Parenthood

Yes, I know that this one was supposed to be about pregnancy and I totally skipped a lot of important subjects, but I’m a mother, so now I can get away with not having enough time.

 

Today I wanted to talk about parenthood. Specifically about it being “so hard that you won’t even have time to eat”. Yes, having a child is challenging and time consuming, but it is not impossible. I’ve only done it for 3 weeks now, so I might be wrong, but having a kid is not nearly as difficult as everyone have been telling me.

First of all, newborn children sleep a lot (up to 16 hours a day), so don’t worry, you will get a break. The only difference is now instead of sitting down on the couch with a cup of wine you will have to go tidy and sort out everything that you’ve been postponing: dishes, laundry, messy pile of blankets and towels and wiping that 3 year old dust off the TV. So, yes, in a way you won’t have as much time for leisure.

Another thing that is extremely tiring is not being able to take a day off. Now, I live by my daughter’s schedule: I change her, feed her, change her again, try to put her to sleep, if she doesn’t sleep on her own then I walk around with a stroller and sing, then I go tidy up as much as I can and then everything just repeats itself. First days were very hard for me, but now I’m very comfortable with a new routine. Remember: it takes about 20 days to get used to something.

And, I admit, some days are just terrible: she doesn’t want to sleep no matter what I do, so I have to carry her around to the point that my back is killing me, but nobody said it would be easy. Sometimes it might seem like you have no life anymore and you are slowly dying of hunger, sleep deprivation and back pain, but I promise you it will get easier, you will have good days too.

 

Bottom line. I’ve never been this tired in my entire life, but I’ve also never been happier. I love my little daughter more than anything. She is the most beautiful thing and I can spend hours looking at her tiny face and playing with her tiny hands and feet. And with the help of my husband and my mother in law I have enough time to do exercise, take a shower and have a cup of tea. Sometimes, my husband and I take turns carrying her and this way we still manage to watch a couple of episodes of our favorite TV series or a movie and have some relaxing time in the living room.

Hang in there new parents. It is challenging, but it is also beautiful. Just remember: your kid will never be the way he/she is right now. They are going to change every day. So, enjoy and cherish them today. I guarantee that in a few years you will think of this moment with joy.