Things I didn't know about having a baby until I had a baby

I saw a post on a Mum and Kids forum about this recently, and it got me thinking about the things I never thought about before Beautiful Girl came along.  I know these aren't all of them, so I'll probably update this when the brain farts allow.

• you can get stretch marks because of giving birth, even if you had none beforehand
• you can still love your child absolutely, even if that fierce rush everyone talks about only kicks in a while later
• some midwives should not be as downright mean as they are
• it takes months for your, um, digestive system to get back to normal
• there should be an advanced course in how to pick the right kind of nappies
• a baby can still be cranky after a 4 hour snooze, a big feed and a clean nappy
• if you don't have a pre-pregnancy “figure” no-one will know how long it takes you to get it back
• having your waters broken by a friend of a friend is a bit too close for comfort
• if you hate housework, and in particular washing up, breastfeeding is great
• it can be acceptable to talk about poo to another adult
• doctors, midwives, public health nurses and your own mother do not always have the right answers
• sitting under a small child for hours on end is a great excuse to get through box sets of tv shows
• perfect strangers are really nice to you when you have a baby out in public
• it sucks more than I could ever have know when I realised I really will have to send Beautiful Girl to someone else every day so I can go back to work and we can afford to eat as well as pay the mortgage...

I love lists

Right now I am sitting at my kitchen table and if my post ends abruptly, send help because I'm buried under an avalanche of paper.  I love lists.  They mean I get things done.  They mean I can sleep at night. They give me a sense that I can keep on top of things.  The General doesn't understand lists.  He just does things.  He throws out my lists (along with my receipts, but that's another post). 

Right now I can see lists in front of me for:

• online shopping 
• corner shop shopping
• house moving
• house packing
• baby shopping (that's things Beautiful Girl needs, we're not looking for a second child just yet)
• pros and cons for going back to work
• pros and cons of setting up my own business
• things I need to set up my own business
• thoughts which might make interesting posts

And these are just the ones on paper.  On my laptop desk top I have more lists

• "inspiration" for my business idea
• books I want to down load for my Kindle
• tv shows I want on box sets
• questions to ask on the mum and kids forum I read
• questions to ask my mum about BG
• dates I have to remember

And then there's the ultimate list, the one that will come into its own I'm Benevolent Despot of the World.  Unless you're on that one, you'll never need to worry about it.  It's reserved for people who don't know how to drive or park and who show willful disregard for the English language, the use of prepositions and apostrophies.