Friday, April 12, 2013

Gains and Losses Since Becoming a Mommy

Throughout my journey to becoming a mom, and in my first almost 3 months of parenthood, my life has changed pretty drastically. "Having a baby changes everything." It really does. There are moments of pure joy and moments of feeling like a failure; some days filled with desperate tears and others filled with laughter. And my son is only 12 weeks old. It's been an adventure. Here are some of the things I've lost and gained along the way.

Things I've lost:

  • Sleep. My baby is definitely not sleeping through the night. The sleep deprivation is rough and that's no exaggeration. Hopefully, he'll sleep through the night soon. But even then, I know he won't sleep in. Moms are always up pretty early most mornings, even on the weekend.
  • Money. Babies are expensive. The cost of diapering and feeding and clothing, omg.. and again, he's only 12 weeks old.
  • Time alone. I can't remember the last time I did something by myself. I can't even shower when I want to, I have to wait until he's either napping or when Mike comes home from work.
  • Spontaneity. Hubby and I used to jump in the car at a moment's notice and start driving wherever we were going. We would go to either a restaurant or the store, or whatever. Now, we have to "be spontaneous" when Caleb is well fed (otherwise he'll have a melt down in public), in the daytime, and only after packing the diaper bag full of diapers, wipes, bottles, etc.
Things I've gained:

  • The ability to love someone at first sight, deeply and unconditionally.
  • More respect for other parents. If there's one major lesson I have learned, it's that parenting isn't a "one size fits all" type of deal. Every parent is different, and every child is different. What works for someone may not work for me, and vice versa. Cloth diapers vs disposables; breast milk vs formula; natural birth vs an epidural; bed sharing vs using a crib. I have to agree that a happy mom equals a happy baby, and you just need to do what's best for you and your baby without judging.
  • The ability to handle all things yucky without thinking twice or gagging. So far this includes snot, pee, and poop. I'm still not sure if I can handle vomit though, lol. My husband is still working on this, lol.. he still gags when changing poop diapers.
Through all the tough moments, parenthood is so worth it. When my little boy smiles so big at me, all negativity melts away and my heart overflows with pure love.

Being a mommy is just the best.

Love,
Tiare

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