On March 11th, exactly 6 weeks ago, my world completely changed. Emmilene was born, and it felt like for the first time I cracked the code to the meaning of life. Somehow, Emmie is already 6 weeks old, and the only thing I have shared is a birth announcement 🤪 It feels like this is the first chance I’ve had to get started on this post, and it’s currently 3:34am. Scene: I just finished feeding Emmie, got her back to bed, and I’m sitting in the dark pumping. Some people seem to take to motherhood without missing a beat in their day to day lives. I am not one of those people! So buckle in, if you know me you already know you’re about to get the unfiltered guide to surviving the first month of motherhood.

Some things to look forward to in this little series over the course of the next few days:

• Hospital packing list - what I packed vs. what I actually used (hint: I barely used anything I brought),

• A review of the Willow pump (that I am trying to fix as I type),

• A beginners guide to the Spectra S2 pump,

• Baby registry guide,

• Sleep: what I have learned so far,

• Setting up the nursery for success,

• Identifying and surviving tongue tie, and

• An unedited list of first month first time mom Google searches (and answers).