I know a few people who are expecting babies and I’ve been thinking about the things I wish I’d known before I had children. Truthfully, I probably wouldn’t have listened to anybody who told me it was hard work. You learn it all for yourself as you’re going along, and pretty quickly! So instead, here are fifteen things I’ve learnt since becoming a Mum.
1. 7am is a lie in.
2. There is no such thing as my privacy any more. Bathroom doors do not stay closed under any circumstances – no matter how hard I try.
3. Eating cold food with one hand is a very useful skill.
4. A cup of tea does not stay hot for long enough but you should never, ever attempt to warm it up in the microwave – disgusting!
5. In a room full of babies I can recognise the smell of my own child’s dirty nappy.
6. Sometimes babies just cry. You might not be able to work out why, you might struggle to comfort them and you will probably want to tear your hair out. They will stop!
7. I sleep incredibly lightly. I hear every cough, grumble and noise they make.
8. Six hours of sleep IN A ROW feels great. Sleep deprivation sucks (obviously) and turns me into a crazy lady.
9. I can make myself look presentable in ten minutes. Give me half an hour and I can work miracles.
10. Having children has completely derailed my emotions. I cry whenever I see a baby being born on TV (including when Rachel had Emma on Friends) and ads for the NSPCC, WarChild etc have me sobbing on the sofa.
11. First pregnancies are about looking after yourself and getting ready for the new baby. Second pregnancies are all about looking after child number #1 and leaving everything else until the last minute.
12. Often there are not enough hours in the day to do everything. Something has to give.
13. I am turning into my mother. Despite being sure that I wouldn’t, l regularly say the same things she used to say to me. Yesterday, for example, “I don’t know why I bother spending hours cooking you a healthy meal”. I can almost hear her saying the words – oops!
14. My handbag is no longer my own, instead it’s full of nappies, snacks, drinks and toy çars.
15. It’s taken having children for me to really understand love. When I look at their beautiful faces I know without a doubt that I would do anything in the world for them.
I had no problem coming up with fifteen things I’ve learnt about being a Mum, in fact I could easily have written a list of 100! Hopefully I haven’t scared off any Mums-To-Be in the process. Parenthood is definitely a steep learning curve but I wouldn’t change a minute of it.
Mum's The Word UK 