16 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Become A Mummy by Navigating Baby

It’s no easy job becoming a Mummy. It’s an emotional, overwhelming, happy and role changing time. Here Navigating Baby shares with us 16 things she wishes she knew before becoming a Mummy. This is great advice for anyone who is expecting soon……

Becoming a mummy for the first time is daunting and if you are anything like me then there will have been lots of google searches, blog reading and book buying (I say buying as reading them and taking the advice was quite another matter!). I still felt rather in the dark and a little horrified that on night one I was supposed to take care of this little human and keep them alive…. My first born is 7 now so I clearly worked it out well enough to get by, but there are some things I wish I knew before I became a mummy.

1. You will cry lots particularly to start with.  It is overwhelming and the combination of hormones, tiredness and love means tears
2. You will argue with your other half –mostly about who is the most tired.  Daddies if you are reading this just a quick heads up it is the mummy. Remember she has labour hanging over you so just smile and nod!!
3. You will never be as tired as you are in those first few weeks, but firstly it WILL get better and secondly that time you spend with your baby in the middle of the night will be some of the most special memories you have.  It is a magical bubble of just you and them. You might even miss it…
4. You will get covered in snot, poo, wee and sick at some point.  Sometimes all at the same time and here’s the thing – you won’t mind
5. Positive parenting is tough as sometimes you won’t feel positive and you will want to scream, but you will always love them
6. The feeling you get the first time you hold your baby is unlike anything else and you will remember that joy forever
7. Just because you haven’t done this before it doesn’t mean you are wrong.  Nature and instinct are quite amazing so don’t let yourself be fobbed off if you are concerned about something
8. The books are not wrong… if you pick them up every time they so much as whimper or rock them to sleep every night you are making a rod for your own back
9. Engaging in parenting brilliance conversations can only lead to feelings of inadequacy so don’t bother.  These conversations are like Instagram they only show the good bits… I recommend just doing this mothering thing your way.  Each child is different and I have really learnt that since having twins so comparing is pointless
10. You will feel it necessary to talk about your baby’s poo, eating and sleeping to every other mummy you know and sometimes to strangers who happen to make the mistake of engaging you in conversation… You won’t intend to and you won’t know why, but you will talk about it
11. You cannot breastfeed without a lot of cake!! It is not the miracle weight loss plan I had been led to believe…
12. Tiredness can make you ill so try to find some time to rest.  Your baby won’t be disadvantaged forever more if you don’t take that baby aerospace engineering class and just decide to stay at home and wear your dressing gown all day long!
13. Maternity leave is an amazing time, but it can get lonely so you need to get out there and find out what is on in your area so you can be around adults too sometimes (bear in mind point 10 though)
14. Other mummies are not always in your corner sometimes they are judgemental and apparently perfect – ditch those ones quick and find your village. I always went for those who were tempted or did order a glass of wine over a mummy lunch (My type of peeps!)
15. If breastfeeding isn’t working you didn’t fail.  The important part is that baby gains weight and yes breast is best, but that isn’t always possible
16. You are enough…  You have everything your baby needs and they love you, but if you start to feel like you are not – tell someone!

If you like what you’re reading you can check out more from Navigating Baby on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest channels. 

Claire x