Visit our USA site
I believe it is inevitable that having a baby is going to come with a few realisations or different views on things as to how you saw them pre bubba. Like a good coffee, hot food, the time to style your hair, just to name a few. A few things I discovered a whole new appreciation for after becoming a mum. Below is a list of my top 15 off the top of my head. Have a read and see of you can relate:
1- The ability to ‘nip out’. For example ‘I’m just nipping out to get some milk’. Nipping out no longer exists when there is screaming babies and car seats in the equation. Instead it’s an organised military operation to pick up vital milk supplies needed for that all important morning coffee.
2- A relaxing hot bath. An undisturbed relaxing hot bath – If it’s not a baby crying it’s a baby that needs feeding or needs to go to bed or needs CONSTANT BLOODY ATTENTION. I am only 6 months in and this is only going to get worse. By the time he is 2 I will probably not even recognize that tub anymore. How I miss the bubbles already!
3- A woman’s body – I appreciate this a lot more for 2 completely different reasons. I appreciate how fit and healthy I looked pre baby. I took the size 6 flat tummy for granted because that is all I ever had. On the flip side I appreciate what a woman’s body is actually capable of doing. This is something you will never know until childbirth. The bodies strength to grow a human, stretch EVERYTHING, get that human out and then somehow walk again, to somehow repair itself back over time. Do not get me wrong, I have tiger stripes and a lovely kangaroo pouch but never in my life have I been this proud of my own body. Flabby over flat if that is what it takes to birth the perfect little human that is my son.
4- Movies. Good movies! – I think me and Jordan can both vouch for this one as we are both film buffs. Gone are the days we could have movie days cuddled up on the settee undisturbed. Gone are the days of having a movie marathon without the sound of ‘DADA’ or some baby toy banging against the side of the chair. Again I believe this will only get worse, next it will be paw patrol or Peppa Pig marathons instead. Am I right girls?!
5- Parents. Yep that’s right. Your own parents. Looking back now I was a little horror or a child growing up, especially through my teenage years. When I moved from England to NZ I first felt true appreciation for my parents and how much easier it is having them around the corner. Now I am a parent myself I see through the eyes of one. The selflessness and true altruism a parent has for their own child. You rock mum and dad!
6- Time. This is quite an obvious one. Time is definitely on your side pre baby. However, looking back now, I really took that for granted. Many times I heard myself saying ‘I don’t have time’ or ‘there just isn’t enough hours in a day’. Now I can only look back and laugh at myself. What was I thinking? I did not prioritise my day because basically there was never an urgent need to, I never needed to think of anyone else other than myself. There was never any compulsory need for a set routine. Post baby, time is of the essence and it flies by. I wake up in the early morning and the next thing I know it’s 6pm, I haven’t had lunch nor a shower. Where has my day gone?
7- Alcohol. Yep that’s right, it made into my top 10. Il admit I enjoyed a glass of wine or three before I was pregnant! 9 months of being a compulsory sober and i thought i would be dying for a drink after he was born. Funnily enough I wasn’t, my first drink after he was born wasn’t until he was around the 7 week old mark, but when that cider touched my lips for the first time I remembered just how appetising a cold cider was!
8- Weekends. Pre baby weekends meant a time of relaxation from work. A time for me and Jordan to both put our feet up and eat yummy food, watch crap tv, snuggle up and go to bed late knowing we aren’t up early doors. Now weekends are very different. In fact they are for me especially. The weekend is just like any other day with the bonus of having Jordan around too. No lie ins, no breaks, but neither of us would have it any other way!
9- Spontaneous days out/ weekends away. Ohhhh how we loved waking up on a Saturday morning and going for a random stroll on the beach, or going up north for fish and chips, or nipping out for some late night ice cream on the front. How we took that for granted. When Noah was born our life suddenly became organized (for Noah’s sake of course). No more random last minute snap decisions, we plan things days before now. Spend the night before making sure the baby bag is ready, as if leaving the house is a special event!
10- The other half. Don’t get me wrong, I have always adored Jordan. He’s gorgeous, he’s charming and he makes me laugh everyday but there is just something inside you that switches when you have their baby. When you give birth to a baby that looks just like the love of your life. Watching him be a dad, cuddle and love this little human you have both made together. All the looks and money in the world could never match them moments!
11- Sleep, SLEEP! How did I nearly miss this one off the list! We all love our sleep, usually lie ins but me, I was always partial to a good uninterrupted nap and a solid 9/10 hours sleep at night. If I didn’t get my sleep I would be a total zombie the next day and so uncooperative with anyone that even thought about talking to me. Post baby I found my hormones where up in the air and I was terrified of falling asleep just incase the baby was still on my chest. A genuine fear that woke me up even when he was sound asleep. Then there’s the obvious night feeding. The torture of living off 4 hours sleep and sometimes less but somehow coping because, well, that’s just what us mums do, because we are freaking awesome!
12- ME time. This is one thing I do not get much of anymore. In fact for 6 months now I have had a baby glued to me (usually glued to my nipple LOL) So me time has been shall I say a little sparse. I never really thought how important it was before to be with you and your thoughts alone. The first day I went out without Noah, I realized I could actually think about things for once that wasn’t all about him.
13- The privilege of an adult conversation. It has definitely been a good while since I have sat down and haven’t had a discussion involving poonamis or tummy time. We used to talk about current events, careers, politics, music. Now all I can think about is talking about my son and how he rolled over twice today and puked down my bra. What have I turned into?
14- ‘CANNOT TAKE PHOTO .. There is not enough available storage to take a photo. You can manage your storage in settings’ GRRRRRR… Every day is now a battle with myself when I have to bite the bullet and delete another video of my baby smiling so I can take ANOTHER one of him smiling. My phone is now jam packed full of photos and videos I cannot bare to delete (even though my MacBook saves these automatically) I do not trust that I won’t lose them. Instead I save them to several different places just incase. Pre pregnancy I never really truly appreciated the full potential of my phones memory. Now I cannot get enough of it.
15- LOVE. Yep, love in general. For anyone that knows me well will know I’m a lover. A lover of fine food, a lover of the arts, a lover of people, my friends, family, my partner. I have always been full of love for people but nothing even came close to the day Noah was born. That day my heart filled to the very top, a new feeling I had never experienced before ever in my life. I was besotted with this little human from his little wrinkley toes right up to his button nose. So much so that everyday I can’t help but just stare at him and smile from ear to ear.
So guys, that’s my top 15. How about yours? I would love to hear them, share your thoughts!
Rach (justmumstuff)
Taken from my blog www.justmumwords.wordpress.com
.webp)
