9 New Mom Milestones

First hot meal

Having a baby is a big physical achievement, and one likely to give you a big appetite. Everyone loves to feed a new family, so you can be on the lookout for a hot meal or three delivered to you by generous friends and family members. But savor it—once your kid is mobile, you'll dream about those casseroles like a long-lost lover.

Pam Smith just gave birth to her second son, Sam, but she still remembers her first hot meal after her oldest, C.J., was born.

"With my first, it was courtesy of a good friend who stocked our fridge with a few groceries and homemade meals while we were at the hospital," says this Champaign, Illinois, mom. "We came home, put most of our stuff away, and heated up some of her chicken and noodles. We ate in front of the TV with the baby sleeping in his Moses basket. It was the best meal I'd had in a long time!"

First night out without Baby

Your baby is perfect and fascinating, so why on earth would you want to leave the house without her? Trust us—you're going to need some adult interaction, too. Leaving baby behind for some time with friends, family or your partner will make you a better mom.

Emily Paster is a mom of two who lives in Chicago, Illinois, and she remembers the first time she went out on the town for a special occasion after giving birth to her first child, daughter Zoe.

"Zoe was about 9 weeks old, and we left her with friends who had a baby just about a year older so we could go out for dinner," she says. "It was my birthday!"

First time having sex again

Clearly, as a new mom, you already understand the birds and the bees, but sex after Baby is a whole new animal. Parts of your body that were previously reserved for (ahem) "adult use" suddenly have all new functions. Just ask McGee Meredith of Austin, Texas.

"I had really been struggling with breastfeeding and had issues with over-supply and forceful letdown," Meredith says. "I was worried that if my husband touched my breasts during sex, I'd spray milk everywhere. So when we had sex for the first time after our daughter was born, I wore a sports bra with huge nursing pads shoved inside and told him, 'Touch my chest, and you're a dead man.' How's that for sexy?"