Motherhood: How It Changes Your Life

We all know life after a baby arrives won’t be a breeze. From the moment you learn you’re going to have a baby, your mom-brain kicks in, and you spend months and months getting yourself and your home ready for your baby. It’s called nesting instinct, an overwhelming desire experienced by expecting mothers to create a safe, calming, and welcoming space for your baby.

That’s the beauty of motherhood. You might’ve also figured out the smallest details like who’s going to look after the baby while you sprint to the toilet for a quick pee, the warmest pair of socks, baby-proofing dangerous corners of your house and so much more.

But here is a roundup of changes that might catch you by surprise. Here we are going to answer the age-old question: How does life change after having a baby?

Your Nighttime Schedule Needs Reworking

Sometimes, it might not seem like it, but your little one sleeps around 14-17 hours in a day! But since they have a small stomach, they have to wake up every few hours to fill their tummy, even during the nights. Sometimes, they are not even hungry, but they make a fuss because they can.
You don’t have to lose sleep everyday though, take turns with your partner taking care of your baby. Hand-express some breast milk in a bottle for such days in advance.
When your baby sleeps during the day, don’t try to catch up on household chores. Lie down. Rest.
Once your baby is three months older, your nights should be a little more peaceful.

Your Relationship Changes

When taking care of one love of your life, the other may feel left out. With baby blues, you may also experience moments of frustration as your partner goes to work and you find your hands full with baby care and household chores, even office work if you are a working woman.
Here’s the plan: Set aside time for just the two of you, go on a date, share what’s happening in your lives with each other. Ask a family member or a trusted friend or relative to step in for a few hours.

Guests Will Flood In

Of course, your family and friends would want to see your little one and wish you well. They mean good but it can be a bit overwhelming for you and your baby.
Ask your friends and family to give you a heads up before they head over. If your baby’s day already seems full, it’s okay to say, “Let’s make it another time.” They will understand.
Set clear boundaries. Not everyone gets to touch the baby, not if they maintain poor hygiene. Nobody gets to kiss or pinch the baby’s cheeks or nose.

You’ll Make Goofy Faces

Once your baby starts paying attention to what’s happening around them, you will find yourself making goofy and ridiculous faces around your baby just to see them smile and giggle. After a few weeks, you will find your baby imitating your goofy faces.
Newborns learn through their five senses interacting with their environment. Catching your baby’s attention with goofy faces, funny sounds, and ridiculous antics is a great way to start.

You’ll Make Mistakes

Maybe not in a perfect world with perfect parents. But, in the real world, you’ll make lots of mistakes. You might find it difficult to find the right breastfeeding position, or you might fail to feed your baby on demand, forget to burp them, panic over anything and everything. But you will learn from it, and you will give your baby only the best! So, be kind to yourself when you make mistakes.

You’ll Feel Guilt

You may feel guilty about not enjoying every second of motherhood and wanting to return to your old life and old self. You’re not alone! It’s perfectly normal to want a break from baby care. Have your loved ones take care of your baby for a while and take your much-deserved break.
Oh, when you’re feeling guilty again, remember all the things that’s going right because of you, and you will find yourself admiring your own strength in carrying on after all the difficulties.

You Will Start to See the Big Picture

Before your kiddo arrived, you see it, you like it, you want it, you got it. But parenthood teaches you patience. You start to learn the joys of saving up and budgeting and witness its fruits after months or years.

Your Will Start to Discover Things Anew

Now when you bring your sidekick along everywhere, you will also start to see things differently and even the dullest things would seem not so bad. Earlier, a day at the beach might not have been so magical. But your perspective changes when you see the greatness of the ocean waves and the cloudy ocean sand washing against your little one’s toes. Give your baby new experiences and try many new things together.

Your Heart Grows

When you realize you’re now responsible for your baby who sees you as the sun, the moon, and the entire solar system of their life, you realize how deep a mother’s love actually is. This you only realize when you actually hold a little one in your arms and have become a mother.
I can’t help but end this blog with a beautiful quote from one of my co-workers who has recently given birth to a sweet, little baby girl:
“The moment I held her in my hands, it suddenly hit me, I kept repeating to my husband, ‘This is how my mother loves me,’ with tears of happiness running down my face.”