When I was pregnant, I told myself there were things I would never do as a new mother. I swore I would do things differently than everyone else and knew exactly how things would go. Well, you know how that saying goes, "You plan and God laughs". Addie is nearly 16 months old and I can tell you I've been caught doing things I previously never thought would happen. So here's a handful of things I never thought would happen.
1. Poop. I've never talked about someone's poop so much. How often, the consistency, the color, etc. I sometimes catch myself telling non mommy friends because who wants to talk about poop? Especially if you're not a mom.
2. Food. I never thought I would let Addie have ice cream before she was one. Now granted she didn't have a full on personal cone but she did have several licks from ours.
3.
Sleep. I promised myself I'd never co-sleep. It scared me. The thought of rolling over my child and suffocating them while they slept was terrifying. But show me a parent who has never co-slept. It works for some people, not for everyone. In fact, we only brought her into bed when she woke up at 5am to try to get a few more hours of sleep.
4. Toys. OMG the toys! I always thought my house would remain my house versus a kid zone. Our entire
living room is full of toys thrown all over the room. In fact, I've tripped over toys multiple times. We're working to contain the toys after Addie goes down to bed so it resembles a somewhat orderly house.
5. Breastfeeding. This is a big one. I knew I wanted to breastfeed while I was pregnant but I never realized how intense it could be. The pain involved when latching in the early days was painful, the blistered and bleeding nipples, horrific. I'm glad I stuck with it because it was a really amazing experience and something amazing I could provide to my child. I judge less now because I realize how painful and difficult it can be. Especially at 3am when you can't keep your eyes open but you have a 7 pound baby screaming at the top of her lungs because she's hungry but she cannot latch because she's so upset. It's the later weeks where it becomes a wonderful bonding experience.
I'm sure there's more that my list isn't covering but mommy brain has me moving slowly this morning. I need my cup of
iced coffee to jump start me. What are some things you thought you'd never do?
-stephanie
