When I had my first baby, I did not realize how much of my life would change. Good things and bad, if you are expecting a baby, expect your life to change too. Things from being afraid to respecting your parents more than before are all brought to light and you have a whole new way of thinking about various things that you never really thought about before.
When I had my baby I would find myself asking, “How did my parents do it?” there are many things that babies need and with each baby, there are possibly other needs that must be cared for as well. Each baby is different and the baby’s parents must quickly learn what the baby needs and how to care for that particular need. As a parent, you will learn that there are different types of cries that your baby has. Once learned which cry means what to the baby, this will help you to know what it is the baby is trying to communicate.
I never used to think that I could be really scared of anything. Yes, I found myself startled and anxious at different things that should scare someone; however, when I had my baby, I knew what it was like to be scared. I was scared when the doctors were telling me that the umbilical cord was wrapped around my baby’s neck, I was scared when my baby almost fell off the side of the bed for the first time. These and many other scares will prove to you that everyone gets scared.
I also found myself taking better care of myself so that I could take better care of my child. Whether it came to exercise or eating better, I changed a lot of things that were once the normal for me. I would put more thought into the dinners that I prepared, and I would start to go on walks around the neighborhood while pushing a stroller. These are just a few examples of things that I started to do with my child and helped to make me a better healthier mother.
If you are married as I am, you and your partner both know the struggles of having a new baby. I found myself snapping at my husband and felt a little bit of resentment when he would go to work every morning. Even small things would cause me to disapprove of his ability to care for the baby. Things like the way he would fasten a diaper or how he would mix a bottle would just drive me crazy. Little things like that showed that my hormones were not balanced but give it time. You will return to being yourself in no time. Just try to keep calm and don’t bit your partner’s head off just because of the way they touch the baby’s hand. You will be fine and your partner must understand that you are going through a lot. Talking about issues or problems that you may have is a great way for both of you to get on the same page and smooth everything over as best you can.
All these things are great examples of how a baby can change your life after birth, and there are a lot more examples out there. The thing that you need to do, and it took a while for me to do it as well, it to take a deep breathe when you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, communicate and take a few minutes to compose yourself. You will absolutely love having a baby when you figure out what works best for you. You will have your doubts and you will have your rewards but at the end of the day, you will not know what life would be like if you didn’t have your baby.
