7/11/12

Being a first time mom is not easy!


Being a first time mom is so rewarding. A blessing beyond anything I ever could have imagined.  The way I feel when I hold my son close to me is the most amazing feeling I have ever felt. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING is better!  On the flip side, being a first time mom is scary, confusing, difficult, frustrating and at times maddening.  Every morning when I wake up I have no idea what new experience my son is going throw at me, all I know for sure is that something new is definitely coming, possibly good or bad or both.

Being a first time mom is so scary and frustrating at times, because once you think you have it figured out, WRONG!  ARG!!!  Last night my son was up every two hours! NOTHING the hubs or I did was getting this baby to sleep for more than 2 hours.  He wouldn’t eat, he just wanted to fuss.  I tried Tylenol/paracetamol, a cold teether, gas drops, NOTHING worked.  He would pass out from being tired, then wake up mad as hell. Then, this morning at 10am he went to sleep and woke up at 1pm happy and full of smiles. Everything I have read and heard says, "a baby who naps like crap, sleeps like crap." Furthermore a teething gassy baby is a recipe for disaster, but come on! An entire night of “hell no I won’t go to sleep?!” 

I think babies are so cute and so sweet to off set the difficulty they bring with them.  I still check to make sure my bub is breathing sometimes upto ten times a night. Every time he coughs I worry, when he cries my heart breaks.  I only know what I am doing 10% of the time, the other 90% I guess my way though it, trying my best not to freak out.

I have learned that only three things remain true on a daily basis when it comes to being a mother-

  1. You are blessed beyond understanding. Never forget that.
  2. There is NEVER a dull day.
  3. Just because it worked yesterday, probably doesn’t mean shit today.

As long as you have heaps of love and patience, nothing will stand in your way of being a great mom. I have learned already that a baby will test that daily, but as long as you keep breathing the sun will set, and a new day will come. 


Two confused parents=One amused baby Hopelessly we are trying raise a baby who is clearly smarter than both of us. April is an award-winning writer and blogger. Her work has been published in over ten countries and four languages. From books to newspapers, to print/online magazines and everything in between, you can find her work. For more on April, Visit AprilMcCormick.com

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Lol, number three is so scarily true! I'm pretty sure they wait and watch for cues that you're feeling confident just so they can pull the rug out from under your feet! I'm sure I can hear bubs doing an evil cackle at night as he plots the next days ventures.
On a positive note though, they can't talk yet so they can't tell anyone just how much we're fudging!

Mrs. Loquacious said...

Expect the unexpected! Baby L has decided that waking up three times a night is a great way to sleep and keep Mommy on her toes. I wake up miserable and unrested. The only thing that keeps me going in those moments is the reminder to myself that I am blessed, and she is healthy, and if the worst thing I have to deal with is her teething issues and perpetual desire to nurse and not sleep, then I have it easy. As I witness friends dealing with their little ones' health problems, I am reminded to have a grateful heart that I am spared this agony.

AussieMummy said...

The only thing predicable about babies is that they are unpredictable!

Claire said...

Less of the being a 1st time mum is hard, being a mum is hard. second time round you are fooled into thinking you've got all this knowledge and tools you learnt from your 1St then your second comes and puts you back in place. i knew my children would't be the same but have been so surprised by how different they are. i don't know why it surprised me being one of three children i know i'm nothing like my brothers and never have. and i'm sure if i was nuts enough to want a third they would be different again.

foodpixie said...

# 3 is the truth, made me laugh. The other day I told a friend of a friend that the hardest part is knowing you can't just quit. Hang in through the hard days, because the good parts make it all worthwhile.

So here's my Mommy fail from last night. I turned the baby monitor (mine) onto the other channel. I woke several times during the night wondering why I hadn't heard a peep out of her, but didn't drag my ass out of bed to check until this morning. She was fine. And my door was open so if she'd been screaming her head off I guess I would have heard. Oops.

Unknown said...

Hahaha! You are doing so great- seriously! and #3? oh yeah- so true! I'm serious though, being a first time mom was way easier than being a mom to a second child. Maybe it sounds backwards, but between lower expectations, less to juggle, lack of comparison, etc... completely different. Remember me writing about Chase sleeping all the way through the night for about a week? Yeah, he was up 3 times last night- 3!!! UGH. All to eat. So- yeah, I don't know shit anymore :)

Katie said...

I feel you on the every 2 hours! William is still doing that now! Ugh! And not napping again either. The plus though is he is now more content in his carseat. Ive taken him in the stroller for 2 days and he fell asleep both times. Short naps, but better than him screaming on our walks! He also fell asleep in the car twice now! Progress!! :)

FirstTimeMomandDad.com said...

Yay! I love Progress!

Tasha said...

I was reminded yesterday by a nurse that sleep deprivation is a form of torture, literally. So remember we are all entitled to bad days.