Since Macon is my first baby, I was more than nervous about being a mommy. The thought of being responsible for someone else's life scared me senseless. But I knew I wanted to be a mom more than anything. I had accepted that my life would never be the same.
It's true, my life changed. The change was absolutely amazing though. Sure, we have rough days but being a mom has been an amazing journey so far and I learn something new every day. When I first learned I was pregnant and even right after I had Macon, I was given advice ALL the time. Guess what though? NONE of that advice can prepare you for when things actually go awry.
So here it is...some tips that people may not tell you. From a REAL, far from perfect, new mom.
1. IF you have a boy, keep it covered. Yes I'm talking about his penis. Sure, a ton of people gave me this little tip, but it is TOTALLY different when it's real and the baby is finally home with you. And guess what? Sometimes no matter how fast you are, you still get peed on. I cannot count the number of times we had accidents. He peed on me more than once...it's even gotten in my hair. And on his bedding. And the changing table, a pillow, the wall, and the floor. Pee everywhere!
2. Carry an extra outfit with you, for yourself, at all times. Not only do you risk getting messy when you have a baby with you, sometimes you are faced with other circumstances that require an outfit change. For example, if you decide to wear dirty jeans. Yep, I admit it, I wear dirty jeans sometimes. I can almost guarantee you that every new mom has done the same. Just spray a little febreze on them and GO! Especially if you are a working mom. Sometimes I don't get to my laundry. And jeans usually end up last on my "to wash" list. HERE is why wearing dirty jeans could be an issue.... spit up. Not just any spit up, but spit up from a few days past. Recently I wore dirty jeans to work. I didn't see a problem with it, especially since I had only worn them for a few hours a day or two before. Once I arrived at work, I smelled something unpleasant. Mom brain had made it possible for me to forget that in that few hours I had those jeans on, my son decided to have a horrible spit up incident. SO what did I do?? Panic? Nope. Stinky jeans were no problem for me because I had a spare in my car! BAM! No issue! (This is the first actual time in 6 month that I've needed my spare clothes so far.)
3. Let your house get dirty, seriously. This is another piece of a advice that I heard from multiple people. But I just feel it needs to be stressed in this post. The dishes can wait, the sweeping can wait, obviously the laundry can wait (until you're out of spares!). Babies are only little once. ENJOY IT! Snuggle them when they nap and play with them with they are awake. They grow up too fast to not embrace every second.
4. Never apologize for looking disheveled or tired. People understand. They know you're a new mom. Sure, you feel like Wonder Woman. You have the ability to simultaneously feed your child and yourself. You do wake ups and feedings and barely sleep and still manage to pull yourself (somewhat) together and buy groceries or go to work! So throw that hair up in a messy bun and grab your cup of coffee and get out and conquer the world! No makeup? No problem! Being a mom is hard work.
5. Dress and up get fancy when you have the chance. Most days you probably settle with the disheveled look from #4 but every woman needs to feel beautiful sometimes. So if you find yourself with extra time, do your makeup, fix your hair and take that mommy selfie, girl! Not only will it make you feel better about yourself to get cleaned up every now and then, it's likely to add some spice back into your relationship with your husband.
However trying being a mommy can be at times, it's the absolute best thing in the world. Yes, it's hard. You lose sleep. You get peed on. You wear dirty clothes. The good times always outweigh the bad times though. Never try to be the perfect mom. Just TRY your best. As new moms that's all we can do. You live and you learn. You will make mistakes but you will learn from them too. And hopefully some of this advice can serve as helpful to even a few of you reading this!
Looooved this!! The peeing everywhere part is incredibly TRUE! My little brother peed on my more times than I could count. It was always a mission: undo diaper and COVER THAT UP before he attacks! Hahaha!!
Thank you so much, JODIE!!!
HAPPY MONDAY, everyone!
It's true, my life changed. The change was absolutely amazing though. Sure, we have rough days but being a mom has been an amazing journey so far and I learn something new every day. When I first learned I was pregnant and even right after I had Macon, I was given advice ALL the time. Guess what though? NONE of that advice can prepare you for when things actually go awry.
So here it is...some tips that people may not tell you. From a REAL, far from perfect, new mom.
1. IF you have a boy, keep it covered. Yes I'm talking about his penis. Sure, a ton of people gave me this little tip, but it is TOTALLY different when it's real and the baby is finally home with you. And guess what? Sometimes no matter how fast you are, you still get peed on. I cannot count the number of times we had accidents. He peed on me more than once...it's even gotten in my hair. And on his bedding. And the changing table, a pillow, the wall, and the floor. Pee everywhere!
2. Carry an extra outfit with you, for yourself, at all times. Not only do you risk getting messy when you have a baby with you, sometimes you are faced with other circumstances that require an outfit change. For example, if you decide to wear dirty jeans. Yep, I admit it, I wear dirty jeans sometimes. I can almost guarantee you that every new mom has done the same. Just spray a little febreze on them and GO! Especially if you are a working mom. Sometimes I don't get to my laundry. And jeans usually end up last on my "to wash" list. HERE is why wearing dirty jeans could be an issue.... spit up. Not just any spit up, but spit up from a few days past. Recently I wore dirty jeans to work. I didn't see a problem with it, especially since I had only worn them for a few hours a day or two before. Once I arrived at work, I smelled something unpleasant. Mom brain had made it possible for me to forget that in that few hours I had those jeans on, my son decided to have a horrible spit up incident. SO what did I do?? Panic? Nope. Stinky jeans were no problem for me because I had a spare in my car! BAM! No issue! (This is the first actual time in 6 month that I've needed my spare clothes so far.)
3. Let your house get dirty, seriously. This is another piece of a advice that I heard from multiple people. But I just feel it needs to be stressed in this post. The dishes can wait, the sweeping can wait, obviously the laundry can wait (until you're out of spares!). Babies are only little once. ENJOY IT! Snuggle them when they nap and play with them with they are awake. They grow up too fast to not embrace every second.
4. Never apologize for looking disheveled or tired. People understand. They know you're a new mom. Sure, you feel like Wonder Woman. You have the ability to simultaneously feed your child and yourself. You do wake ups and feedings and barely sleep and still manage to pull yourself (somewhat) together and buy groceries or go to work! So throw that hair up in a messy bun and grab your cup of coffee and get out and conquer the world! No makeup? No problem! Being a mom is hard work.
5. Dress and up get fancy when you have the chance. Most days you probably settle with the disheveled look from #4 but every woman needs to feel beautiful sometimes. So if you find yourself with extra time, do your makeup, fix your hair and take that mommy selfie, girl! Not only will it make you feel better about yourself to get cleaned up every now and then, it's likely to add some spice back into your relationship with your husband.
However trying being a mommy can be at times, it's the absolute best thing in the world. Yes, it's hard. You lose sleep. You get peed on. You wear dirty clothes. The good times always outweigh the bad times though. Never try to be the perfect mom. Just TRY your best. As new moms that's all we can do. You live and you learn. You will make mistakes but you will learn from them too. And hopefully some of this advice can serve as helpful to even a few of you reading this!
Looooved this!! The peeing everywhere part is incredibly TRUE! My little brother peed on my more times than I could count. It was always a mission: undo diaper and COVER THAT UP before he attacks! Hahaha!!
Thank you so much, JODIE!!!
HAPPY MONDAY, everyone!
