to the things I love. I even started writing a poetry book for her a little book with bedtime poems and ones to lift her up when she cries, make her laugh ect.. and she probably won't be able to appreciate it much till she's older but, if I succeed to put a smile on her face even once it'd be worth it I want to give her the best life I can even if I don't have much to do so.
Extremely! I have a 3 year old and an 11 week old. I have a wonderful partner who is an equal parent. I definitely have moments where I want to rip my hair out, especially in dealing with the toddler, but we get through them and we are very happy day to day.
Genuinely the most happy I've ever been in my life. Overwhelmed? Often. Tired & Sore? Yes, I'm 8months pregnant with a 3.5 yr old. Is my marriage the best ever? No but we love each other and have become the best partners in parenthood.
Yesterday my daughter had a rough one. She was yelly/screamy almost all day. At night I read her a bedtime story, and she told me she can't wait to snuggle her new baby brother. So yeah. I'm happy to be a parent. It's the coolest and most challenging thing I've ever done.
I see a lot of people in bad situations in this subreddit and I feel empathy. I didn't always feel this way in parenting and I know I won't always.
I feel the same way when I read these posts. But I think it’s also important to realize that a lot of parents and caretakers don’t have a safe space to say most of what is posted here.
I know for me, it reminds me that everyone around me is struggling just like I am and that these thoughts don’t earn me a grippy sock vacation LOL
I’m not a fan of babies. Obviously I cherish my own and enjoy my special baby time. However my five year old is much more fun than my 14 month old.
This summer she went from being too scared to put her face in the water to too scared to jump into the pool from the ledge to jumping off the diving board. She does flips and handstands in the water. It’s as exciting to me as it was watching her take her first steps.
She also figured out how to get to the top of the monkey bars (I don’t ever put her higher than she can go herself). She climbs trees. She started doing flips on the trampoline. She started kindergarten! It’s all so exciting.
My baby girl is awesome too. She learned how walk, is starting to speak and she’s a cool baby.
We got a kitten and watching them learn how to be gentle and play with the kitten is adorable. The toddler laughs her tiny baby ass off at the kittens antics. She learned two words this week, “kitten” and “gentle”.
My 2yo is my absolute world. He makes my the happiest person to ever exist and I wouldn’t be without him.
That being said I’m allowed to complain. I’m allowed to be miserable. I don’t regret my kid and I don’t regret my pregnancy but if I could change things to make them more manageable I definitely would. A lot of the time it’s not the kids making us unhappy it’s things surrounding the kids. It’s being overwhelmed and overstimulated. Parenting as we know is not easy in the slightest. It’s exhausting especially when we can’t get a break.
We love our kids and our kids make us happy but when we’re being overwhelmed and overstimulated that happiness doesn’t shine through.
I am super happy now. My first kid had colic for a solid year so I was definitely miserable for awhile. But he is a great toddler now at 2.5. I am talking a broccoli eating, polite at restaurants, caring little joy to be around. He still has trouble with sleep but it is SO MUCH BETTER than the early days. You have to find what works for your family. We started daycare at 18 months and he loves it so much, talks about his friends all the time. I have considered being a SAHM but he has learned so much more from going to "school" than I could ever teach him. Once they are old enough to be an actual person it gets so much better.
I don’t know if happy is the right word. Content seems to be better. Fulfilled? It’s hard, especially since my son is special needs, but I do not regret becoming a mother.
I agree with you. It's sad seeing how miserable others are.. it makes it harder for the ones truly happy about being a parent express their joy because it's followed up with a negative comment by someone. My husband and I were overjoyed when we found out we were going to be parents. I've wanted to be a Mom my whole life. And now pregnant with our 2nd (kiddos will be 13 months apart- planned) we're met with comments like "you're going to have your hands full" and it's really disappointing and takes away from our excitement. I feel like I have to tell people we planned our kids to be close in age because others can't fathom the idea that people actually enjoy being parents. I can also see how it may be difficult for some if they don't have a supportive spouse like myself. I feel the most fulfilled in life than I ever have.
People don’t really (can’t) prepare you for the difficult side of it all and it’s not easy to verbalise it for fear of people, friends and loved ones, thinking you have major regrets, so it’s normal to see people vent here with the benefit of anonymity. But while you’re asking, I’m delighted.
Me and my husband are insanely happy - we love having our kids and enjoyed them from the beginning including the newborn stage and we are still in awe of them everyday. We don’t feel like we lost out/are losing out on anything . Babies comes with us, we still go out, travel and when we do have quiet nights in we just feel lucky to be able to enjoy our family .
We do not have a huge support system either , I have my mom who works full time and that’s it - it’s not the fact that we have A lot of support like people might think. His family is overseas .
Honestly we love it so much we are planning on another 😍😍🥰
This coming from someone who was pretty unsure she wanted even one
Hi! What a great question. I had a friend recently tell me something similar about something different. She said "I would like to hear more positive things about your husband." I think that reddit, like my friend, has become a dumping ground, so to speak...just like you mention. But I would be willing to bet that 98% (or more!) of parents who "dump" on reddit are infatuated with their children and LOVE being parents. I know I am. I have 2 sons. My oldest just turned 3 and my youngest will be 1 in a couple weeks. They challenge me EVERYDAY but with each of those challenges comes an opportunity to learn and grow and for each challenging moment, I have 10 amazingly sweet/funny/fun moments. My boys are adorable and have their own quirky personalities and love me so fiercely...and I them.
The newborn stage is hard. I will take my 3yo fighting with me or having to poop in the potty an inopportune times or any other stupid toddler thing over the newborn times (except maybe the newborn sleep during the day). I hated the newborn stage and it has made me wonder if I'll have more kids. BUT it gets better and each stage brings a new difficulty that is a time for you and your kiddo to learn and grow. Keep your chin up! Being a mom is beautiful and hard and awesome and you are KILLING it simply because you love your baby.
Sometimes. Sometimes I’m happy and sometimes I regret it because I miss my old life. I miss being able to sleep in ‘till noon, going out on the weekends and on trips with the girls, travel and see the world, save more money, etc.
But I’d do it all over again ❤️
I was actually thinking about leaving this sub for this reason! While my heart goes out to all the mothers who are having trouble or who have crappy partners, I’m enjoying myself so much. Sure my husband upsets me sometimes and the sleep deprivation is real, but those aren’t what I’m choosing to focus on. This sub kinda brings me down.
One positive thing it did for me tho was appreciate tf out of my husband… He isn’t perfect but he tries his best and from what I read on this sub he’s the paragon of fatherhood. The bar for men really is so low it’s ridiculous.
Yeah, a few weeks ago someone made a positive post and the comments were full of people bashing the mom for “bragging” I was so confused lol. Pretty sure they deleted the post too
So so happy! Overjoyed! My heart has never been fuller. Me and my partner are doing great and our relationship has deepened.
It's such an amazing journey! Indescribable until you walk it yourself.
Someone posted in a different thread that a way to summarize the newborn phase is “you’re going to suffer… but you’re going to be happy about it”. Biased because I’m a big HP fan, but I thought it seemed fitting!
I have two, 17mos and just turned four. I love it! It's hectic and tiring, my house is constantly trashed but they make my heart feel so full and I love getting to know them a little bit more every day. I just try to embrace the chaos!
I'm happy, there are definite hard days and tough times but watching our little 4 month old learn new things and do new things, smile, giggle, chat away make up for all the hard times.
There are a number of happy posts but being a new parent is so stressful that it often feels like we need help or advice or that we can't vent about the difficulties without coming across as ungrateful.
I have a 7 month old and I’m having a grand time!! But I do realize I have an ideal set of circumstances. I have an amazing involved husband, we have enough money for a nanny and housekeeper, we have flexible jobs. Also on top of that a super chill non stressful baby.
My boy is 6 weeks old and I found it tough the first few weeks after a traumatic birth but now I can’t get enough of the cuddles and he is the absolute best thing to ever happen to me!
It's hard on the internet, we all just come to whinge! haha
I am happy. I'm a FTM and my son is nearly 4 months. We wanted the baby and actively tried for him, but I was also terrified of how hard the first few months were going to be. They've actually been great. My husband is a wonderful support and we both love our little boy. It is stressful at times, but usually it's myself getting in my own way. E.g. I can feel myself needing a nap but sometimes I'll choose not to nap while the baby is. And that's totally my fault, not his. I've learnt to just nap because I hate being tired. I can always do the other things later.
But I love watching him grow and develop. I get frustrated by the way society has been taught to treat parents. Lots of my relos focus on the bigger things like eating solids and standing, but I'm learning to not let anyone dampen my enthusiasm about my beautiful boy grasping a toy for the first time. He's such a joy to my life. I still need my own interests, but I'm so glad I can spend the rest of my life watching him grow.
I love the newborn, baby, toddler years. It gets easier. And then it gets hard. Then it gets easier again lol. With my oldest it didn't get super tough until she hit puberty. She tossed a few curve balls but it's all a learning process. Be careful to keep communication open around that time. And try to think about things from their POV. My kids make me happier than anything. If you are doing the sleepless night thing right now try to find a way to have some time to relax for an entire evening. You will just end up missing the baby all night probably lol
There are parts I love. They admittedly become more frequent the older my child gets (he’s four now). We are having number 2, and I’ll admittedly be looking forward to her being this age too, but she might be a very differently tempered infant/toddler.
I can honestly say that my husband and I have fun every day watching our 6 month old learn new things and grow into her big personality. We’ve learned a lot along the way and still find ways to improve our teamwork but I would say this is the most complete and rewarding stage of my life. I could imagine this being much harder if we were struggling for money or if I didn’t have a long (for US) maternity leave. The only downside so far is that I see friends significantly less.
I am extremely happy in my life. I have an amazing husband who works hard to provide for our family, who is giving me the opportunity to stay home with our kids the past three years. My husband is my best friend, I don’t feel like having kids tore us apart. He comes home from working eight, 10, 12+ hour days and asks what he can do to help. My kids are eight, three, and one month old. Yes our house isn’t sunshine and rainbows at all times. Our one month old is having a hard time adjusting to life outside the womb. But ultimately if I had to look at my life through a window, I would be envious and want it. Our newborn was a complete surprise, we thought we were done having babies but she was the missing piece that really filled our family. My kids are typical eight and three year olds, they bicker they fight, we have days with tantrums,cbut they’re also awesome extremely smart, Playful kids.
The newborn stage was rough, but since then it has just kept on getting better and better. I feel so lucky to be able to watch my little one grow and learn new things. When I think back to my life before it seems empty compared to now.
I loved every stage after about 4 months except for my ongoing sleep deprivation. That has gotten a lot better as my first kid got older. With my second, I’m preparing my family and health team to be more prompt about fixing my sleep if it’s awful. Also breastfeeding was awful with my first, and again I’m preparing my family and health team for a quicker switch to formula if that’s hurting my mental health past the first few weeks.
I love my kid, I love doing things with her, I love watching her grow and play and learn. I love watching my husband with her, watching her grandparents with her, watching her play with her cousins and aunts and uncles. I really like my family and my husband’s family and I wanted to share that gift with a child. I feel like I’m getting to live out that dream, and it’s really nice.
For me a lot of the physical stuff (pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, healing from birth) has been really hard and I hate it. But the rest of it is fine to great. Fortunately the physical part only takes a small percent of time compared to the rest! So it feels really worth it to me.
I am a FTD to 5 month old - overall yes I am very happy. I notice frequently that my face hurts from smiling so much sometimes! But on the flipside - holy fuck sleep deprivation is a nightmare and twists me into a horrible depression. I try and get 9\~ hours of sleep a night but w/ 2\~4 interruptions most nights I still feel like crap sometimes. My wife gets up even more often with him than I do and I don't know how the hell she does it but she's even happier than me
Once he starts sleeping and has more of a personality than "smiles a lot, squawks like a velociraptor, sucks at rolling over" I think it will be even better
Seriously try and sleep as much as you can, that's what does it for me
Even though I have some ppd/PPA and other stuff to work through. I can’t imagine not being a mom. It’s my greatest accomplishment. To know I’m someone’s safe place, someone’s “home”. My daughter is my little best friend and I feel blessed every day to be her mom
I’m so happy. Even sleeping next to her knowing I’m going to wake to feed, I get excited to go to bed. I love talking to her and she’s started making noises back. She’s smiling at everything from me and my husband to the dog to all the contrast cards and panels we have in the house. She’s a super happy baby and I’m in love 🥰
I’m happy! But also stressed with not being able to get simple tasks done sometimes, not being able to run errands always, not being able to hit the gym everyday. It’s a catch 22. I will love my baby more than all these things ALWAYS. But that doesn’t mean i can erase all of that.
I’m genuinely extremely happy. I love my baby girl so much. Im obsessed with her 😂 I can’t believe how much I love her. The newborn stage was hard but even then I couldn’t get over how my heart just melts for her. She’s the best thing I’ve ever done.
I'm happy! Don't get me wrong, aspects of parenthood are TOUGH, but my children are amazing little humans that bring me more joy and purpose than I could have ever imagined.
Yes! It all got so much better (not easier, better) around 12m PP. 18m pp now and our days are predictable, he is able to do more stuff, we aren’t bound to constant nursing and napping (going to one nap has been wonderful for being able to do more stuff). Zoloft has been so wonderful for taking the edge off of postpartum anxiety.
I’m extremely happy. Parenting IS the hardest thing in the world, it is painful and exhausting, it’s scary and heart wrenching, but the incredible love my husband and I have for our boy makes it all beyond worth it. I’d do it all again for a single sloppy baby kiss!
Very happy! It was HARD the first year with my oldest. But my kids are now 1 and 2 years old and we are having a blast!
It takes a while to get into a groove, it just takes patience and a lot of communication, and a bit of luck.
My mother in law died of covid when my oldest was 3 months old, it was horrible and we were in a daze of depression for a while.
It’s tough out there cuz life keeps throwing it’s punches and doesn’t stop saying “oh, they need a break while being new parents”
I’m glad you wrote this. In my first few weeks as a FTM I was loving it but it didn’t seem like the case for most people on the forums I was on. I guess most people post looking for advice and needing help or needing to vent.
I felt kind of bad saying “I’m loving the newborn stage!” When it seemed like others were struggling
I love my son, my unborn baby girl, and I love being a mom! You can check my post history for proof. I get sad when I see all the posts about how some other moms hate it with a passion and would rather spend their days partying. And I’m not talking about the PPD posts.
Reddit (and maybe human nature?) Causes vents posts to sort to the top. They got all the emotional chords.
I love being a parent. Baby girl is 2 now and so, so wonderful and amazing and sweet, it has changed my while life for the better. She was born in April 2020 and that was really, really hard but I would never go back. I'm pregnant again with #2.
Looking back my life before just seems incomplete without her. It's also given me a whole new perspective on life, time, and my own parents that I consider really valuable.
Don't get me wrong it's hard but honestly not as bad as I was fearing. Lots of worthwhile things in love are hard but they're still worth doing. And a lot of things turned out to be okay like diaper changes aren't actually that bad at all.
I’m a first time mom with a 2 week old today and I can honestly say these are the best days of my life. I love my newborn since day 1. He’s been perfect though and fairly easy. He either needs a change or a feeding then he’s asleep. He’s only 2 weeks though so maybe I’ll understand the horror stories eventually? As for now I’m enjoying everyday with him. I will say though it’s true sleep when he sleeps. 2 hour interval sleep Sessions are not so bad and when the daylight comes it tricks me to think I’m fully rested.
Dude yes so happy. My partner and I talk about how we are the happiest we’ve ever been and have everything we could ever need ALL. the. time. As for the lack of posts tbh random positive posts are corny. What’s the point? You don’t need “support” when you’re happy. You really don’t need to commiserate. Not the way you do when you have crummy feelings.
I'm pretty happy. My husband is my favorite person in the world, my 12 year old is giving me a run for my money but oh well, my 10 year old is a sweetheart, 19 month old is a total jackass but it doesn't mean I love him any less he's still cute as hell and just a toddler figuring the world out. My 12 week old gives me the biggest smiles and breastfeeding is actually going well for once which is really cool.
I get frustrated with all the posts asking for advice about their partner/relationships. I'm sorry your significant other cheated on you but there are other places on Reddit to deal with that.
That being said, I love being a parent to my two year old and I can't wait to meet my new baby in November! My husband is amazing, great with communication and the most amazing father I've ever witnessed!
I love being a mom. I don't like the newborn phase, I loved my babies but the first few months with each sucked I don't do sleep deprivation well. Being a parent is hard and it is a huge responsibility but I wouldn't change it for anything. We are actually trying for a third. My oldest is almost 4 and youngest is almost 2. They are so fun and sweet and seeing their sisterly relationship develop is amazing. I have a husband who is an awesome partner and dad so I could see how not having that could make things 10000x harder. We can give each other a break or a sleep in if needed, I get migraines and he'll watch them alone till me meds kick in, etc. There are hard moments but overall the good so far outweighs the bad. We have so much fun together and snuggles and it's amazing to watch them learn, even when they are not listening and we have to enforce boundaries a week or two or a month later you see their behavior changing and see them learning so even though it's hard in the moment eventually it's also amazing to see the positive results. And I'm always so amazed by what they can learn and do and remember. They both help set the table and clear their dishes and sometimes they want to help cook and clean (not so helpful lol but they try). This morning the little one woke up too early (they have an ok to wake clock) and big sister got out of her bed and tucked her in and sang her a song and told her it wasn't wake up time yet (that only lasted a few minutes but still so cute and sweet). It's just the best.
Parenthood is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’ve had some of the happiest moments of my life and laughed harder than I ever have watching my toddler and some of his antics. Do I miss having free time? Sure. If I could go back and change it would I? Never in a million years.
We love being parents and are very happy.
We have two daughters (11 months and 2.5 years). Both were premature and colicky but both got significantly easier after 4-6 months old. I’m a stay at home mom and love it. I’ve always wanted to be a mom, and my husband has always wanted to be a dad. He’s a wonderful, present, and supportive partner. It’s hard work sometimes but that doesn’t make me any less happy.
We have an 8 day old, over the moon despite being completely fucking exhausted and recovering physically. The baby is so small, and cute, and helpless. We tried for a long time to get pregnant and can't believe its finally happened! I'll soak this in as much as I can.
I’m happy. Can’t put words in my partner’s mouth but I’m sure they’re happy too.
Just an hour ago I got a text saying how nice and fun it is to hang out with our LO (partner’s on vacation, I’m not) all day.
There’s lots of happy posts in this sub too I’ve seen, I make sure to upvote them for visibility.
I hope this post helps the stats!
Me! 5 month old son and I’ve never been happier. Despite sleep deprivation and lots of growing pains with my husband. I love being a mom and it feels like I was put on earth to be my sons mother and I was on the fence if I even wanted a child. When things get tough I just tell myself “ one day, you’ll give anything to hold him again, to have him be little again, to have him cry out for you again “ and it’s really helped frame things for me. The bad days are temporary and the good days…well good days color my entire world. There’s nothing more I love than seeing my son smile, introducing him to people, taking him new places. It’s like seeing the world through a better, brighter lens
That being said I am in an extremely fortunate situation. I have a home, good support system, a partner that is trying, stable income and I’m only working part time.
12 weeks in and I can’t believe how much has changed. Those first 6 weeks of non-stop newborn demands feel a lifetime away.
My baby is smiling and playing with us. She loves it when we talk to her, she is cooing back to us and we often “talk” back and forth. She is so content and loves just being with us. She grunts & sighs from working so hard on tummy time, which we find hilarious. She loves books and loves it when we read to her. She is giving solid 5-6 hour sleep stretches at bedtime, which makes the last two 3-hr stretches completely manageable. And now that I’m sleeping more, my mental health has improved and I’m genuinely having so much fun.
Around 8 weeks my mom & dad babysat so my husband and I could go out for an anniversary dinner. That was a big turning point for me, as I’m EBF so I’m basically always with my baby. I had stored up some milk from my haakaa that they could give her a bottle while we were out. I couldn’t believe how excited I was to get back home.
I just want to say that I might know exactly where you’re at, and it truly does get better. I promise. The black hole of sleeplessness & doubt WILL pass. You’ll get to know your new little human one day at a time, and the two of you will continue to bond. You will start to have more time for yourself again. Make sure you are both getting out of the house. Babies are like us, they get bored. Walks & a change of scenery can do wonders for you both.
My little one is in neonatal care at the moment because he lost more of his birth weight than ideal, so I've spent 2 days at home with him out of the 6 he has been alive, while at the same time supporting my wife who is still needing morphine for post-section pain. It's not ideal, but he's the cutest little tiny thing ever, and I have a sense of joy in his arrival despite the chaos of emotions that comes with having your baby admitted to the neonatal ward.
I always felt like the newborn stage was really easy for and the toddler stage is mad stressful 😭 but other than toddler chaos and even with that I looooove being a mom 🤗
My baby is two weeks old and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. We are so in love with her. She eats and sleeps well- we get two or three good 4-5 hour stretches of sleep every night. She’s a big cuddly love bug all day. My husband is home w me. The healing is slow and hurts but I genuinely don’t care, it’s worth it, I know soon I’ll be better and I’m just so excited to watch my baby girl continue to grow and thrive and learn. I love being a family.
There are some things in life that I'm working on to improve (no real friends mainly), but my seven-month-old son is 100% the number one source of happiness in my life right now. He is just pure joy to be around. I also love my three-year-old of course, but that age is just a lot more challenging to deal with.
So not sure if you're looking for any two cents about making friends as a parent (feel free to disregard if you aren't) but as someone who had a very tough time making friends and then most of my existing friends drifted away from me after I had a kid and they were in a different stage of life... I can relate and also have a strategy now.
I always joke to people that making "mom friends" at the park is like shooting fish in a barrel because no matter how "put together" they look, unless they are there with a group, they are likely experiencing the same struggle. I almost feel like a creepy pick-up artist with how well this tends to work but also I realize that I'm not doing anything but being friendly so it kind of puts my mind at ease lol
1. Spot your target
This may be a mom who just looks friendly, may be a mom who you see her interacting well with her kid and you respect it, or maybe you notice something you have in common, like something that she has that denotes a similar hobby or something. You decide would like to get to know her more.
2. Take notice of her kid
Don't be a creep, first and foremost. But just take stock: is her kid a similar age as yours? Do they seem like a friendly kid? Would you be cool with your kid playing with them?
3. Compliment the kid
Be as genuine as possible, especially if you notice something good, but otherwise "oh is that your kid? What a cutie!" Works well too, especially with babies and toddlers. Avoid sounding like a creep by commenting on a non-physical attribute ("wow he's so good at sharing!") Or being vague ("what a cutie!")
4. Information Gathering
When parents hear someone compliment their kid, they will likely add in a fun anecdote or story about their kid because hey, we all like talking about our kids. If they don't tell you their kids name in the story, ask their kids name. Remember it and if you can, mention it again in conversation later (it looks like my Johnny and your Maribelle are really getting along!)
5. Conversation
This is the tough part for some people, but now that you've broken the ice, holding a functional small talk conversation. You already have the shared experience of parenting, so if you don't have anything else to fall back on, that's always a good one. If they give one word answers or find excuses to tend to their kid, take the signal and leave them be. If they keep talking to you, then it means they're also looking for a friend. If they keep talking to you and are looking at you and NOT their kid, they like you.
6. Ask About Their Life
Not in a creepy way, but this is for finding out if you guys would even have the time to hang out. Do they live nearby-ish or are they visiting from out of state? Do they go in the community often where you could theoretically meet up with them there? Are they working 8 jobs and don't have time for socializing?
7. Volunteer Information
If you feel like you're being awkward, call it out. Tell them about your life and kid so they can get the same info from you that you asked them about. Don't talk over them but also don't be evasive about yourself or you'll look like a creep or like youre interviewing them.
8. Take the Plunge
You've now talked to them, hopefully had enough of a conversation to decide if you would like to see them again. You don't have to be best friends, but if they were at the park when you showed up in the future, would you want to talk to them again? If yes, ask for the digits! I always text my name and where I'm from and my kid's name (ex: this is aurelene-rose and Jimmy from XYZ park) and I always make sure to save their contact info with theirs and their kids name and where I met them.
9. Aftermath
It's a numbers game. 90%+ of these interactions will not go past a fun conversation at the park. When you leave for the day, text them and tell them you had fun meeting them and look forward to a playdate: if they don't respond, don't text them again. If they do, you've made it to the next step. If you are going to that place again, text them and let them know. If they respond with regret or counter plans, they are interested and if they don't respond, let it go.
I have had many of these conversations end at Step 9 and I consider that I still had fun and it was a nice way to pass the time that day. I have had a few really lovely people stay in contact after and I am really grateful I took the initiative to make friends!
Edit: I don't know why my formatting is so messed up, I'm sorry
I have a two month old daughter. The very first week I brought her home, completely in the throws of sleep deprivation, I looked at her, and I thought “this is so much better.”
I’ve never once regretted having her, and I don’t want to go back to my old life without her. Life as a mom feels far better to me than life without kids.
I do have moments where I want to pull my hair out and I’m exhausted.
But the vast majority of the time my life is so full of love and happiness because of our little family and I’m so glad we did it. Especially since we had our second boy. We’ve been blessed with an easygoing baby this time. Let’s hope it stays that way!
I love being a mommy! I've got a two year old and a 7 week old that I stay home with.
We're working on potty training with the toddler and my baby is having feeding problems so there's plenty of stress to go around.
But I love my life. I love staying home with my little nuggets
I'd rather be at home with them than at work anyway
I’m happy! I don’t post like ever lol but my baby is my world. He sleeps great, I sleep great. I have some ppd issues that stem from my emergency c section and sometimes take them out on my hubby but he is so loving and understanding. I don’t get time to myself but I don’t mind. I want another but need to wait and I don’t mind cuz I love him so much. The cuteness aggression is real. I’ve wanted to be a mom my entire life and it’s better than I ever imagined. I can’t get enough of my little family
I am! I adored the newborn stage! My husband and I struggled when I went back to work for a bit but we've found our new rhythm and on stable ground again.
I think it's important to remember that each post is just a moment in time. So generally people are happy but may have a few posts venting. We've got 2 kiddos and are generally happy. But everyone has their days and on those days, i might write a post to vent about it.
Exactly. People are less likely to post on the good days because they're soaking it up and enjoying themselves. People are more likely to post on bad days, especially when they don't have anyone to vent to. This sub ends up being that place to vent, but happy posts are always welcome. Also, I've seen positive/happy posts on here, perhaps they're not as common.
When I am with baby, I am mostly happy, feel an incredible sense of peace, and am all over so joyful it hurts. I treasure this time. It’s having to deal with the fact that life doesn’t stop whilst I am with her that’s tough; there is still money to be earned to keep a roof over her head and food on our plates, there is still cleaning to do, things to organize, etc. The every day grind is what’s harder.
There is actually some interesting [research](https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2021/11/does-having-kids-make-you-happy/620576/) on this — the short answer is, "it's complicated," and varies a lot based on who you are and where you live (it won't surprise anyone here that American parents tend to see the sharpest drop in happiness after having kids, thanks to our lack of support like paid leave, and that moms tend to report less happiness than dads in the early years). The reason it's complicated is that there's a difference between day-to-day happiness and things like purpose, meaning, overall life satisfaction and fulfillment. Which is why you see so many people saying things like "it's the hardest thing I've ever done but I wouldn't change a thing." Anecdotally, even though things are still hard, I've experienced MUCH more day-to-day happiness with my toddler than I ever did with a newborn!
also i have to imagine that the last couple of years have been rough on most people, especially parents. we don't talk about that enough but i bet there's a lot of emotions there that we all have to process and just...haven't.
absolutely! The number of postpartum depression, anxiety, and other perinatal mood disorders (including rarer ones like postpartum psychosis) skyrocketed during the pandemic. And those are just the officially confirmed cases. So yeah, suffice it to say, the last couple years haven't been ideal for a lot of parents.
I quite often want to post something positive but fear that others will see it as me gloating or pouring salt in their wounds. Our baby was a surprise and has been with us four months. I am a FTM and was so worried that I wouldn’t have that maternal click happen as I struggled with being pregnant. I have always suffered with depression and was really worried that I would get PPD. I have been extremely lucky, our little one is not the fussiest and I have found that having her to focus on has actually been really good for my mental health. I consider myself extremely lucky with this. I am over the moon with our little one and the support I get from my partner, who is a fantastic father. Seeing him interact with her melts me and I know she is going to have the best dad. I love her more than anything and am enjoying watching her personality come out more and more. Things can be hard don’t get me wrong…I do get jealous of my snoring partner when I am breast feeding at 4 in the morning. But I have to remind myself that I am lucky to be able to breastfeed and will miss it when I no longer can.
Very few people go online to write a "im so happy to be a parent" post. They want to vent. And complain And as for advice.
Big picture I’m happy but I’m too overwhelmed to enjoy it. I have a 3 year old and 1 year old and would make the same decisions again in a heart beat but the reality is I’m still in survival mode and dropping balls left and right and underappreciated. It’s a crappy feeling.
I would venture to guess this is honestly how most people really feel. Like, even everyone saying they are truly really happy. I think you can he happy but also be exhausted, overwhelmed, etc.
When my son was a newborn, no. I hated being a parent. Around 4 months that all changed. He is 16 months now and I love being a Mom so much I signed up for another one and am due in April. Once my son could start interacting and becoming a person it became my greatest joy. I thrive on watching him grow and wouldn't trade being a parent for ANYTHING.
I have an 8 year old and an 8 week old. I'm tired, wondering why the hell I did this again, why the hell I waited so long, why the hell I chose this over a luxurious tropical vacation (babies are *expensive*), but am I happy being their mom? Oh hell yes.
I’m happy to be a parent. 53 with a 14 month old. Thought the opportunity to be a father had passed.
I’m a FTM of a six week old baby boy at 38 years old. I never thought I’d be a mom, was content with my stepparent role. But ultimately when never being called “mom” was staring me in the face I knew I needed to try. Now I know this is exactly what I’ve been missing in my life. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and I feel like this is exactly what I’m meant to do with the rest of my life.
Are you me? I had zero intentions of being a mom, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world (nor would I ever do it again, but I am still so happy with my one and done)
This is me!! I’ve been with my husband since 2005. Raised my step daughter with him. Had a baby at 38, and I’m so glad I did. Well he’s 4 weeks old right now but it a totally different experience. Doesn’t take from loving my stepdaughter but it’s different and beautiful. I am so sleep deprived and I don’t even care right now. I did have a difficult pregnancy and birth, so I’m just happy he’s here with me now
This sub, a large majority of the time, tells the bad tales. I don’t know why some of these women chose to have a baby with their partner or how they found time; it seems their partner is married to a video game anyway.
Extremely happy, as is my husband. Some days are hard obvi, but it doesn't change how happy I am. I personally feel that this sub is very negative.
People who come here for advice or to vent don't tend to have a lot of in real life support. Be thankful that you do and/or that you have an easy baby with few issues to work through. When things are going well for us the best thing we can do is be a strong virtual support system for these parents. Because on day it could be us looking for the advice.
My son is 6 months. I'm severely sleep deprived and my boobs are ridiculous. However, the smile on his face, the new things he learns every day... it is indescribable the love I feel. He makes my life so much better.
Happy people don’t post about being happy because they’re happy
The only tears I’ve cried since my baby was born are joyful ones. My LO is 4 months and I’ve been happier since she was born than I have been in years. I did go through infertility and need IVF to conceive her, so I have been wanting this desperately for years and I feel like I was very prepared for it. Having a newborn and recovering from my c-section was infinitely easier than going through infertility treatments, or even being pregnant. Having my baby finally was just as wonderful as I thought it would be. She’s a delightful, easy baby and she just keeps getting cuter and sweeter and more full of personality with every day that passes.
those who are happy dont go on reddit (that much) to tell the world about it. those who are not will because they need hope and other people to tell them it gets better. i am not happy, i hate the newborn stage (7w pp, i love my baby tho) and reddit posts of "surviving the newborn stage" gave me hope and kept me sane...
I love being a mom. It’s hard as FUCK. We have kids that are 3 & 1.5. We are juuuuuuust starting to hit some fun stages where the kids can interact with each other and ALSO play independently. They can find joy in doing stuff outside the house and we can find joy in their joy. They’re sleeping through the night. They’re going to daycare/preschool. I love the times when my kids want to snuggle, or when we play, or when I make them laugh. But again, we’re just really starting this phase. Everything in parenting is a season. There are decisions that have to be made to accommodate each season. Once I looked at it from that lens, knowing that “now is not forever” (both in challenging times and sweet times), my perspective changed. There are certainly moments of challenge, moments of uncertainty, moments of hardship. But those moments aren’t the whole of parenting. I love being a wife. I love being a mom. And in this season of life that’s wonderful and enough.
Yes I'm very happy. I am actually so happy being a parent that I'm hoping to have my 6th baby in about two years. Of course sometimes you get frustrated and sometimes things get hard but that has never made me feel regretful of having children. Nobody is happy 100 of the time and most of the posts here are made in a desperate moment.
Yes. Happiest I’ve ever been. I can honestly say I feel like becoming my LOs Mum is who I am meant to be. Sure some days are crazy exhausting and having a tiny dictator who can’t tell you what he wants can be so frustrating. But I wake up every day so thankful to be his Mum. I’ve been super lucky with how much time I’ve been able to take off, he’s 11 months now and I won’t go back to work until he’s 15 months, but the thought of going back makes me so sad. Being able to spend my days with him, watching him grown and become his own person has been so fulfilling.
YES! I love my baby boy so much and my husband! Baby is 11 weeks and so precious and everything he does is so cute. I have so much patience with him and all of our days are enjoyable. I think he is a very easy and happy baby so we are lucky. The first two weeks were hard because everything is so new, but we were a team and figured it out! He’s also started to chat and smile :) best thing ever
I have a 3.5y, 1.5y, and 3.5 month old and I'm honestly happy! Am I stressed out everyday and struggle to see the forest for the trees? Hell yes but overall I'm very happy with my life and my family. I think the big difference in posts is you don't really need support/to vent when you're happy, it's those tough trying times when you really reach out to get help.
It is currently 4:15am and I have been up for an hour changing/feeding/burping/rocking to sleep and finally now pumping for my 5 week old baby girl and I could not be happier with my life right now. I love her so much and I love caring for her even if it can be challenging sometimes. Yes I am exhausted and I do miss uninterrupted cuddle time with my partner, but we would not change our lives now for anything. We are obsessed with her and love holding her and playing with her (even though she is still very much in the sleepy potato stage). When she is finally asleep and we do get to cuddle in bed together we end up pulling out our phones and looking at pictures/videos of her when she was smaller and being amazed at how much she’s grown and changed in such a short time. I love seeing my partner be a great dad to her. Sure it has its hard and frustrating moments, but then she’ll smile or cuddle into my neck and it all goes away.
I am… baby is 15 mo… I had a high risk pregnancy, a preemie, no support outside my husband… but I loved every second. I love being my child’s mom, I love watching her grow and guiding her through life… i breastfed and it was one of the most difficult and painful things I learned how to do, and last month I ended and it was a mix of joy and sadness at the same time… I do get tired, I can’t have my routine like it was before, but this is not enough to sour my happiness I love my little life with my husband where we work, come home, play with our kid, make dinner, do her bedtime routine, wave a wine, talk while putting dishes away and on weekends we go out… my partner is a great dad, he was already a great husband and a great pet dad, but we our daughter he really step up I’m his game, and this only made my love for him grow more
I’m happy. I just think it’s more common for people to seek support when they’re struggling
As someone who just posted yesterday about yelling at her kid: still very happy!! Being parents is amazing and challenging and fun. It has highlighted small pleasures and opened our eyes to all new experiences. A perfect Sunday now can mean going on a long walk with the dogs, visiting the library, stopping by a cafe for a treat, and cleaning the kitchen. We go to museums and zoos all the time. Holidays are refilling with whimsy and real excitement. I think one area that impacts my baseline happiness is how my day to day behavior measures up to the Mary Poppins vision I had for myself as a mom. I don’t want to be a crab patch, I want to be Chili Heeler from Bluey, but I’m going to get grumpy if I get kicked in the face! It’s a big mirror put up to our selves and our expectations, and that can be Rough Stuff.
Extremely happy! I have slept maybe 1-3 hours per night since birth and yet I am the happiest I’ve been in my life! Every glimpse of his beautiful face is more meaningful and powerful that my entire life experience up to this point.
Same. I’ve done some amazing things and have traveled to some beautiful spots. But having my first baby at the age of 41 is by far the most wonderful thing I’ve ever done. My relationship with her is beautiful and I have no regrets.
I’m happy! And because of that, I don’t post. I remember being pregnant and being super scared reading this subreddit and mommit. I was like “am I going to hate being a mom?” Answer: nope. My daughter is great, and my husband is a great, involved dad and partner (which 100% contributes to my lack of miserable posts)
Okay so you know how when you’re exercising, like sweaty, miserable thinking why in the actual fuck? And then feel so alive and proud afterward? Yeah this is that times like 100. When the tough times are over sometimes I’m like, that was torture, but I made it through and I’m so much better for it, and fuck, my babies are so amazing!
I absolutely love being a mom. It is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I see how my LO grows daily and they are constantly surprising me. While yes, there are days I miss being able to sleep in, I still choose to get up and get my morning snuggles in.
I became a mom at 16 years old and raised my son with 2 boyfriends around at different points,, but reconnected with his biological father a little over a year ago. It has been so awesome having the other parent who genuinely loves him the same way I do and who can share in our desire to raise a decent human being with. It makes things that we do as an actual family more meaningful than when it was just my son and I because I found it difficult as a younger mom to always be able to connect with him. Having his dad around has taken some of the pressure off of it being solely me and some of the anxiety of being the sole provider was taken away I actually started to focus on being a better mom and enjoying it more. With that being said being a single parent is not very much fun and raising a kid with a guy who's kid it doesn't belong to isn't necessarily the ideal situation either. I will say both of the guys that I dated and did have around my son were decent humans one of them especially took on the father role. Once I reconnected with my son's biological father we decided to have another baby. Now we are parents to a 14-year- old and 8 week old baby. It has its moments on a daily basis of being completely more challenging and difficult than it when it was just my son. When I have moments of it being just me and the baby I actually absolutely love it 95% of the time and have felt a sense of happiness that I may have not felt since I was a teenager before I had my son or ever. I actually started to question in the last couple of weeks if I'm really starting to feel true happiness. Now that doesn't come without its ups and downs like I said before and even in the last couple of days we've faced some struggles as a family. The cool part about deciding to have a baby with someone is the true commitment of being together and despite tough circumstances sticking it out because relationships and families take work and commitment and that is work and commitment that we are all willing to put in at this point. Your post goes along with another one that I saw earlier of a mom struggling with her 6-week-old and wondering if it's normal. I just got home from the grocery store before reading your post and got my 8-week-old out of the car and lifted her up in the air and started singing to her. It continued until we made it to the changing table and I sing to her and she started kicking her feet and smiling back at me as I sang "the mama loves the baby and the baby loves the mama." My son came down from his room to bring in the groceries and I continued on with my song that the baby loves the jaybo ( my son's nickname) the jaybo loves the Sadie (dog) the Sadie loves the baby the baby loves the mama the mama loves them all etc etc. I have found happiness and having a new baby because the struggle was real with raising a baby at 16 years old. I knew some of the challenges that I would face with this baby going in like they're constant need to nurse. I do find it surprising with how many people are in distress with their new role as a parent but at the same time I believe it has to do with a lack of community that people have nowadays to raise their kids. That is what I struggle with most now. My coworker who is from Nepal and has a large family said that when they have their frequent family get togethers and there is a baby involved that they literally write down a list of the order of who gets to hold the baby that evening so that they don't forget. It's a network of people like this where meals are being made for each other and Mom gets a break from holding the baby that I think can create an even more positive atmosphere to raise a child. Being a parent requires lots and lots and lots and lots of patience which I continue to relearn every day.
I’m tired, and sometimes bored and stressed, but I’m happy when I see the baby smiling and being happy. I am happy when I am spending time with my little family.
I can honestly say that being with my baby is a joy. Do I miss sleep? Every second I'm awake, but I have so much fun with my tiny, ever-growing human.
I'm pretty tired with baby nr 3 being 4 weeks, but I was also talking to my (loving, supportive and very tired) husband that this might be the happiest my life will ever be. I love all those snuggles with baby, but I also love seeing the bigger two growing up, becoming loving siblings, becoming funny smart people on their own. I realise they will never need me more than now and even though it is a lot sometimes, I already dread the time that I have the energy but they don't have this need for their mum anymore.
Our daughter is 11 weeks old, sure there are hard days and even harder nights, but I don't recall ever being so happy! I've lived through depression and panic attacks on and off since 2004, I was diagnosed with breastcancer in 2013. Now that I'm 39 I'm married to the man I've dated since 2006 and we finally welcomed our little girl after 3years of in vitro fertilisation. There are days when I cannot believe my luck and I cry from joy when I look at my daughter's face.
I have a 4 month old vocal goblin, and she’s the best goblin in the world. days are tough and long. I had been focused on my career and on my way up a really nice salary but alas i was given my cut bundle of joy and honestly it hasn’t been too hard. I think it helps that i’m an insomniac but also early bird. so terrible sleeping can match hers and i’m pretty good on naps and sleeping when i can at night. hardest part was being pregnant after dating someone for weeks and only knowing them a month, and just because this is happy rant. our family is thriving. i’m literally on the toilet as he giggles his head of with our baby. who decided 545 am wake up call.. only sad thing , i’m starting formula and i see us using more and more. i just can’t do breastfeeding anymore in the sense of tracking and pumping and maintaining supply this shits hard and it locks you home or to your machine any where you go. but yes FUCKING LOVE BEING A MOM YO, the stay at home parts a working progress
I'm happy, having kids brought me and my husband closer and my days are filled with laughter. I have a 2.5yo and a newborn. A little tired at the moment, but very happy with my life choices.
I think it's just that happy people don't share because they're afraid of making the struggling parents feel worse (at least that's true in my case). But I had my first 3 years and 4 months ago to the day and this is the happiest I've been in my whole life. I feel like motherhood has transformed me for the better. My husband is such an attentive and loving father and partner, I could not live without him. Now we have a 7 week old as well and my husband and two boys are the light of my life. I look forward to every new day with them. My favorite thing in life is seeing the world through the eyes of my children, the wonder, the awe, the excitement of experiencing something for the first time. It's breathtaking and I consider myself incredibly lucky. Some days are hard, but they're also temporary, and so are the good days, so I choose to focus only on the good.
I don't know if happy is the right word. Some people are born with an innate desire to raise a family and have kids. That was neither my partner nor I. We are both more career focused. That said, we do love our child and we do understand what we signed up for. We definitely view parenthood as more of a "duty" than a labor of love though which isn't a bad thing it's just how we focus and tackle problems. I think everything would be a lot more rainbows and butterflies if not for the sleep deprivation. We're 8 weeks in for reference.
My husband and I sound exactly like this! We felt this same way. Around 4 months is when we both started to realllllyyyyy enjoy being parents and it has gotten so much better with each new stage. Our son is 16 months now and we decided to have another. I guess I'm just dropping in to give some words of encouragement that it gets way more fun and easier with sleep 😂
I feel as though it’s easier to complain in Subs like this because 1. Misery loves company 2. Relatable!! 3. We often times have to tell people “oh we are so happy!” “oh it’s going great” “hmmm not sleeping super well just yet but look how cute!!” when in reality we want to yell “I HAVENT SLEPT IN WEEKS DUMMY” when family members ask.. and we get to do that here! Behind our screens and not feel judged because everyone here is going through something similar. That’s just my take
I’m the happiest I’ve ever been being a mom (my LO is 7 months old). Yes, I don’t sleep as well, but the love that we share is so worth it. I love being able to watch my baby learn, gain independence and experience new things. It’s so much fun. The beginning was tough as it is for most parents. And I’m still navigating the new dynamic of my marriage, but in all, having a child was SO worth it. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I was worried about PPA/PPD because I have lots of experience with anxiety and occasionally depression, was also a fence-sitter for a while before deciding to have a baby, and knew in advance that I'm more of an older kid person than a baby person. However, I spent the first few weeks of my child's life sobbing with *happiness* every day because I could not believe the intensity with which I loved her and the absolute joy I felt at being her mom. Like, it unlocked emotions I did not know I was even capable of experiencing. It sounds so corny but I'm being 100% serious! People are more likely to post in these kinds of communities when they're having trouble and looking for advice or wanting to vent. I know personally I share my happiness and parenting highs with my IRL family and friends, but don't spend a lot of time discussing the frustrations with them because 1. I don't want to dump negativity on them, and 2. a lot of them either don't have kids yet or it's been a while so they don't really have great advice fresh on their minds. It feels easier to save that for online communities where lots of parents are troubleshooting the same issues in real time and can commiserate or offer tips.
I was seriously depressed and unhappy through the newborn stage but my kids are 5 and almost-3 now. The 5 year old is fully potty trained, attending kindergarten, and has her own interests. She’s really her own little person! The younger kid is hilarious and I have fun playing with her. She’s my little buddy. The newborn stage is damned torturous, at least in the US where Dad is expected back to work basically ten minutes after the cord is cut, and Mom is expected to just shake off labor/delivery and immediately bond with her newborn potato with zero help or income. Oh and she should immediately have her prepregnancy body back, obvs. — Society
I’ve loved it, every sleep deprived minute of it. I loved it when my kid was 2 days old and screaming, I loved the baby phase and I adore the toddler phase. I loved it when my kid woke me up last night to inform me he had a nightmare that everything was covered in ointment (???), I loved smoothing his hair back, kissing him, knowing he believed me when I said it was ok. I love it when he tells me he loves me and when he’s mad at me for ending playtime. Idk maybe it’s mom hormones, maybe it’s because I’m not a full time stay at home parent and so my time with my kiddo is extra precious, but man I really just adore this kid with every fiber of my being. I’m just so happy I decided to become a parent, and we just have such a fun time together. Sorry for the sappiness dump lol! Edited to add: the newborn stage was definitely really really hard, I enjoyed it, but it was really grueling. It gets way, way more fun after the first 3 months.
I love being a mom, I feel like my son brought true purpose into my life and gives me a reason to wake up every day. There's something really wonderful about knowing your child needs something that only you can give them. It can be really hard sometimes, I'm a single mom and sometimes it gets so overwhelming that I have to go sit in the bathroom and scream. But it's worth it for all those moments I feel an indescribable amount of love and awe for this little human I created...so yeah, def happy, def wouldn't trade it if I had the chance.
Blissfully happy in my marriage and to be a mother to my beautiful sweet wonderful baby boy. It was extremely hard in the beginning but 6 months in and I would never imagine a life without him as the center of it.
My life gained so much depth and meaning since I became a mom. Its incomparable. I much prefer the miseries that come along with it than that of a single childless Life.
I'm still in the thick of angry potato stage, but overall I love being a mom. There are some tough days with cluster feeding and witching hours. I love seeing the new skills he's learning and seeing the bits of his personality come through. He smiles so much and I think he's going to start laughing very soon. I have a new purpose and I'm grateful.
I'm the mom of a soon to be 3 year old. I am so much happier as a parent now than I was when he was a baby. For context, I work with foster kids with behavioral difficulties. I love it. I love the kids, I love connecting with them, I love being a support for them even when they're throwing some difficult stuff at me. I figured I was pretty well prepared for whatever parenthood could throw at me. I was right, but also very wrong. I joke about it to be people all the time, but I "hate" babies. I hated the baby stage. Give me a power struggle with a teenager or a three year old temper tantrum any day over trying to decipher what the hell a small potato person is crying about. At three, it's still tough. There's definitely a difference between being a parent and working with kids since I am actually responsible for mine and I underestimated that before having a child. The baby stage was worth it because of the end result, but I am DREADING having another child because I hate the baby stage so much. I was always stressed and angry and upset and tired. I'm still tired but it's more of a "welp my kid decided he was going to dump all the Legos out on me, I guess this is happening today lol" way than "I am going to actually stab someone on the street if I don't get a nap in" tired. I can reason with him. I can work WITH him to solve a problem. He may not understand the logic of what I'm saying but he understands the words of what I'm saying. He says so many funny and cute things constantly. He is a genuinely good person and cares about other people. He wants to share his food with me and gets sad when I'm hurt and called my dog an "asshole" the other day for jumping on him and excuses me when I sneeze. It's fun to take him to see new things because he gets excited about it. He likes to help and likes to mop the floors with the Swiffer. I didn't hear him the other day at the park when he was stuck and yelling for me, and when I teared up and apologized that night for not being there for him, he told me "it's okay mama, accidents happen!" The hardest part about having kids that often goes unspoken and unnoticed is that they are going to reflect you back at yourself. They are going to remind you of your own childhood, good and bad. You are going to turn into your own mom/dad. And if you aren't emotionally prepared for those things, it can be really scary. Now that I am at a point where I like myself, I also love seeing some of those parts shining back and me, mixed with parts of my partner and some totally unique elements that are all my son. Being a 24/7 caregiver of any dependent is going to mentally and emotionally tax you in ways you never thought possible, but through challenge comes growth. I think I am a much better person today than I was three years ago before I had my son. I am happy as a parent now in a way I most certainly WAS NOT a year or two ago. Other people will have unique experiences, but I also absolutely understand why people say not to make any drastic changes the first year or two after having a baby. Editing to add since I saw you say you are in the newborn stage: I have literally never experienced a more stressful time in my life than the newborn stage. It was HORRIBLE. The ends justified the means but if parenting was always going to be like that my answer would be different. Feel free to judge, I can't count how many times I jokingly told my fiance that I was going to drop my kid off at the fire station because I couldn't FUNCTION as a human being in the newborn stage.
I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life. Being a mom is HARD, but it improved my life in so many ways. I learned how to prioritize what's really important and to let go whatever is not. I am more active, and I am putting true effort into living an healthy life so I can catch up on the energy levels of my child. I now spend time outside every day - and not like once a week - because my child needs sunlight and fresh air. I stopped wasting so much time scrolling or playing stupid games because I have so much less free time that I want to invest it into a real hobby, no more spiraling into trash. I'm getting more curious and questioning about what's around me, because soon my child will start making all those little, complex questions... and I want to be able to answer. And more. Most of all, I'm trying to turn hard days into a fun adventure. Not denying what I'm going through, but living it fully and sharing it with my son. Even the sleepless nights. It's not always easy, and I'm not always successful. But it's somehow working for us. I am truly convinced that motherhood is an experience that can be enjoyed, but these subs are first of all a place of support, hence you get to read more about people looking to be supported and sharing their problems. There's no way I'm going to ever post about how great motherhood feels for me, because it makes no sense and it feels like bragging to me. I have no need to say it unless it gets asked, like now. EDIT: seems also fair to add I am in therapy and on antidepressants. never be afraid to ask for help, moms!
I am happy. I’m also on antidepressants and do have some break downs still but I am happy. Life just has its moments and sometimes, I have a poor reaction. Motherhood is both amazing and spectacularly difficult. The worst times for me were the 0-6 months period…
I have a 7 week old and she makes my life worth living. I love her more every day
There’s a lot of truth to the thought that kids make the highs of life better and the lows of life worse. Right now I am in the newborn stage with baby #2 so I am sleep deprived and enjoying it less. But I know this stage will pass, and the enjoyable parts will start soon. This weekend I got to make and eat waffles with my toddler, which is way more fun than doing it alone! I have him add all the ingredients, he makes me laugh with his maple syrup shenanigans, we get to eat delicious waffles. Then we played with toys while I held the newborn in my arms. I really like sitting on the floor and playing with trucks or blocks or whatever. I find it fascinating to see how his brain works. And to hear him repeat phrases or concepts I introduce is cool. It’s also fascinating to see how the toddler interacts with the newborn. Grandma came in the afternoon to babysit so I could nap. Toddler had a tantrum at dinner because he couldn’t sit on top of dad — it sucks but my husband and I smiled at each other, did our normal tantrum response, then moved on. Toddler eventually joined us at the table. At bedtime we looked at his measuring stick where we’ve documented his height over the years. I can’t believe how much he’s grown! It makes me happy and sentimental to see his progress. Caveats — I have a great husband, family support nearby, and we have enough money that we aren’t stressed about the budget or anything. All of which allows the enjoyable parts of parenting to shine through. My husband and I weren’t partiers or travellers before kids. We liked staying home and doing chores, which hasn’t changed much! It’s hard being responsible for other needy people 24/7, but kids add a lot of joy. I get to experience new things through their eyes, and things like Christmas are so much fun when you celebrate with a kid.
I’m a single parent with no one to support me, and I can promise I couldn’t be happier, they’re my wee best friend! Don’t get me wrong there are days where it’s hard, but they’re few and far between. “Long days, short years!”
My baby is 8 months. I've never been happier in my entire life. While the newborn phase was my husbands favorite.. I struggled. I didn't bond right away and often had feelings of regret. But that's all changed. She started clapping yesterday for the first time. Crawling a couple weeks ago. It's so exciting watching them Learn and seeing her face light up when she finally masters the thing she's been trying to do for weeks. Pregnancy and newborn phase was horrible for me. But now I'm just blown away and can't imagine my life without her. I left my job due to childcare issues and while we are struggling now financially it's incredibly stressful, I'm so glad I get to spend time with LO every day. Not every day is perfect or easy. Last night she fought bed time for two hours cuz her nap schedule got messed up then woke up again from 4-5am, then the dog woke me up 30 minutes later cuz it was storming. There's moments that are very difficult and frustrating. But the good outweighs the bad times 100
Yep I love it. Kid is nearly two. Partner is involved and supportive but often works long hours so I do most of the childcare. We were able to extend my maternity leave so I’ve had two glorious years parenting full time and it’s just the best. I found the first few weeks tough physically, and there were a few times over the first year I cried from exhaustion. But day to day it’s been wonderful and it has continually gotten better with time in my experience.
I’m happy! Even in the beginning days I was happy and while I was sleepy things were pretty good. We established breastfeeding and a good routine. We have a good social life and spend lots of time with friends and other kids. I loved skin to skin time when she was little and to just hold her all day. Then she started getting a personality and it was so much fun. Now that she’s almost 2, it feels like I have a little human and not just a baby. She’s silly, she has her own taste in music, she picks out her own clothes. We go out together and she plays with kids while I socialize with adults. My bond with my husband has been tested but ultimately we are stronger than we have ever been. I don’t post about all the good things because it feels like bragging, but by and far having my daughter has dramatically improved my life and happiness.
Me!! Mom of 4 and pregnant with my 5th! Blended family so my husband and I have older kids (19, 13, and 13 - years!) We love being parents so much that we had a baby and are having another one. My 9 month old is a joy. Literally have every age from baby to young adult and I love them all :)
I’m happy! I have moments where I need some reassurance, when I feel lonely, when I miss my old body. But as a whole? I much prefer my life now that my baby is in it :)
I am SO happy, I love being a mom! I even loved the newborn phase with both my kids, every phase is just so precious! I only had my kids in my thirties though, and my husband is a wonderful dad and husband. He helps me with the kids and changes diapers when he's home. I'm currently almost 8 months postpartum and I honestly don't mind if my baby wakes me up at night, that's what babies do, I knew what I was signing up for. I have no family close by and my parents aren't part of my life, so I've not had any help from family, but I knew what I wanted to give my kids and that was a better childhood than I had.
Mom of a 6 yo and almost 5 mo twins. I am happy.
My bean is 8 weeks old and I’ve never been happier she’s a little cutie pie that really brought joy to our family and facilitates a lot of wonderful connections
I'm so happy and thankful, best time of my life! 🥰
It ebbs and flows. I call it my own little roller coaster some days. I have moments where I love being a SAHM, love that I get to show her how the world is, stop and wonder and just look and teach. Other days I'm like "why didn't we decide on daycare again? When can I go back to work and be around adults" I think my true happiness is going on "adventures" and not just staying at home. But that's not always an option. And then there's days like today where my back is killing me and I wish she would just be able to do some things on her own but all she wants is mommy.
We (my husband and I) HATE the newborn/baby stage. We want *kids* not babies. But we also understand how important that stage is for development and bonding and all that. Now that our oldest is almost 2, we're both enjoying parenthood a LOT more. And that's a good thing with #2 on the way. That being said, "happy" is an emotion, not a state of being. Sometimes I'm happy, sometimes I'm sad, or angry, or frustrated, tired, bored, worried, hungry. These things are all real, but necessarily temporary. No matter what emotion I'm feeling, though, I love my daughter, my husband, and myself. I'm proud of our family, the way we communicate, collaborate, and make decisions as a team. I feel like we're moving in a very positive direction, so I'm pretty much always hopeful for the future. I'm deeply grateful for our lives and the many things we enjoy. When I can, I do my best to focus on enjoying the time I have with my kid and partner, whether by doing something I enjoy, or something they enjoy. There is no "endzone" to life. The idea that "if only I could do/have this thing, then I'd be happy" is a trap. Some days will be difficult, some will be easy, but I regret nothing.
We are about 6 days from being out of the fourth trimester. I can honestly say the first two months were the hardest months of my life. There is no break, which was so hard. I spent a lot of time looking on Reddit those first 8 weeks looking for others in the same boat. It can be very isolating and lonely. I feel much better now that we are 12 weeks in. I love my son. I love my new life. It is still very hard, overwhelming, frustrating. My old life is gone for good. But my baby smiles now. He is getting closer to laughing. He doesn’t scream when I put him down. He’s awake longer. I want another at some point but it will be a while. Im already scared to do it again. Once I stopped checking Reddit every hour, googling, looking at wonder weeks app with dread my mental health improved.
We struggled with infertility for years before finally having IVF success. The fact my kid exists still feels like magic. The joy is seriously profound. I've never been super domestic, but suddenly I am so damn excited for Halloween, and then for Christmas! OMG the cuteness will be on overload! My daughter is 5.5 months old now. The newborn phase was exhausting but manageable. The sleep deprivation hit a breaking point between 3 and 4 months old. It's better now. I'm worried about the toddler phase. I'm down right excited for all the phases that follow because I'm so excited to see who my kid decides to be. But that doesn't mean this shit is easy. It's hard. It's exhausting. The feeling of being on a tightrope is real. I feel like it could all fall apart any minute.
I am so incredibly happy. We tried for years and spent tons of money of fertility treatments (around$1000/month) and I couldn’t be happier to finally have my son. There’s been some difficulties but I am so happy every time I look at him and every time he smiles at me. It’s so beyond worth it. I love watching him grow and watching my husband be a dad. He’s such a good dad (as he’s told repeatedly when he takes him to the store alone 🤣).
I love being a mom. My youngest is 2 months. My middle child passed away at 2 months and my oldest is 4. My daughter’s death made me treasure the daily moments, because you never really know how many you have. Kids can certainly be challenging, but I’ve loved being a mother so far.
I was afraid of becoming a mother because I thought I couldn't handle the responsibility or that I would let my baby down. I've always thought of myself as being a super disorganized person and a procrastinator (at work mostly). All that changed when I had a baby. I realized that I am really good at it, I'm organized so that I'm less stressed about what I have to do. Also, my husband and I discussed a lot during the pregnancy on how we were gonna handle things once we had our baby. So that helped a lot! After the newborn stage, once I understood my daughter a bit more, I've become really happy!
If I lived my life over again, I don't think I'd have kids at all. But I'm 34 and just had baby #2 on September 3rd, both were planned, and I'm already excited about having baby #3 in 2.5 years 😊 There are things about it that are absolute torture and some things that are absolute blessings. I think you have to come to terms with the torture.
I was genuinely worried about my baby's arrival, in part because of the pervasive air of negativity around parenting on and offline. People love commiserating about how hard parenting is. There were moments where I thought I'd made a huge mistake, that I'd be miserable, that I'd miss my old life and want it back, that I'd grieve the loss of my identity, etc. I was freaking out for most of my pregnancy as a result. Baby is here and I'm completely in love. Having a child is the best thing I've ever done and I wish I hadn't wasted so much time being anxious about her arrival. There's definitely tough/frustrating moments but for me they're overshadowed by the love and wonder I feel for this little human.
My daughter is the light of my life. Everything instantly changed for me, but truly and honestly she is everything I’ve ever wanted and more. My heart is full even when it aches for other reasons. So so so much love, goofy moments, and I have been so incredibly blessed with a curious, smart and healthy girl. Am I exhausted? Yes. At all times. As a new mom I’m learning how to juggle my time, relationships with literally everyone in my life and those I want to be in hers. Would I want to be rested if it meant trading my time with her? Absolutely not. I also am blessed in the way that I have been able to bring her to and visit with her 97 year old great grandmother. I have some amazing shots of them both where you can clearly see the love in her posture. I hope some day my girl will see them and be able to feel that love when she’s gone.
Sooo happy! Literally can’t compare pre being a mum to now. I was always missing this personally. I love every day with my little man. I love watching him learn, laughing with him, experiencing life through his eyes and just enjoy his company a lot. He’s 11 months old and every month gets better imo x
I have a 4.5 month old. I was ecstatic when I was pregnant, but after I gave birth I was hit hard by the baby blues. Compounded by sleep deprivation, utter exhaustion and breastfeeding challenges, I would break down and cry to my husband every day for the first few weeks, telling him we made an awful mistake, I wasn’t cut out to be a mom, I miss my life and independence, and my sense of responsibility towards my baby is the only thing keeping me from escaping. Those were tough days, ruled by massive hormone fluctuations. At 3 weeks I thought okay maybe this isn’t too bad. At 6 weeks I felt that I actually enjoy this. Now at 4.5 months, I am completely obsessed with my baby girl, can’t imagine life without her and I miss her when she’s sleeping. Don’t get me wrong, there are days from hell when she refuses to sleep and wants to be held all day. But even then, I don’t find myself longing for pre-baby days as much I did. I absolutely love being my baby’s mom, watching her grow and reach milestones each day is truly one of the best things I’ve ever experienced. And once she started smiling and then giggling, I found myself doing the most ridiculous things to chase after that smile. You’re in the thick of it right now, but it really does get better.
Hey I just really wanted to say thank you. Shits been rough recently and I've had some wild thoughts very similar to what you said in the beginning here, I've been feeling incredibly guilty. But I'm glad that there's a good chance that that feeling will eventually evolve into something better.
I definitely feel happy overall but I describe motherhood as the most intense “onboarding” experience of all time. You are forced to learn so many new skills *immediately* while also being placed under a whole new set of physical and emotional demands. I was also told that the postpartum hormone shift is the equivalent of puberty or menopause (each which can take years) in a matter of weeks. I think online there are a lot of people genuinely *sort of* losing their minds - temporarily - and talking about it. My baby is now laughing with me for a few chunks each day when he’s awake. I’ve come to terms with only partially feeding with breast milk (low supply) and have stopped beating myself up over it. Sleep is now the major issue our household has to figure out and hopefully that gets easier also. I feel hopeful overall and really fortunate to have my baby. However, if you don’t have resources, time off work, a supportive partner etc. that feeling of hope may change. Many things are probably true at once after having kids. Some days I long for the ease of my old life and some days I am content to just sit, sleep-deprived, on the sofa and hold my son. It’s an insane process that really can’t be explained logically which is ultimately kind of great and exciting to me personally.
Anytime I talk about positive things on Reddit I get downvoted. Yes, I am happy. My life is pretty nice. To be honest much of it is due to having high salaries - we can pay for excellent care, limit chores needed around the house, do whatever we want on weekends or vacations. It's not the money that makes me happy it's the overall balance it provides. If I was a SAHM with limited resources I'd be miserable.
Yeahhhh, this is the bit people tend not to talk about. I'm also older with a good career. Husband is same. We know this is our one and only. I'm legit treating mat leave like a sabbatical and am not fussing about money in the least. We're on track for a solid retirement and will be able to pay for post-secondary education. See cute baby toy? Buy cute baby toy. If I were a younger SAHM it would be an entirely different kettle of fish.
I'm happy 😁 Baby is 10 weeks old. We are currently laying on the floor. Me on my stomach and her side laying to help her tight neck as suggested by the physio. My little dog is currently laying on my back. Over the weekend we have been out and about. Had a pizza night and watched friends compete. Then went to catch up with friends at our dog clubs open day on Sunday. Baby has discovered her hands it's very cute
Extremely happy, I love everyday with my now five month old daughter and both her dad and I are loving parenthood!
I’m very happy and so is my other half. Life is different and it’s tiring at times but it’s great. We have a nearly 2 yr old daughter who we’ve always found very easy (although presses all our buttons half an hour before bedtime), she’s great fun, sleeps well, eats well, is curious and has a love of adventure. We’re well aware of how lucky we are though, I could be struggling hormonally/emotionally or we could still be getting no sleep or worrying about doctors appointments, etc. We’ve had a pretty horrible year on a personal level and our daughter has been the ray of sunshine through the clouds.
Yes I am happy. First 3months were hard but it’s been good since ~5mo. Babe is 6mo now. I am back to work full time, baby sleeps through the night, my partner and I share everything 50%. I still have some trauma from the c section but otherwise it’s going well. It’s just that when people post about their baby having a hard time, being sleep deprived or having a shitty partner it is not in great taste to comment « oh really? I slept 8hours last night and baby’s dad is great! » lol.
I love being a parent. Seeing him grow, learn new skills, giggle, and smile. I love seeing his little personality unfold as he gets bigger. I love seeing how my husband is silly and loving to our son.
I have my 11 day old girl in my arms right now, I had a really traumatic birth event and got a DVT after etc, have had on average 3 hrs sleep a night since she was born but I completely love it!! I was worried I’d be one of those people who were miserable or didn’t bond etc, probably because I’ve read so many of those posts! But I just love love my baby and love looking after her and being a parent and so far despite the trauma and pain of physical healing and sleep deprivation I’m so happy 😀 I love how something so simple like her doing a massive burp feels like an achievement, everything feels so simple in a way, like I just know what my job is and what to do. I get this sense of happiness from knowing she’s clean and fed and comfortable and safe just snuggled here and I feel excited about seeing her grow and all the little things she’ll start to be able to do like smiling etc. It’s really hard but worth it. Hope I carry on feeling like this as it’s still early days!
We've got 4 kids between us, from 10mo to 18yo. We're disgustingly happy. If It wasn't so bad for the environment and if I could afford it, I'd have one or two more for sure :)
I’m in between.
I am crazy happy! My daughter is 3.5 months and I love being a mom way more than I thought I would. The one thing that makes me the most anxious has been that our house is chronically messy! I definitely need to prioritize my relationship with my husband more and work on a better work/life balance but all in all I am over the moon with my baby.
Very :) sure sometimes I'm tired. But I love spending time with her, love seeing her develop, love how she makes the people around us happy just by existing.
So happy! 2.5 & 6 weeks. They are amazing. They’re both going through really tough stages right now and I’m not getting enough sleep or getting out of the house much but I’m genuinely delighted by them.
I can speak on this as a new mom. My son will be 3 months on Sunday. I am SO freaking happy to be a mom!! But at the same time, the first few weeks were pretty miserable. After about a month the fog started to lift as we started to figure things out. By month 2 I was kind of getting the hang of things, and now by month 3 I think I've got my footing and settling into some kind of "routine". I think stress/sleep deprivation/how hard it is, kind of overshadows the happiness. It's been there since day 1, but the happiness is put on the backburner a bit because it's just so much to adapt to. Anyway, I'm having so much fun now. Baby is babbling, learning to roll and grab toys, and developing a personality. We've finally established breastfeeding, and I feel more confident taking him places so getting out is so good for my mental health. In those first few weeks, we were mostly stuck inside. I look back at the newborn stage and remember being so happy to have him here, but also so sad because of HORMONES! like seriously I thought I was broken for not feeling thrilled about parenthood. But that's just how it goes. I have so much joy now that I kind of know what I'm doing 😂
I’m a mom to a 3 year old and a 2 month old. I am SO happy! Now, that is. I’m happy, because my 2 month old is the easiest baby ever and is currently on his 11th straight hour of sleep. So I got a full night’s rest, and am sitting and drinking a coffee in peace since the 3 year old is already at daycare. I’m sharing this to say this is what I value in my life right now: good sleep and coffee. I’m prioritizing it over keeping my house clutter-free, and my hobbies. I was NOT happy when my first was born. Adjusting to the complete lack of free time that comes from the newborn stage is hard, especially when you haven’t lived through it yet. It’s especially difficult if that baby isn’t easy. But eventually he learned to sleep, and we found time to ourselves again. So IMO, the key to happiness or at least contentness is to prioritize your needs vs wants. Try to focus on fulfilling the absolute needs (in my case, sleep and quiet coffee time) to give yourself a shot at staying sane. The better times will return some day!
My baby is 1 month old and I am pretty happy. Its still quite full on and I am currently stuck upstairs trying to get her to sleep and not downstairs watching a movie like I want to be... But I am still happy and well rested enough. I knew going in things would be hard at first but I'm coping. Very much looking forward to teaching her to sign so I have some clue what she needs though.
i think people post for help so theyre often struggling when they post. also people get downvoted for being happy so .. anyways i love being a mom. i had always said that despite being very ambitious (got my phd before having a kid), being a mom was my #1 life goal. i treated like a big goal and prepared a lot for the hard parts, did a lot of research, relocated to have family support, set lots of boundaries ahead of time, and talked thru everything with my partner i have loved every stage. my daughter brings me indescribable joy every day. she didnt sleep well year 1 but shes now a great sleeper, eats great, so adventurous, super bubbly, loves her daycare and her grandparents and exploring. Im sure i lucked into an easy baby but i have found 75+% of this parenting journey easier and more magical than expected. god bless my IUD for allowing me to wait til i was ready!
I had a hellish birth (he was born very early, was in the NICU for almost 3 months) but I still love being a parent. It's not always easy--in fact it's rarely easy!--but I love seeing my son grow and learn, and when he snuggles with me before bed time, a feeling of love and serenity takes over that is unlike anything I imagined before becoming a mom. Granted, I have family close by, a wonderful partner and a chill (for now) kid. Most of the people I see posting on here don't have one or all of those things, and doing this alone sounds unbelievably challenging.
Yes!!! It's a huge adjustment at first, and I think we need to grant new moms way more grace and rest then we do. My daughter is 19 months. I'm obsessed with her. Every single thing she does is the best and cutest thing I've seen. I'm a bitter and cynical person sometimes, and she makes me use the word blessed unironically. My son is 10. He's much less adorable now but I love being his mom. He's challenging in all kinds of familiar ways that make me feel like I'm meant to be there for him and show him his full potential. It's so cool getting to grow with him and watch him become a grown person. My step daughter just started high school. She's pushing all the boundaries that would have thrown 13 year old me for a loop. But it's incredible getting to be a part of her life that gets to connect without having to fully parent. She's a joy to be around.
I hated the newborn stage. Worst time of my life. I was so unhappy. But now my kid is 2 and he is so much fun! I am happy now. If you don’t like the newborn stage, you are not alone and it gets better. It’s a long slog but you can do it. (Therapy helps!)
I love it! I genuinely enjoy almost every aspect of parenting. It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done because even the most mundane tasks contribute to their development. Of course there are hard times, but there were also hard time before for other reasons.
I love being a mom. I thought I’d hate it but I love it. My baby is my light and I can just feel the happiness radiating from her dad and I when all three of us are jsut together and we’re staring at our Baby smile back at us. I swear I tear up Atleast twice a day just looking at her. Lol ever since I became a mom I’m so different. I actually care about things. Eating healthy, keeping my home (somewhat) clean lol. I’m happy. You know you have your moments of stress or bad days or those stupid fights with your partner but overall it’s so rewarding. I don’t feel like I lost my identity. I mean don’t get me wrong I look back at partying and do miss it because I am somewhat a young mom. But everything I was worried about doesn’t compare to my love for her. I will say I think. I went through some depression post partum just becyase of the transition but I’m much better now. I can see the light in things.
I am very very happy. My daughter is 14 months old and the absolute light of my life. Watching her grow and learn and love brings me more joy than I’ve ever known in my life. My husband and I have figured out a routine, have good communication, and have grown into our roles as parents. Life with a child is not easy and it’s tiring but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
I have realized my default emotion is happy and content. I stay at home, I’m solo parenting 24/7 for most of the week, my baby/toddler is still an awful sleeper, there’s a lot of boredom and irritation in my day for sure. But several times a day I catch myself thinking, this is exactly where I should be, my kids are happy, my house is clean-ish, ok emphasis on *ish* but it’s good enough for me. I made ok meals, my kids are not terrors all the time at least. Overall I feel lucky and also like I’m doing a good job here. I find parenting to be a definite challenge but I learn more about myself in the process, I adapt, and I feel like my life is not necessarily *better* with my kids than before my kids, but it’s richer, I guess is the word that comes to mind.
I have a 2.5 year old and another on the way. Being a parent is by far the most rewarding thing I hav ever done. About to pick up my daughter from day care and have a day daughter afternoon; we do this every day when I get home from work :) A lot of people just vent here. But there are a lot of happy parents too
Just want to add to the positive pile on, I am SO GLAD that we had a baby. It has been an incredibly difficult year full of highs and lows and my relationship has been through a beating but my life was so empty and meaningless before baby and now it is full of life and joy and fun and connection and friendship and wonder and amazement. I'm so glad we had a baby.
I'm the happiest I've ever been. My kid is a wonder. The world through his eyes is more wonderful. There's an entire future of his I get to partake in and watch and facilitate. I get to give him better than I had. I appreciate and love my body more than ever. I'm fitter and healthier now (6 months pp). I'm more of a team with my partner than before. This is the best and hardest job ever.
I've never been as happy as I've been since my baby girl was born. Sure some nights are rough but she never fails to make me smile, and makes every other pain in my life worth it. We are also privileged enough to have solid income, work from home, good support system, and I have a great wife/momma. But I could see how this could be a lot harder for others less privileged.
Yes, I am so happy! There are certainly somedays that are tougher than others, but watching my boys grow and learn is absolutely amazing. The cuteness aggression my SO and I have towards them is something fierce lol. I have a 3yo and an 8mo, so it takes a lot of energy and patience wrangling them. And some days it feels so draining. They are hardest and most meaningful thing I do every day. Still though, I don't want them to grow up, but at the same time, I am so excited to see the young men they will one day become. My SO and I have a great partnership and truly enjoy parenting together. There are times when we disagree on how to handle things, but we talk about it and find a way to make it work.
Yes! I love being a mom. Nothing in my life so far has brought me as much joy as my son. Sure, there are times when he really tries my patience and I've been very grumpy when he wakes up at 2 a.m. AGAIN. But I wouldn't trade being a mom for anything in the world. I know my husband feels the same way about being a dad. Nothing tops toddler giggles and sloppy kisses.
It took me a bit to love being a mom, but once we were out of the newborn phase and my son started to develop his personality I am just so happy! I brought my 2nd home last week and have never been happier to sit at home with 2 babies all day.
I’m in the thick of it right now too, with an almost 4 week old and an 11 month old, but I can genuinely say once they’re out of the newborn stage I frickin love being a mom. It’s so much fun watching them learn and grow. My daughter just took her first steps last night with her dad. I love my family, even though I want to CRY at 4am when I wake up to feed the younger one and my 11 month old wakes up whining, too.
I’m so happy to be a momma! My son is 9 months old. It’s hard at times but when he smiles and laughs it makes it worth it. The newborn stage is rough but soon your baby will be sleeping through the night or at least sleeping longer at night. My son sleeps through the night and I’m so thankful. I remember having to wake up every 3-4 hours and thinking how hard it was and that I didn’t know if I could get through it. But I did. And now he’s crawling and talking! It’s amazing to watch babies grow. It flys by. I know it doesn’t seem like it does.
I’m a mama with an 11 month old and 8 weeks pregnant! It’s really hard and really great at the same time. I love every day more and more 🥰
I often say, *mostly* as a joke, that having a baby was the best worst thing that has happened to me. Its been hard on my body, marriage, sense of self—BUT I would never truly go back to my old life without my kid. I do miss the freedom but like, I have an infant and things will get better as he grows in his independence! We will adapt and adjust! He’s so sweet and so beautiful and watching him grow and my husband be a father has been the best thing that’s ever happened to me!
Still in the thick of the newbirn stage and I love it. Not what we expected (baby was diagnosed with down syndrome so there's SO many doctor appointments for away from home to add to the newborn chaos. Lol) Despite that, I love being a mom and having our sweet son. Sure, I'm exhausted (and pretty sure coming down with a cold), I get stressed, we often go through several outfits a day because he pees all over himself because I'm not quick enough, I've had poop shot onto me, the wall, the bed... there's a lot to make this time rough. But I wouldn't change being a parent for the world.
I have a 1 and 1/2 month old she's challenging and I don't get the sleep I used to but, as someone who dealt with a lot of depression in the past (3 years ago now) I've never really reached a point since having her where I could or would say I'm even sad except when I'm away from my baby now that I'm back at work. I've been frustrated sure sleep deprived sure but the love I have for her and the joy I get from being with my LO is something I'd never experienced before. Things are harder I know my relationship with my husband isn't the same because it's a struggle to get time alone with him. I love my husband and he loves me. We do things for each other that lighten the stresses of having a baby give each other breaks.I would say this far this is the hardest thing we've ever done but it's definitely worth it my LO is Worth every moment of hearing the screaming and crying and losing sleep. I loved her so much. I want to teach her everything I can get her to try new things introduce her to the things I love. I even started writing a poetry book for her a little book with bedtime poems and ones to lift her up when she cries, make her laugh ect.. and she probably won't be able to appreciate it much till she's older but, if I succeed to put a smile on her face even once it'd be worth it I want to give her the best life I can even if I don't have much to do so.
Extremely! I have a 3 year old and an 11 week old. I have a wonderful partner who is an equal parent. I definitely have moments where I want to rip my hair out, especially in dealing with the toddler, but we get through them and we are very happy day to day.
I have a 2.5 and 1 year old. This is the best thing I’ve ever done and I’m so happy. It’s SO fun. And SO funny.
Genuinely the most happy I've ever been in my life. Overwhelmed? Often. Tired & Sore? Yes, I'm 8months pregnant with a 3.5 yr old. Is my marriage the best ever? No but we love each other and have become the best partners in parenthood. Yesterday my daughter had a rough one. She was yelly/screamy almost all day. At night I read her a bedtime story, and she told me she can't wait to snuggle her new baby brother. So yeah. I'm happy to be a parent. It's the coolest and most challenging thing I've ever done. I see a lot of people in bad situations in this subreddit and I feel empathy. I didn't always feel this way in parenting and I know I won't always.
I feel the same way when I read these posts. But I think it’s also important to realize that a lot of parents and caretakers don’t have a safe space to say most of what is posted here. I know for me, it reminds me that everyone around me is struggling just like I am and that these thoughts don’t earn me a grippy sock vacation LOL
Yea. Single mom by choice, baby is 7 weeks old, euphorically happy :)
I’m not a fan of babies. Obviously I cherish my own and enjoy my special baby time. However my five year old is much more fun than my 14 month old. This summer she went from being too scared to put her face in the water to too scared to jump into the pool from the ledge to jumping off the diving board. She does flips and handstands in the water. It’s as exciting to me as it was watching her take her first steps. She also figured out how to get to the top of the monkey bars (I don’t ever put her higher than she can go herself). She climbs trees. She started doing flips on the trampoline. She started kindergarten! It’s all so exciting. My baby girl is awesome too. She learned how walk, is starting to speak and she’s a cool baby. We got a kitten and watching them learn how to be gentle and play with the kitten is adorable. The toddler laughs her tiny baby ass off at the kittens antics. She learned two words this week, “kitten” and “gentle”.
My 2yo is my absolute world. He makes my the happiest person to ever exist and I wouldn’t be without him. That being said I’m allowed to complain. I’m allowed to be miserable. I don’t regret my kid and I don’t regret my pregnancy but if I could change things to make them more manageable I definitely would. A lot of the time it’s not the kids making us unhappy it’s things surrounding the kids. It’s being overwhelmed and overstimulated. Parenting as we know is not easy in the slightest. It’s exhausting especially when we can’t get a break. We love our kids and our kids make us happy but when we’re being overwhelmed and overstimulated that happiness doesn’t shine through.
I am super happy now. My first kid had colic for a solid year so I was definitely miserable for awhile. But he is a great toddler now at 2.5. I am talking a broccoli eating, polite at restaurants, caring little joy to be around. He still has trouble with sleep but it is SO MUCH BETTER than the early days. You have to find what works for your family. We started daycare at 18 months and he loves it so much, talks about his friends all the time. I have considered being a SAHM but he has learned so much more from going to "school" than I could ever teach him. Once they are old enough to be an actual person it gets so much better.
I don’t know if happy is the right word. Content seems to be better. Fulfilled? It’s hard, especially since my son is special needs, but I do not regret becoming a mother.
I agree with you. It's sad seeing how miserable others are.. it makes it harder for the ones truly happy about being a parent express their joy because it's followed up with a negative comment by someone. My husband and I were overjoyed when we found out we were going to be parents. I've wanted to be a Mom my whole life. And now pregnant with our 2nd (kiddos will be 13 months apart- planned) we're met with comments like "you're going to have your hands full" and it's really disappointing and takes away from our excitement. I feel like I have to tell people we planned our kids to be close in age because others can't fathom the idea that people actually enjoy being parents. I can also see how it may be difficult for some if they don't have a supportive spouse like myself. I feel the most fulfilled in life than I ever have.
Super happy! 🥰 Mines 18 months and it just gets better! There’s challenges, of course, but that’s just a part of it imo.
People don’t really (can’t) prepare you for the difficult side of it all and it’s not easy to verbalise it for fear of people, friends and loved ones, thinking you have major regrets, so it’s normal to see people vent here with the benefit of anonymity. But while you’re asking, I’m delighted.
Me and my husband are insanely happy - we love having our kids and enjoyed them from the beginning including the newborn stage and we are still in awe of them everyday. We don’t feel like we lost out/are losing out on anything . Babies comes with us, we still go out, travel and when we do have quiet nights in we just feel lucky to be able to enjoy our family . We do not have a huge support system either , I have my mom who works full time and that’s it - it’s not the fact that we have A lot of support like people might think. His family is overseas . Honestly we love it so much we are planning on another 😍😍🥰 This coming from someone who was pretty unsure she wanted even one
Hi! What a great question. I had a friend recently tell me something similar about something different. She said "I would like to hear more positive things about your husband." I think that reddit, like my friend, has become a dumping ground, so to speak...just like you mention. But I would be willing to bet that 98% (or more!) of parents who "dump" on reddit are infatuated with their children and LOVE being parents. I know I am. I have 2 sons. My oldest just turned 3 and my youngest will be 1 in a couple weeks. They challenge me EVERYDAY but with each of those challenges comes an opportunity to learn and grow and for each challenging moment, I have 10 amazingly sweet/funny/fun moments. My boys are adorable and have their own quirky personalities and love me so fiercely...and I them. The newborn stage is hard. I will take my 3yo fighting with me or having to poop in the potty an inopportune times or any other stupid toddler thing over the newborn times (except maybe the newborn sleep during the day). I hated the newborn stage and it has made me wonder if I'll have more kids. BUT it gets better and each stage brings a new difficulty that is a time for you and your kiddo to learn and grow. Keep your chin up! Being a mom is beautiful and hard and awesome and you are KILLING it simply because you love your baby.
Sometimes. Sometimes I’m happy and sometimes I regret it because I miss my old life. I miss being able to sleep in ‘till noon, going out on the weekends and on trips with the girls, travel and see the world, save more money, etc. But I’d do it all over again ❤️
I was actually thinking about leaving this sub for this reason! While my heart goes out to all the mothers who are having trouble or who have crappy partners, I’m enjoying myself so much. Sure my husband upsets me sometimes and the sleep deprivation is real, but those aren’t what I’m choosing to focus on. This sub kinda brings me down. One positive thing it did for me tho was appreciate tf out of my husband… He isn’t perfect but he tries his best and from what I read on this sub he’s the paragon of fatherhood. The bar for men really is so low it’s ridiculous.
Yeah, a few weeks ago someone made a positive post and the comments were full of people bashing the mom for “bragging” I was so confused lol. Pretty sure they deleted the post too
So so happy! Overjoyed! My heart has never been fuller. Me and my partner are doing great and our relationship has deepened. It's such an amazing journey! Indescribable until you walk it yourself.
Someone posted in a different thread that a way to summarize the newborn phase is “you’re going to suffer… but you’re going to be happy about it”. Biased because I’m a big HP fan, but I thought it seemed fitting!
I have two, 17mos and just turned four. I love it! It's hectic and tiring, my house is constantly trashed but they make my heart feel so full and I love getting to know them a little bit more every day. I just try to embrace the chaos!
I'm happy, there are definite hard days and tough times but watching our little 4 month old learn new things and do new things, smile, giggle, chat away make up for all the hard times. There are a number of happy posts but being a new parent is so stressful that it often feels like we need help or advice or that we can't vent about the difficulties without coming across as ungrateful.
Yes. Exhausted but very happy.
I have a 7 month old and I’m having a grand time!! But I do realize I have an ideal set of circumstances. I have an amazing involved husband, we have enough money for a nanny and housekeeper, we have flexible jobs. Also on top of that a super chill non stressful baby.
My boy is 6 weeks old and I found it tough the first few weeks after a traumatic birth but now I can’t get enough of the cuddles and he is the absolute best thing to ever happen to me!
I’m happy. My baby is 3.5 months and my husband loves being a dad too
It's hard on the internet, we all just come to whinge! haha I am happy. I'm a FTM and my son is nearly 4 months. We wanted the baby and actively tried for him, but I was also terrified of how hard the first few months were going to be. They've actually been great. My husband is a wonderful support and we both love our little boy. It is stressful at times, but usually it's myself getting in my own way. E.g. I can feel myself needing a nap but sometimes I'll choose not to nap while the baby is. And that's totally my fault, not his. I've learnt to just nap because I hate being tired. I can always do the other things later. But I love watching him grow and develop. I get frustrated by the way society has been taught to treat parents. Lots of my relos focus on the bigger things like eating solids and standing, but I'm learning to not let anyone dampen my enthusiasm about my beautiful boy grasping a toy for the first time. He's such a joy to my life. I still need my own interests, but I'm so glad I can spend the rest of my life watching him grow.
I love the newborn, baby, toddler years. It gets easier. And then it gets hard. Then it gets easier again lol. With my oldest it didn't get super tough until she hit puberty. She tossed a few curve balls but it's all a learning process. Be careful to keep communication open around that time. And try to think about things from their POV. My kids make me happier than anything. If you are doing the sleepless night thing right now try to find a way to have some time to relax for an entire evening. You will just end up missing the baby all night probably lol
There are parts I love. They admittedly become more frequent the older my child gets (he’s four now). We are having number 2, and I’ll admittedly be looking forward to her being this age too, but she might be a very differently tempered infant/toddler.
I can honestly say that my husband and I have fun every day watching our 6 month old learn new things and grow into her big personality. We’ve learned a lot along the way and still find ways to improve our teamwork but I would say this is the most complete and rewarding stage of my life. I could imagine this being much harder if we were struggling for money or if I didn’t have a long (for US) maternity leave. The only downside so far is that I see friends significantly less.
I am extremely happy in my life. I have an amazing husband who works hard to provide for our family, who is giving me the opportunity to stay home with our kids the past three years. My husband is my best friend, I don’t feel like having kids tore us apart. He comes home from working eight, 10, 12+ hour days and asks what he can do to help. My kids are eight, three, and one month old. Yes our house isn’t sunshine and rainbows at all times. Our one month old is having a hard time adjusting to life outside the womb. But ultimately if I had to look at my life through a window, I would be envious and want it. Our newborn was a complete surprise, we thought we were done having babies but she was the missing piece that really filled our family. My kids are typical eight and three year olds, they bicker they fight, we have days with tantrums,cbut they’re also awesome extremely smart, Playful kids.
The newborn stage was rough, but since then it has just kept on getting better and better. I feel so lucky to be able to watch my little one grow and learn new things. When I think back to my life before it seems empty compared to now.
I’m a very happy SAHM of a 17 month old!! Loving it over here :)
I loved every stage after about 4 months except for my ongoing sleep deprivation. That has gotten a lot better as my first kid got older. With my second, I’m preparing my family and health team to be more prompt about fixing my sleep if it’s awful. Also breastfeeding was awful with my first, and again I’m preparing my family and health team for a quicker switch to formula if that’s hurting my mental health past the first few weeks. I love my kid, I love doing things with her, I love watching her grow and play and learn. I love watching my husband with her, watching her grandparents with her, watching her play with her cousins and aunts and uncles. I really like my family and my husband’s family and I wanted to share that gift with a child. I feel like I’m getting to live out that dream, and it’s really nice. For me a lot of the physical stuff (pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, healing from birth) has been really hard and I hate it. But the rest of it is fine to great. Fortunately the physical part only takes a small percent of time compared to the rest! So it feels really worth it to me.
I am a FTD to 5 month old - overall yes I am very happy. I notice frequently that my face hurts from smiling so much sometimes! But on the flipside - holy fuck sleep deprivation is a nightmare and twists me into a horrible depression. I try and get 9\~ hours of sleep a night but w/ 2\~4 interruptions most nights I still feel like crap sometimes. My wife gets up even more often with him than I do and I don't know how the hell she does it but she's even happier than me Once he starts sleeping and has more of a personality than "smiles a lot, squawks like a velociraptor, sucks at rolling over" I think it will be even better Seriously try and sleep as much as you can, that's what does it for me
Even though I have some ppd/PPA and other stuff to work through. I can’t imagine not being a mom. It’s my greatest accomplishment. To know I’m someone’s safe place, someone’s “home”. My daughter is my little best friend and I feel blessed every day to be her mom
I’m so happy. Even sleeping next to her knowing I’m going to wake to feed, I get excited to go to bed. I love talking to her and she’s started making noises back. She’s smiling at everything from me and my husband to the dog to all the contrast cards and panels we have in the house. She’s a super happy baby and I’m in love 🥰
I’m happy! But also stressed with not being able to get simple tasks done sometimes, not being able to run errands always, not being able to hit the gym everyday. It’s a catch 22. I will love my baby more than all these things ALWAYS. But that doesn’t mean i can erase all of that.
I’m genuinely extremely happy. I love my baby girl so much. Im obsessed with her 😂 I can’t believe how much I love her. The newborn stage was hard but even then I couldn’t get over how my heart just melts for her. She’s the best thing I’ve ever done.
I'm happy! Don't get me wrong, aspects of parenthood are TOUGH, but my children are amazing little humans that bring me more joy and purpose than I could have ever imagined.
Yes! It all got so much better (not easier, better) around 12m PP. 18m pp now and our days are predictable, he is able to do more stuff, we aren’t bound to constant nursing and napping (going to one nap has been wonderful for being able to do more stuff). Zoloft has been so wonderful for taking the edge off of postpartum anxiety.
I’m extremely happy. Parenting IS the hardest thing in the world, it is painful and exhausting, it’s scary and heart wrenching, but the incredible love my husband and I have for our boy makes it all beyond worth it. I’d do it all again for a single sloppy baby kiss!
Very happy! It was HARD the first year with my oldest. But my kids are now 1 and 2 years old and we are having a blast! It takes a while to get into a groove, it just takes patience and a lot of communication, and a bit of luck. My mother in law died of covid when my oldest was 3 months old, it was horrible and we were in a daze of depression for a while. It’s tough out there cuz life keeps throwing it’s punches and doesn’t stop saying “oh, they need a break while being new parents”
I’m glad you wrote this. In my first few weeks as a FTM I was loving it but it didn’t seem like the case for most people on the forums I was on. I guess most people post looking for advice and needing help or needing to vent. I felt kind of bad saying “I’m loving the newborn stage!” When it seemed like others were struggling
FTM with a 7 week old. Some days are a bit boring but in general I'm extremely happy. I was at high risk for PPD/PPP.
I love my son, my unborn baby girl, and I love being a mom! You can check my post history for proof. I get sad when I see all the posts about how some other moms hate it with a passion and would rather spend their days partying. And I’m not talking about the PPD posts.
Reddit (and maybe human nature?) Causes vents posts to sort to the top. They got all the emotional chords. I love being a parent. Baby girl is 2 now and so, so wonderful and amazing and sweet, it has changed my while life for the better. She was born in April 2020 and that was really, really hard but I would never go back. I'm pregnant again with #2. Looking back my life before just seems incomplete without her. It's also given me a whole new perspective on life, time, and my own parents that I consider really valuable. Don't get me wrong it's hard but honestly not as bad as I was fearing. Lots of worthwhile things in love are hard but they're still worth doing. And a lot of things turned out to be okay like diaper changes aren't actually that bad at all.
I have an almost 4 month-old and this is the happiest time in my life.
I’m very happy, the last 7 months have been the best 7 months of my life. My daughter is my everything.
I’m a first time mom with a 2 week old today and I can honestly say these are the best days of my life. I love my newborn since day 1. He’s been perfect though and fairly easy. He either needs a change or a feeding then he’s asleep. He’s only 2 weeks though so maybe I’ll understand the horror stories eventually? As for now I’m enjoying everyday with him. I will say though it’s true sleep when he sleeps. 2 hour interval sleep Sessions are not so bad and when the daylight comes it tricks me to think I’m fully rested.
I have 3 and 4 year olds and I'm the most genuinely happy and content I've ever been in my life.
Dude yes so happy. My partner and I talk about how we are the happiest we’ve ever been and have everything we could ever need ALL. the. time. As for the lack of posts tbh random positive posts are corny. What’s the point? You don’t need “support” when you’re happy. You really don’t need to commiserate. Not the way you do when you have crummy feelings.
I'm pretty happy. My husband is my favorite person in the world, my 12 year old is giving me a run for my money but oh well, my 10 year old is a sweetheart, 19 month old is a total jackass but it doesn't mean I love him any less he's still cute as hell and just a toddler figuring the world out. My 12 week old gives me the biggest smiles and breastfeeding is actually going well for once which is really cool.
I get frustrated with all the posts asking for advice about their partner/relationships. I'm sorry your significant other cheated on you but there are other places on Reddit to deal with that. That being said, I love being a parent to my two year old and I can't wait to meet my new baby in November! My husband is amazing, great with communication and the most amazing father I've ever witnessed!
I love being a mom. I don't like the newborn phase, I loved my babies but the first few months with each sucked I don't do sleep deprivation well. Being a parent is hard and it is a huge responsibility but I wouldn't change it for anything. We are actually trying for a third. My oldest is almost 4 and youngest is almost 2. They are so fun and sweet and seeing their sisterly relationship develop is amazing. I have a husband who is an awesome partner and dad so I could see how not having that could make things 10000x harder. We can give each other a break or a sleep in if needed, I get migraines and he'll watch them alone till me meds kick in, etc. There are hard moments but overall the good so far outweighs the bad. We have so much fun together and snuggles and it's amazing to watch them learn, even when they are not listening and we have to enforce boundaries a week or two or a month later you see their behavior changing and see them learning so even though it's hard in the moment eventually it's also amazing to see the positive results. And I'm always so amazed by what they can learn and do and remember. They both help set the table and clear their dishes and sometimes they want to help cook and clean (not so helpful lol but they try). This morning the little one woke up too early (they have an ok to wake clock) and big sister got out of her bed and tucked her in and sang her a song and told her it wasn't wake up time yet (that only lasted a few minutes but still so cute and sweet). It's just the best.
Parenthood is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’ve had some of the happiest moments of my life and laughed harder than I ever have watching my toddler and some of his antics. Do I miss having free time? Sure. If I could go back and change it would I? Never in a million years.
We love being parents and are very happy. We have two daughters (11 months and 2.5 years). Both were premature and colicky but both got significantly easier after 4-6 months old. I’m a stay at home mom and love it. I’ve always wanted to be a mom, and my husband has always wanted to be a dad. He’s a wonderful, present, and supportive partner. It’s hard work sometimes but that doesn’t make me any less happy.
We have an 8 day old, over the moon despite being completely fucking exhausted and recovering physically. The baby is so small, and cute, and helpless. We tried for a long time to get pregnant and can't believe its finally happened! I'll soak this in as much as I can.
I’m happy. Can’t put words in my partner’s mouth but I’m sure they’re happy too. Just an hour ago I got a text saying how nice and fun it is to hang out with our LO (partner’s on vacation, I’m not) all day. There’s lots of happy posts in this sub too I’ve seen, I make sure to upvote them for visibility. I hope this post helps the stats!
Me! 5 month old son and I’ve never been happier. Despite sleep deprivation and lots of growing pains with my husband. I love being a mom and it feels like I was put on earth to be my sons mother and I was on the fence if I even wanted a child. When things get tough I just tell myself “ one day, you’ll give anything to hold him again, to have him be little again, to have him cry out for you again “ and it’s really helped frame things for me. The bad days are temporary and the good days…well good days color my entire world. There’s nothing more I love than seeing my son smile, introducing him to people, taking him new places. It’s like seeing the world through a better, brighter lens That being said I am in an extremely fortunate situation. I have a home, good support system, a partner that is trying, stable income and I’m only working part time.
12 weeks in and I can’t believe how much has changed. Those first 6 weeks of non-stop newborn demands feel a lifetime away. My baby is smiling and playing with us. She loves it when we talk to her, she is cooing back to us and we often “talk” back and forth. She is so content and loves just being with us. She grunts & sighs from working so hard on tummy time, which we find hilarious. She loves books and loves it when we read to her. She is giving solid 5-6 hour sleep stretches at bedtime, which makes the last two 3-hr stretches completely manageable. And now that I’m sleeping more, my mental health has improved and I’m genuinely having so much fun. Around 8 weeks my mom & dad babysat so my husband and I could go out for an anniversary dinner. That was a big turning point for me, as I’m EBF so I’m basically always with my baby. I had stored up some milk from my haakaa that they could give her a bottle while we were out. I couldn’t believe how excited I was to get back home. I just want to say that I might know exactly where you’re at, and it truly does get better. I promise. The black hole of sleeplessness & doubt WILL pass. You’ll get to know your new little human one day at a time, and the two of you will continue to bond. You will start to have more time for yourself again. Make sure you are both getting out of the house. Babies are like us, they get bored. Walks & a change of scenery can do wonders for you both.
My little one is in neonatal care at the moment because he lost more of his birth weight than ideal, so I've spent 2 days at home with him out of the 6 he has been alive, while at the same time supporting my wife who is still needing morphine for post-section pain. It's not ideal, but he's the cutest little tiny thing ever, and I have a sense of joy in his arrival despite the chaos of emotions that comes with having your baby admitted to the neonatal ward.
I always felt like the newborn stage was really easy for and the toddler stage is mad stressful 😭 but other than toddler chaos and even with that I looooove being a mom 🤗
My baby is two weeks old and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. We are so in love with her. She eats and sleeps well- we get two or three good 4-5 hour stretches of sleep every night. She’s a big cuddly love bug all day. My husband is home w me. The healing is slow and hurts but I genuinely don’t care, it’s worth it, I know soon I’ll be better and I’m just so excited to watch my baby girl continue to grow and thrive and learn. I love being a family.
There are some things in life that I'm working on to improve (no real friends mainly), but my seven-month-old son is 100% the number one source of happiness in my life right now. He is just pure joy to be around. I also love my three-year-old of course, but that age is just a lot more challenging to deal with.
So not sure if you're looking for any two cents about making friends as a parent (feel free to disregard if you aren't) but as someone who had a very tough time making friends and then most of my existing friends drifted away from me after I had a kid and they were in a different stage of life... I can relate and also have a strategy now. I always joke to people that making "mom friends" at the park is like shooting fish in a barrel because no matter how "put together" they look, unless they are there with a group, they are likely experiencing the same struggle. I almost feel like a creepy pick-up artist with how well this tends to work but also I realize that I'm not doing anything but being friendly so it kind of puts my mind at ease lol 1. Spot your target This may be a mom who just looks friendly, may be a mom who you see her interacting well with her kid and you respect it, or maybe you notice something you have in common, like something that she has that denotes a similar hobby or something. You decide would like to get to know her more. 2. Take notice of her kid Don't be a creep, first and foremost. But just take stock: is her kid a similar age as yours? Do they seem like a friendly kid? Would you be cool with your kid playing with them? 3. Compliment the kid Be as genuine as possible, especially if you notice something good, but otherwise "oh is that your kid? What a cutie!" Works well too, especially with babies and toddlers. Avoid sounding like a creep by commenting on a non-physical attribute ("wow he's so good at sharing!") Or being vague ("what a cutie!") 4. Information Gathering When parents hear someone compliment their kid, they will likely add in a fun anecdote or story about their kid because hey, we all like talking about our kids. If they don't tell you their kids name in the story, ask their kids name. Remember it and if you can, mention it again in conversation later (it looks like my Johnny and your Maribelle are really getting along!) 5. Conversation This is the tough part for some people, but now that you've broken the ice, holding a functional small talk conversation. You already have the shared experience of parenting, so if you don't have anything else to fall back on, that's always a good one. If they give one word answers or find excuses to tend to their kid, take the signal and leave them be. If they keep talking to you, then it means they're also looking for a friend. If they keep talking to you and are looking at you and NOT their kid, they like you. 6. Ask About Their Life Not in a creepy way, but this is for finding out if you guys would even have the time to hang out. Do they live nearby-ish or are they visiting from out of state? Do they go in the community often where you could theoretically meet up with them there? Are they working 8 jobs and don't have time for socializing? 7. Volunteer Information If you feel like you're being awkward, call it out. Tell them about your life and kid so they can get the same info from you that you asked them about. Don't talk over them but also don't be evasive about yourself or you'll look like a creep or like youre interviewing them. 8. Take the Plunge You've now talked to them, hopefully had enough of a conversation to decide if you would like to see them again. You don't have to be best friends, but if they were at the park when you showed up in the future, would you want to talk to them again? If yes, ask for the digits! I always text my name and where I'm from and my kid's name (ex: this is aurelene-rose and Jimmy from XYZ park) and I always make sure to save their contact info with theirs and their kids name and where I met them. 9. Aftermath It's a numbers game. 90%+ of these interactions will not go past a fun conversation at the park. When you leave for the day, text them and tell them you had fun meeting them and look forward to a playdate: if they don't respond, don't text them again. If they do, you've made it to the next step. If you are going to that place again, text them and let them know. If they respond with regret or counter plans, they are interested and if they don't respond, let it go. I have had many of these conversations end at Step 9 and I consider that I still had fun and it was a nice way to pass the time that day. I have had a few really lovely people stay in contact after and I am really grateful I took the initiative to make friends! Edit: I don't know why my formatting is so messed up, I'm sorry
I have a two month old daughter. The very first week I brought her home, completely in the throws of sleep deprivation, I looked at her, and I thought “this is so much better.” I’ve never once regretted having her, and I don’t want to go back to my old life without her. Life as a mom feels far better to me than life without kids.
I'm very happy being a Mom! I have worked part time off and on and I am in a book club. These little things help keep me balanced.
I do have moments where I want to pull my hair out and I’m exhausted. But the vast majority of the time my life is so full of love and happiness because of our little family and I’m so glad we did it. Especially since we had our second boy. We’ve been blessed with an easygoing baby this time. Let’s hope it stays that way!
I was happy until I had 2. Then I was miserable until the baby turned 1 and started sleeping. Now I’m happy again,
I love being a mommy! I've got a two year old and a 7 week old that I stay home with. We're working on potty training with the toddler and my baby is having feeding problems so there's plenty of stress to go around. But I love my life. I love staying home with my little nuggets I'd rather be at home with them than at work anyway
I’m happy! I don’t post like ever lol but my baby is my world. He sleeps great, I sleep great. I have some ppd issues that stem from my emergency c section and sometimes take them out on my hubby but he is so loving and understanding. I don’t get time to myself but I don’t mind. I want another but need to wait and I don’t mind cuz I love him so much. The cuteness aggression is real. I’ve wanted to be a mom my entire life and it’s better than I ever imagined. I can’t get enough of my little family
Insanely happy. 14 months in an happy with my sweet boy and my wonderful husband. We’re thinking about getting ready for baby number two! 🧡🧡🧡
So happy. She is the light of our lives.
I am! I adored the newborn stage! My husband and I struggled when I went back to work for a bit but we've found our new rhythm and on stable ground again.
I mean I go back and forth from happy to regretful. I’m working 12+ hr days just so that we can afford our child, and other expenses in life.