Confession: My Three Silliest New Mom Fears

My girl will be two in a few short months, and although I still face the regular challenges of motherhood, I feel like I have a pretty decent handle of taking care of the little ball of love and energy.

Once, in a talk-show interview, I heard Drew Barrymore perfectly sum up what those first moments of motherhood feel like. She said: “They hand you this thing that you love more than anything else in the world and have no idea how to take care of.”

(Photo by Alyssa Crawford Photography)

Now, almost two years in, I feel like some of my new mother concerns were absolutely insane and hilarious. Here are three of them.

1. Blow-Outs: Not the kind you get at the salon. The messy, gross, poop everywhere kind. Before I had my daughter, I thought these were a daily occurence for new parents. Hearing more experienced parents talk, it seemed like I would be resigning myself to a life of being covered in feces on a daily basis. Maybe it’s just dumb luck or maybe it’s because she inherited her mother’s love of cheese, but my girl has never had a blow-out.

2. The Belly Button: I was really nervous about tending to my newborn daughter’s belly button. In the months before her birth, I researched online, polled numerous friends, and obsessed over it. It turned out to dry up and fall off on its own within a matter of days with absolutely no intervention on my part.

3. Recognition Issues: While still pregnant and making daycare plans, I confided in my best friend that I was terrified I would drop the baby off and then not recognize her among the other babies when I returned to pick her up. God bless her for not laughing in my face.

Other parents: What were your silliest fears? Expectant parents: What scares you the most?