1)
Everyone
is different. Pregnancy, labor, and delivery can vary from person to person and
although people love to share their stories; that does not mean that your experience will be anything like
theirs {do not be freaked out by everything you hear, but do be smart and
educated about what is happening to you.}.
2)
Sleep
will never be the same again. Cherish every minute of relaxing uninterrupted
worry free sleep that you can. I had no idea {no one ever really does} that 8
hours of uninterrupted sleep would be so incredibly hard to achieve -post
children.
3)
Babies
sleep a lot at first, but it is only in about two-to-three hour increments. They
need to eat every two-to-three hours, so you will have to be awake to feed them
when they wake up. So in the early days YOU are only sleeping in two-to-three
hour increments as well. This is normal. I have found that I can do a lot of
things on very little sleep. I may only speak gibberish and come off as a bit
loopy, but I can change an explosive diaper at two am without batting an
eyelash and go right back to bed as if nothing happened. You can get used to
things you never thought you would be able to get used to.
4)
Do
not be intimidated by registering for a baby shower. I know this is easier said
than done and I was extremely overwhelmed when it came to registering for my
baby shower. I took my mother with me to register and it helped me a lot, but I
also thought only about the one baby I was having and not the longevity of the
products I was registering for {for example – I registered for a travel system
with a stroller that would only ever accommodate one child at a time. I wish I
would have gone with a stroller system that had the capability of expanding
with my family.} I have also helped others register and they have told me that
it was extremely helpful having someone who knew about baby stuff help them
register for baby stuff.
5)
It
is okay to ask for help – I still struggle with this. There is no such thing as
a perfect mother. While it is true that some people have fantastic mothering
instincts, everyone struggles and no one knows everything. It is okay NOT to be
supermom.
6)
Bathroom
time will no longer be private time. I cannot remember the last time I took an
uninterrupted trip to the bathroom.
7)
There
are all kinds of moms {stay at home moms, work at home moms, working moms, and
a gazillion other variations in between}; don’t beat yourself up over which
category you fall under and don’t judge others based on what they do. No one is
better than the other. It is all about what works best for your family and for
you. I am blessed to be able to be a stay at home mom. I love what I do, but I
know women that would go bananas if they stayed at home instead of going to
work. I also know women that have to work, but wish they could stay at home.
Remember that everyone’s choices and circumstances vary. Don’t beat yourself up
over your choices, but don’t think that you are any better or worse than anyone
else either.
8)
When
all else fails, laugh. As a mom you are bound to be pooped on, peed on, spit up
on, vomited on, and God knows what else! Some days you are just so tired that
you want to cry {crying is perfectly acceptable by the way} and you don’t think
you can handle any more poop. And then – WHAM- its 2am and you get the joy of
changing an explosive diaper that covers not only the baby, but you and the bed
that you are changing the baby on… laugh. This happened to me and I started
laughing so hard I woke up my husband who was sound asleep next to me. Although
he looked at me like I was crazy, I could not stop laughing. I laughed the
entire time I cleaned up my baby, I laughed the entire time I stripped and
remade the bed, and I laughed the entire time I cleaned myself up. Then when I
was all laughed out I crawled back into bed and went back to sleep. Looking
back on this event, I still laugh.
9)
Trust
your own instincts. Everyone and their mother will offer you advice. Advice is
all fine and dandy {and sometimes there is someone who will actually offer you
good advice}, but YOU are mom. This is YOUR baby and YOUR family and if you
think something is wrong, there might be something wrong. You are your child’s
advocate.
10) Everything takes
about 10 times longer to do when you have children. There is no quick trip to
the grocery store. You will have to pack a diaper bag with essentials to take
with you to the store {diapers, wipes, ointment, pacifiers, bottles, toys…},
you will have to prepare yourself as well as your child/children for leaving
the house {bathing, clothing, socks, shoes, car seats…}, you will have to care
for your child while shopping {load and unload from the car, pacify throughout
the store…}, and you do all of this while trying to look/feel sane – yeah
right!
11) Motherhood is
not super easy, but it is not the end of the world either. Life changes, people
grow, and things happen. Facts of life. Yes, your world will never be the same
again, but you should still carve out some time for yourself. Do something just
for you, be it five minutes alone with a cup of coffee hidden in your closet
while reading a new best seller or a fitness class with girlfriends once a
week. ME time DOES make you a better mom. Have some guilt free mommy ME time.
12) Being a parent
is expensive… seriously. No… I am not joking at all! Being a parent is
ridiculously expensive. Baby stuff is not cheap. And even when you think you
are getting a deal, it is still not cheap. All the little things add up and the
big things are crazy expensive too! Aside from a crib and car seat, there are a
gazillion other things that you will spend money on {diapers, wipes, bottles,
formula, baby laundry detergent, food… the list is endless}. Hand me downs are
fabulous and freebies such as gifts are a HUGE blessing.
What
are some things that you wish you would have known before becoming a parent?
Was there anything that completely shocked you?
