Being A Mother..

Getting to know that a life is nurturing inside has been “a” feeling . All those 9 months of morning sickness, penguin walk, frequent rest room trips look worth while as you hold the little one for the first time.

When I held my daughter, as soon as she came to being, I did not know how to feel. I just had tears rolling down my eyes. I was shouting “our baby has come” hysterically to my already, equally emotional husband 🙂

So what now?
I thought the job is well done. I had a normal delivery and a healthy baby.. life is sorted.. lets go home! 🙂

The first night at the hospital with the baby was the reality check. I wanted to sleep. Could not not the previous night amidst the delivery “saga”. And I did my “job” well! Damn, give me my reward of 8 hours of peaceful sleep! But guess my baby was thrilled on her first day. She just didn’t sleep!

The next morning, me and my husband started our second day of parent hood “bleary eyed”.

And so I learnt my #Lesson1 : Sleep is no longer your prerogative! 🙂

In the earlier days of her life, I did not know how to change a diaper! Like literally! I remember asking my husband to “tell” me. And I felt, I am so less prepared to be a mum! And there came the #Lesson 2 – You can never be “full” prepared to be a mother. 

I am a cleanliness freak. I like to see things in order. Mess or un ordered stuff disturbs me. So once I started taking care of baby on my own,I tried to keep my house “perfect” still ! There were moments when I used to get exhausted managing baby and keeping the house ordered. Then I learnt my #Lesson3 – Lower your standards! Don’t rush into being a “perfect” wife, mum, daughter at the same time. Prioritise and do what’s important. That unkept cupboard wont make you a bad mother! Use that time to catch some sleep, instead!

There are times when I am up in the middle of night to feed her. And she refuses to eat! I am all set to sleep  again and she wakes up to eat! Sometimes you want to shout and say – now I want to sleep! #Lesson 4 – Patience! I guess patience goes a long way when raising a kid! So the sooner you learn the better for you two 🙂

When my daughter was born , I thought I was not finished yet with my course on parenting. I did not know what being a parent is or would be. Hence spent lot of hours reading on the internet while breastfeeding. And one thing that I learnt is #Lesson 5 – There is no perfect way of raising your child. Sadly there doesn’t exist 10 tips to be a perfect mother. Cause a “perfect” mother does not exist. 🙂

Pregnancy and motherhood are the two topics for which everybody has a say. Its very easy to get bewildered by the sea of “advices” that will come your way. While its good to know all the stories and experiences, choose what to pick and what not to. #Lesson 6 – Do what you think works best for you and your baby. Every child is unique in his/her own way. So you cant bring up your baby the same way as you aunt’s friend’s sister’s child! “:D

After the first 40 days, I started feeling like a fish in my own pond. Where my only concerns were did my baby ate, pee-ed, poop-ed, slept “enough”? The only person I saw in the mirror was a mother. That’s when I learnt the next lesson.

# Lesson 7– Indulge. A happy you is the mother that your baby loves. Unwind with that one activity the gives you a boost. Going for a solo walk, trip to a parlour, a good workout. Call an old friend and make sure to NOT talk the baby stuff. Its important to spare some time for the “you” amidst the baby care the whole day. I KNOW it is tough to find time. Sometimes I too am tired to the core and the only thing that I see is a bed. But the other days, I do see “myself ” in the mirror!

With the sea of information available on the internet, It is easy to get tensed about some symptom of your baby. And the more you start watching the symptom the more prominent it seems to get.
#Lesson 8 – Never hesitate to see a doctor when something about your baby bothers you. We’ve made numerous visits to our paediatrician for every small thing that troubled us so far. The good part is that you feel much peace after you’ve consulted.

Till now, there have been days when I feel being a mother ain’t so tough. And days where I want to  disappear from the scene. Some days your baby would be utter delight. And other times fussy and cranky. That is the time you need to remind yourselves – “This is just a phase”! It wont stay for long! #Lesson 9 – Bad days don’t stay forever. Hold on and keep yourself sane till then!

And lastly, #Lesson 10 – Empty your cups, daily! The moment you feel settled and in control, your baby throws up another challenge! 🙂

“When you see your baby grinning and smiling at you.
Small tender arms wide open for you.
Without a doubt, you think
there’s always been a Mother in you!”

~

(Mother to a six months old)