This post is also available in: English हिन्दी (Hindi) বাংলা (Bengali)
Motherhood is one of the most significant events in a woman’s life. In body, in mind, in spirit. It is truly transformational. But there are many things that people don’t tell you about this, shall we say, ‘mother of all events’; some awkward, some awful and some truly awesome. Here’s our list of curveballs that motherhood will soon throw at you:
You’ll often cry for no rhyme or reason.
Tears will be your 3 am friend; your 6 am pal; your 9 am fix. You will cry often and not because you are sad. You’ll look at your baby smiling in his sleep and start crying. You’ll wince when your baby bawls with colic and start crying. You’ll heave a sigh of relief when that’s your husband at the door and start … crying. But it’s alright. It would be a crying shame not to let those feelings flow.
Breastfeeding will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done.
OK, the second hardest. The hardest thing of course will always be childbirth. But breastfeeding is tough; really tough. Even when you are doing it right, feeding your baby hurts at the beginning. Sometimes a lot. And cracked nipples, infections, poor latch, et al, are always just one feed away. So here’s the thing. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. These days many clinics and hospitals even have lactation consultants.
You won’t care how uncool you look.
You won’t have time to dress up. You won’t have to time to look after yourself. You’ll be too busy looking after your li’l one. And you’ll only do things that make your baby happy. That includes making animal sounds, speaking gibberish, and tickling your baby’s feet. In public!
You’ll gain new friends! (But unfortunately lose some old ones!)
Connections with random women will happen over shared baby problems. Maybe you’ll bump into one another at the doctor’s; maybe you’ll meet up at a park. But these chance encounters often create allies for life. Sadly, you won’t have any time for friends who aren’t that much into babies. Your circle will start including more young parents and fewer single people. Hey, but that’s life!
You will find Baby’s Day Out more scary than Silence of The Lambs!
Your mom-in-law will be all sugar, no spice!
Babies do that to grandparents. But be warned, this hunky dory state of affairs will probably last only till your baby is old enough to talk. He’ll then become Grandma’s Little Helper and those subtle snubs might start again.
Martyrdom doesn’t suit moms!
Motherhood is hard enough without trying to do everything on your own. So don’t think twice before asking friends and relatives to pop by and help you out. They can look after your sleeping angel when you finally decide that you really really need that long luxurious bath that you’ve promised yourself! Or they can just pamper you a bit and make you laugh and take your mind off the daily grind of momhood. You can even network with other moms. Hey, even we have a forum called #smartmumforsmartmum. Check it out!
You’ll never find motherhood boring.
Tiring? Of course. But boring? Never. Because babies are not predictable – they will keep surprising you at every turn. We know so many bratty 5-year-olds who began life as the quietest, most well-adjusted toddlers. And so many star athletes who only started walking when they were 18 months old! So throw preconceived notions out the window. And let nature take its course.
This post is also available in: English हिन्दी (Hindi) বাংলা (Bengali)
