When I gave birth to my first baby three weeks early this past January, I had almost literally nothing ready. We owned a car seat, a crib, a crib mattress, and a stroller. Clothes? No. Diapers? Like 4 samples and a couple wipes. Car seat installed? Uhhh, also no. Did I mention it was below freezing and we have no immediate family within like 1,000 miles? Yeah, it was kinda nuts.
Like every other first-time parent, I was woefully unprepared and celebrated the shit out of every minor new success. Baby slept in crib for 5 minutes! I got him in the car and drove somewhere all by myself (AND I only poked his face 4 times to make sure he was still alive back there)!
After texting my mom or a friend with a selfie every time we did something new (Took baby to Costco by myself!), I started making a list of all my new mom accomplishments.
New Mom Bingo
How many spaces will you fill?
What You'll Actually Accomplish as a New Parent
This isn't your typical "what to expect" list. These are the real, messy, triumphant moments that matter when you're figuring out parenthood on the fly:
- Successfully leaving the house with all necessary baby gear (and remembering the baby)
- Celebrating micro-wins that feel monumental at 3 AM
- Building confidence one small accomplishment at a time
Every new parent feels unprepared. You're not alone in frantically Googling "is this normal" at 2 AM or texting photographic evidence of every milestone to anyone who'll look. These small victories add up to real parenting competence, even when you're running on two hours of sleep and questionable amounts of coffee.
Keep Going
- Babies are Just Like Cake
- 6 Things I Forgot About Newborns
- 20 Things I Learned From My First 4 Months of Parenthood
- Breastfeeding Bingo
About the Author: Amber Stehlik is a writer, mom, and chronic nickname-giver to her baby (usually starting with "Tiny"). She's lived all over the US, speaks pretty good Spanish, and has finally achieved some self-control around chocolate. She's married to a great guy and enjoys sharing honest takes on parenthood.
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