The newborn phase is short, magic, and also really hard. It’s a time of round-the-clock feedings, body aches, leaking everything, and wondering if you’ll ever sleep again. But in between the hard moments, there are these soft, sacred ones that can pass unnoticed. Like, the way your baby smells. The sleepy weight of them on your chest and that tiny smile that feels like it’s just for you. Even the sound of their newborn cry.
I’m now three months postpartum and the newborn phase passed quickly…too quickly. There were things I did to live in the little moments and soak in the imperfect beauty of this stage, but also so much I wish I had done. Whether you’re pregnant or currently nursing a newborn at 2am, here’s a list of things I did (and wish I did) to romanticize the newborn phase.
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1. Lean Into the Slowness
Newborn life isn’t meant to be fast. During pregnancy, I worked a lot on letting go of productivity guilt so I could enjoy the slowness of postpartum. No rush. No pressure. And no list of household chores to complete. Just soaking in the way my son’s eyelashes fluttered as he slept in my arms and allowing myself the time and rest to heal. Also, forget the clock. “Time is a social construct” as my husband says, and time really doesn’t hold much weight in the newborn phase. So, sleep whenever you can and enjoy all the moments your baby is awake, whether it’s 2pm or 2am.
2. Use All Your Senses
Romanticizing life starts with noticing it. That newborn baby scent of his head after birth. The warm weight of him sleeping on me. The way he quietly snorted when getting ready to feed. I reminded myself to fully experience these things—really take them in—because they wouldn’t last forever. (And they really did come and go so quickly). It’s already hard for me to remember just how small his fingers and toes were. Take notice (and pictures and videos!) of all the little details. A video of Oliver snorting when he was just two weeks old is one of my most prized possessions.
“Romanticizing life starts with noticing it.”
3. Get Dressed for You
There should be no pressure to bounce back or fit into a curated “newborn aesthetic”. That said, if getting dressed and ready for the day makes YOU feel good, do it! I found that slipping into a soft matching lounge set or cute nightgown (this soft nightgown with lace details was easy to wear in those early postpartum diaper days) and washing my hair gave me a little spark back. To do something as small as “get dressed for the day” was purely for myself. Because I deserve to feel good in my skin, even if I’m still in postpartum diapers just pacing the living room.
4. Give Yourself Something to Look Forward To
In the early mornings or middle-of-the-night feeds when the rest of the world felt still, I’d watch a movie off the list I created during pregnancy. Sometimes I’d cry, sometimes I’d laugh, and sometimes I’d pause the movie to just sit in silence with Oliver asleep on my chest. But having a list of movies to watch made those night time feeds or chunks of time being nap-trapped something to look forward to.
5. Take the Photos You’ll Want Later
I’m not talking about the perfect, posed photos. I’m talking about the real, candid photos. The ones for YOU to look back on, not for social media. Like you breastfeeding with no shirt and an adult diaper on (you’ll be surprised how often you don’t have a shirt on). Your baby’s hand on your chest. The cold coffee cup next to a pacifier and buro cloth. A sunbeam across their fuzzy little head. A selfie of you kissing your baby’s head with your hair that hasn’t been washed in 4 days up in a bun. Take the photos (and videos!) for you—to remember what this phase REALLY felt like. And don’t forget to have your partner take pictures of you too. You’ll cherish looking through the photos capturing you as a new mom.
6. Find Beauty in the Repetitive
Sometimes I look down during a nursing session and think, “this is what love looks like.” Showing up over and over again. Rocking. Nursing. Wiping tears. Kissing tiny foreheads. These moments matter more than they seem. They’re your baby’s first interactions with the world, and what better way to introduce them to it than with consistent loving gestures. Focus on being the loving and comforting constant in your newborn’s life. There’s no greater role in the world.
7. Journal One Sweet Thing a Day
Most days I forget what I did an hour ago, so I wish I had kept a journal of all the little moments that made me smile or even cry during the newborn phase. What I have done that I love is save photos and videos to an app called “Family Album”. We upload photos and videos with captions highlighting precious moments, like Oliver’s first smile or first time using a teether.
8. Romanticize Your Space
Even if the sink is full and laundry is everywhere, try to keep one peaceful spot in your home. A cozy blanket, a warm lamp, and maybe some quiet music. A diffuser with lavender essential oil. Flowers on the counter. Fake candles adorning the bathtub. Just a little space of calm and romantic self care. This is something I wish I spent more effort curating.
9. You Don’t Have to Love Every Moment
Let me say this louder: you can love your baby and still want time alone! You can want to run away for a walk outside alone or hide in the bathroom with chocolate. That doesn’t make you a bad mom, it makes you human. Finding ways to romanticize the newborn phase isn’t about perfection—it’s about choosing to notice the beauty, even when it’s mixed in with chaos and spit-up. If you need some gentle words of encouragement in this trying phase, read this letter to newborn moms that I wish I could have given myself in the newborn trenches.
Final Thoughts
This season won’t last forever. Some parts I miss deeply, and others I’m happy to leave behind. But I tried hard to romanticize the newborn phase in my own way, even when exhausted. Through little moments. Tiny resets. A slower rhythm. And most of all—grace.
Because this season is hard. But it’s also unbelievably beautiful.