10 Things We Weren’t Expecting in the first 10 Days of Parenthood

10-day-old Kai

1. His name — We thought Kai's name would be much easier to settle on than it was. Honestly, it was the last thing holding us up before the nurses would let us leave the hospital. Kai was always at the top of our list of names, but I supposed we would lock it down immediately after seeing him for the first time.
2. Community — In these COVID times, we were surprised (and grateful for) how many people served us (e.g., food, gifts, time). Prepared to be on our own, we bought 2 weeks of frozen food from Beehive Meals that we haven't even cracked into yet.
3. Burp rag supply — We severely underestimated the number of burp rags we would initially go through. Despite having 30 rags, there were numerous times we had zero in reserve. (Granted, we have not been efficient in their use.)
4. Back pain — We weren't expecting backaches for both of us. (Stacia is obviously still recovering from 2.5 of pushing. I just have terrible form while holding Kai.) We should’ve been doing preparatory yoga.
5. Scentless poop — We knew about the meconium stool. But we didn't realize that Kai's diapers wouldn't stink (at first).
6. Involved feeding — We didn't realize that we would need 4 hands to feed him. (Ever since the hospital, we fed him with a syringe through a nipple shield. It took lots of practice for us to get reasonably good at it.)
7. Still growing — The tear duct in Kai’s right eye was plugged. We didn't know that that is a super common thing for newborns in their first two weeks. After Googling it, we decided to use a Q-tip to cleanse and clear eye goop almost every time he woke up. That quickly got old, so we resorted to a warm washcloth compress, but only when he really needed it. Hopefully, it will clear up on its own soon. 
8. BURP! — I was surprised how excited we both are any time Kai burps after feeding. We celebrate like we've all accomplished something great! I feel a misplaced sense of pride in the part I played in his "great feat".
9. Exhaustion — We knew we would be tired, but we didn’t appreciate just how exhausted we would be. We sleep for only 1-3 hours at a time.
10. Doula — I was skeptical about how much a doula could offer us during postpartum care. Even if was only 4x4 hour visits, I felt like my manhood was being challenged a little bit—as if I couldn't take care of my wife. I was wrong! She was amazing. Her name is Tobie from Pleasant Grove. She gave Stacia needed counsel and comfort. She sent us to bed (worry-free) and then cooked us meals and tidied up our living space while we slept. 10/10 on Yelp.