Six Things I Wish I Had Known Before Having a Baby

Giulia Penni
5 min readApr 3, 2023
The day my daughter was born

I had a baby one month ago.

She is my first child, and I simply cannot describe how much joy she has brought into my life. Watching her grow and change day after day is simply priceless.

However, I’d lie if I said that this month has been easy. These four weeks have been beautiful, but also extremely exhausting.

I finally understand why the “fourth trimester” (the 12-week period immediately after you have a baby) is considered to be the hardest of all trimesters — there’s great physical and emotional change going on as your baby adjusts to being outside the womb, and you adjust to your new life as a mum. And no prenatal class can prepare you for that.

Don’t get me wrong: I wouldn’t have it any other way. I just wish I had known a few more things about babies and the postpartum period before actually having a baby. Being more knowledgeable wouldn’t have made things easier, obviously, but at least it would have helped me feel less like a fish out of water.

Be Flexible When Making Your Birth Plan

A birth plan is a record of what you’d like to happen during your labor. Birth plans help give a sense of control — they clearly outline how a pregnant mother wants her labor and birth to take place. Birth plans…

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Giulia Penni

Copywriter @ Persado. Logophile. Lifelong learner. I don’t write to impress. I write to inform, entertain, inspire. Thanks for your time!