A friend of mine from high school had a baby last week. I was so excited for her. This is her first child and I had my fifth a few months ago so it's kind of fun to remember what it was like back when I was having my first. One of the things it clarified for me is that I really don't want to trade her places. I've put so much work into getting where I am and surviving the enormous responsibilities and work of motherhood; I don't want to start over by doing it all again. I do wish I knew all the things back then that I know now though.
My advice to a new mom-
Resist judging yourself by your former standards.
You just aren't the same after you have a baby, roll with it.
Your body won't be the same, it will need different kinds of sleep and attention, it will be shaped differently, you will need to take some time to get to know it again (we're talking months here) and you will have to be kind and a bit accepting.
Your home won't be the same, roll with it. You will see your surroundings differently as you bring a baby into them and all the dynamics shift just a little to accommodate. The way you work and think and eat and play all change when you have a baby, set yourself some goals but be gentle with yourself about reaching them. If your house isn't as clean and you aren't as organized and it's harder to get out and do things; be grateful that the reason all this has changed is a good one.
Drink plenty of water.
Talk to your baby. Interact, smile, chat, play, it builds a bond. You've chosen to sacrifice too much to be self-conscious at this point.
Listen to advice others give you and pick through it for what you think will work for you. None of us would be here without someone having gone through this, so there's a lot of accumulated knowledge floating around out there.
You can do this. Roll with it.
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