newborns | tanya talks...

A Few Lessons I’ve Learned [as a mom].

February 28, 2013

After 6+ weeks of being a mom, I wanted to jot down some learnings and revelations I’ve had along the way. I know, I know… the days of me talking about friends, traveling and food are suddenly a thing of the past.. errr let’s not get carried away there.. but yep, it’s safe to say my focus has shifted right now.

So here are a few things I have learned:

Breastfeeding is NOT as easy as it seems to be. I have a whole separate blog post on this actually which has not yet been finished. It’s not easy though – ha! No way! However, if you stick with it, it DOES get easier eventually even though I wanted to give up every single day there for awhile… but I didn’t. P.S. Formula is not evil if you need it, no matter what they tell us. It’s there for a reason!
Mother’s know best. It’s so true. I get it now. There’s this instinct screaming at you with answers on what you need to do at times, aside all the online articles or books you’ve read or opinions shared by others. This experience has really taught me how to trust myself.
Bonding is interesting. To be honest, I was told and had this expectation that when you first meet your child there is this instant bond and connection. I’ll say there’s an instant love greater than anything you’ve felt before, but for me personally, as days go by, I find the bond and connection far greater NOW. In the beginning I actually felt comfortable running errands, doing dinners with friends with out my Mila baby. Today I can’t stand leaving her for 5 minutes and find myself worrying if I have to be away from her.
Little Girls vs. Little Boys. I have always dreamt of having a little girl and even little girl(S) for that matter! I love that my first baby was a girl and prayed for that. Now when I think of my next baby I really want a boy! I am loving the experience of a little baby girl and want to see how having a boy will be as well! I’ve never really wanted a boy either which I attributed to having 3 older brothers, working with mostly men throughout my career and being a girly girl myself. Well, that has changed, not only am I in love with my baby girl, but I’m sort of crazy about all the little boys I see too these days! Of course the gender of my offspring is not up to me but it’s interesting how I’m hoping for a little boy next!
Another baby? Parenting a newborn IS hard but also extremely amazing. The nightly feedings, trying to learn what they want when they cry, making sure you’re doing the right things and your whole goal is to keep the baby safe and sound, etc.. I didn’t think I’d be ready to consider another baby for several months after having Mila. I’m already thinking about it now..
Diaper Bags. The best diaper bags are your grocery reusable bags. Sad, but true. I went out of my way to find a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag which I thought would be perfect! Unfortunately it’s boxy and bulky and a serious pain in the behind for lugging around. I’m finding that reusable bags are easier, though not as pretty.. EXCEPT that someone got super smart at Petunia Pickle Bottom and created a cheap and easy-to-carry diaper bag that I just ordered which looks like the recycle bag I use.
Baby products/showers. Although I was very happy we had as many baby products as we did before she arrived, babies are so different that I really feel a baby shower should be held AFTER the baby is born, haha! Either that or gift cards are the way to go! Or what about a website where you can post all the things that didn’t work for you which are practically brand new and you can swap with others? Hmm.. Anyway, for example, she LOVES her swing and hates her play n pak, she loves her wipes warmer but the Dr. Brown’s bottles don’t work very well for her, she loves her blanket but hates her moby wrap with deep passion. One thing I heard can be annoying is the amount of clothes you get (especially for girls) at baby showers over other products. I have to say, the clothes given have been some of the BEST gifts we’ve had to date! It’s an absolute blast putting her in cute outfits given by loved ones. Plus we got a lot of clothes and it helped me to not have to worry about clothes for awhile! That’s been really nice to my surprise!
Time goes too quickly. Another thing you hear often is how much more fun your baby will get as they get older. I have to say, it was the advice of a select few to actually stop and enjoy THIS time no matter how tired you might get or how uneventful things might be. Before you know it this time will be gone and you will want these days back. It is so true. Enjoy this time. Cherish this time. She will only be this age, this way, this little and this baby ONCE.
It’s all about the boob. Pretty much no matter how upset she might get, your boob seems to solve all world problems. If only that continued past babyhood, lol!
You are the mom. And She’s YOURS, all YOURS! She knows you better than anyone else, she listened to your heart for the past 9 months and when you enter a room she knows and can smell you. You have the ability to calm her when nothing or no one else can and for us, nothing melts my heart more than to pick her up and have her smiling up at me, ear to ear. No one can take your place and you wouldn’t EVER want anyone to.