34 Things I’ve Learned Since Becoming a Mom
As I have told you guys before, when I found out I was pregnant, I thought I was going to die. I always liked the thought of being a mom,because kids are so damn cute, but when it hit me that I was actually going to be one, I realized I had no freaking clue what in the heck to do with a baby. To be honest with you, the first time I changed Denver's diaper in the hospital, I had no clue how to even do that. I will be sharing a very funny, embarrassing video on my Instagram that my son's father took as I was nearly finishing up changing his first diaper. Pee went all over me, poop went everywhere. He pooped 3x while I was changing the diaper y'all... plus with a boy, you gotta be careful about where that pee goes. I actually can't even believe I am going to share the video, because I look disgusting, I'm cussing, I had literally just delivered my son about 12 hours before it was taken and may have had 2 hours of sleep in 72 hours, and at the time, was still on the prescribed pain medicine. I am pretty sure I was also wearing those amazingly sexy mesh underwear they give you. Lol. If you haven't seen it before you got to this point, and you want to laugh, you should go watch. ( @nativeinnashville)
Anyways moral of the story, I WAS CLUELESS on how to actually be a mom. I have learned SOOO much these last 5 months and thought I would share a few, or 30 some of them with you guys. I am sure some of you can relate, and some may find it a little informative. I had to learn some of these the hard way for sure!
1. You don’t have to use 17 wipes to Change a poopy diaper. And yes I literally used a minimum of 17 the first diaper change, then went to probably 7 the following weeks. Now I can do it with my eyes closed.
2. I can do this! I never believed in myself before, but I am doing just fine. You can do it too, if I can, I promise you can. You got this!
3. Babies are expensive ! Outside of formula, diapers and childcare, I buy him every toy, every cute piece of clothing, every kid related thing I see really. I always dressed ratchet my whole life, and I want him to have better things than I did, even though he stays in little sleepers 98% of the time.
4. I used to say “I’ll never be one of those annoying moms who post pics of their kids each day, we know what they look like", now I’m the worst one of all. Not sorry!
5. You will be proud of EVERY LITTLE THING your child does. I repeat, everything. Something so simple, is seriously the biggest accomplishment when they are learning. Last night Denver sat up on his own for he first time, and you would have thought, by the way I was screaming and cheering, that he was winning a Gold medal in the Olympics.
6. Have someone teach you how to use your car seat and stroller BEFORE it’s time to use it on actual child.
7. Cutting a baby’s nails is the scariest thing ever, next to childbirth, and you have to do it every 3 days. How in the heck m son's nails grow this fast, I will never know.
8. Everyone has an opinion about what you should do with your child, ignore them. You will burn a lot of calories rolling your eyes. If you ask for the opinions of advice, that’s a different story.
9. You will get sleep! Maybe I am just lucky with my son, but I feel like I get more sleep now, than I did before I had him. He does wake me up, but I'm obsessed with him so I don't even mind it.
10. Mom guilt is a real thing. Anytime I go anywhere without my son, I feel terrible about it, like he's going to be mad at me and forget who I am or something. Sometimes you may need a little break though.
11. Mom brain is also a VERY REAL THING. I now seem to forget EVERYTHING. Trust me YOU WILL TOO!
12. You will never know a love like this ! It's literally indescribable how much love you can feel.
13. Everyone will want to kiss All over your kid, NO , just no.
14. The greatest compliment you can ever receive will no longer have anything to do with your hair, makeup, or your outfit, as it might have used to when life was all about you( for me anyways ), it will be that you’re a good mom!! Best feeling ever is someone telling you this or assuring you that you are doing a good job!
15. Nothing is cuter than seeing a baby stretch right when they wake up, ok except maybe their little laugh.
16. Put them in their cutest clothes, QUICK. I’ve bought so many things and “wanted to save them” and it became too late! They grow & grow out of them QUICK!
17. You won’t use half the big stuff you buy them. I've literally never used my bassinet, my rocker glider chair, and numerous other expensive things that my mom brain won't let me currently remember.
18. Not everyone is going to like your child’s name, and that’s ok! Not everyone has good taste ;)
19. If people want to help you, let them !! Especially when the nurses ask if you want them to take your baby for the night while you're still in the hospital. Just do it!
20. The epidural is not bad AT ALL! I heard countless horror stories but i didn’t even feel it!
21. Speaking of... Get the epidural !! There is no prize or Medal of Honor for not getting it. Trust me on this ! I am really not even trying to offend anyone by this one either, but me personally, I don't see why anyone could not get it. Mine was mostly warn off by the time I was delivering him, but I couldn't have made it through the day feeling those contractions more than I already did.
22. Your whole world will revolve around your kid !! Every single decision you make,
23. If Facebook on this day and time hop didn’t remind you of your old life you would never remember what life was like before having a child.
24. When you go out with your friends to eat the only thing you guys all talk about is your kids and how cool you used to be.
25. When you’re feeding your baby make sure to wipe their neck after you are done, if ANY milk drips down there! trust me you do not want to find out their neck is dirty the hard way, it can be the worst smell you have ever smelled in your life !
26. Getting yourself & your child ready can be the ultimate task! I was already late to everything before having a kid. I give myself an extra hour of time every day to get ready. I still usually look like crap, and use it doing stuff for my son, but I NEED that extra hour.
27. Your life is no longer about you it is 150% about them. They always come first.
28. Taking a shower can feel like a vacation! No, seriously...moms am I right?
29. Triple check you have your diaper bag before leaving the house !! I had to learn this the hard way. Also make sure you always have an extra change of clothes in there.
30. Running to Target is no longer a simple task. Nothing really is, for me yet anyways. Running to Target, baby free also feels like a vacation though. Lets be honest, some of us would rather be at Target, than an ACTUAL vacation.
31. Your kid gets cooler by the minute. It's literally miraculous, and you will look at them with amazement, and in disbelief that you created such a magical person. I still can't believe I created a person y'all!
32. They say babies don’t smile until a certain age and when they are, that it's just gas... i call BS! My son has been smiling since he was a week old. Swear on my hair.
33. Don't spend time away from your child, for temporary people. TRUST ME ON THIS! You cannot get that time you spent away from them back. If you don't know for 100% sure they are going to be in your life for the long run, don't waste your time. This is going to be tough for me, as a single mom, who is terrified to ever date again, but unless I KNOW, or my son is with his father, I refuse to take time away from Denver.
34. Moms are the shit! Until I became one myself, I never knew how much work they put into taking care of their kids. When they say it's a full-time job, it most certainly is. It's so much work, and hard sometimes, but beyond worth every single second. Most days I legit feel like Superwoman! I am SO PROUD to be a mom!!
There are probably at least 75 more things I could add to this list right now, but I will save them for later. I literally learn something new every day. I already know that this will be a learning process, daily, for the rest of my life. I can only hope and strive to wake up every day and be a better mom than the day before, and the best mom I can be! What are some things you guys have learned since becoming mamas? Let me know in the comments. Thank you for reading!!
XO- Amber
