Along with joys of having a newborn baby, come some struggles and frustrations. You sacrifice a lot of things to make sure your baby is fed, clean, comfortable, safe, and happy.
The first sacrifice for me was cutting my nails. I've always had long painted nails that I loved to do. Unfortunately taking care of a newborn can not be done safely with them. I accidentally scratched my baby a couple of times and decided that the nails had to go. This might have been a good thing as there is no time to do your nails anyways. The baby care takes so much time and energy that there is really no time for self care. Even a simple shower needs to be planned and coordinated with your partner.
Sleep deprivation is another sacrifice every new parent deals with. The first month of baby's life is the hardest as you are supposed to wake up and feed him every 2-3 hours. You no longer have days and nights. Everything happens in very short intervals. Every 2-3 hours your baby sleeps, eats, poops, and the cycle repeats. Your life revolves around this 'schedule'. It's all a blur. You are so tired that your short term memory shuts down. I started leaving sticky notes for myself with reminders what needed to be done around the house, shopping lists, etc...
Of course, with new responsibility there is no time for romantic outings or any couples stuff that you used to take for granted. Going to the movies is a luxury.
And finally, babies are expensive. Furniture, toys, clothes, formula. You basically need to buy everything for this person who has nothing at all.
Thank god for my loving and caring husband. I wouldn't be able to go through this without his support.
