Here is our best of maternity expectations vs reality:

1

Expectations: The baby wants to breastfeed all day because breasts work on demand, but do not worry that as the baby grows, the feedings will be spaced out and the baby will claim you less.

Reality: Baby feeds do not decrease in number over time, they may even increase. What you may notice is that during the first few days you spend a lot of time breastfeeding because the baby is very small and needs to rest while nursing. As time goes by, the feedings will become more efficient and, in a few minutes, it will be over, the point is that that doesn’t mean fewer feedings.

2

Expectations: Rest while you have your baby in the womb because when the baby is born, he or she will wake you up every three hours for the first few months.
Reality: Babies can wake up a lot more. In fact, sleeping for three hours can be considered a precious gift. Remember: in parenting, all will be stages, some more intense and some less.
On the other hand, the baby’s sleep is evolutionary and it is not true that at 6 months they sleep all night through. In fact, at 6 months, their sleep is usually very, very restless. A child’s sleep does not become like the adult until the age of 6. That doesn’t mean you don’t sleep until your baby will be 6 years old, it means that if your 8-month, 1-year or 2-year old baby, etc., wakes up, it’s completely natural.

3

Expectations: Breastfeeding is a natural act, with a little information, and if it’s not your first breastfeeding, it’s going to be a piece of cake.

Reality: Breastfeeding is natural but not instinctive, it requires technique, information and support. Sometimes, even with these three things, it can present difficulties, since not everything depends on the will of the mother, but also on the circumstances and/or the physiology of the baby. Surround yourself with people who can give you emotional, logistical and professional support and don’t forget to download LactApp 😉

4

Expectations: You’ll see! You’ll fall in love on the spot and you won’t remember pregnancy or childbirth.

Reality: There are women who fall in love instantly, it’s true, but there are many others who do it on a slow fire, with arms, kisses, hugs and the flow of days. In fact, we did a survey to 1,000 women, and almost 400 described a slow and growing love.
In addition, childbirth is not forgotten, either because of happiness or because of a bad experience. If it is the last one, the recommendation would be to seek support in network, friends, family or professionals to process that experience.

5

Expectations: With organization, you can reach anything.

Reality: Getting organized may not do much good, as a monumental last-minute poop that stains the whole body, a direct regurgitation to your shirt, a tantrum from your two-year-old baby, a virus that magically appears… Anything can happen when you have a baby. In addition, our mood can change from one moment to the next: you want to meet a friend who hasn’t seen a lot, but after a sleepless night you need to sleep for a while, or you have an appointment to sign the baby up for the family space list and, after a short time, your smart logic tells you that you can also do it next week… or, on the contrary, you’ve planned to stay at home all morning and your baby is so intense that you need to go out and get the sunshine for a while… In short, letting yourself go and knowing that we won’t be able to control everything is a great help.

It is very easy for reality to crash into all the expectations we had and this can make us feel lost and overwhelmed and sometimes, knowing that we all go through this process can help us to resituate little by little without feeling so alone.