First time mommy tales

Yesterday, I got the chance to finish a “mommy” book written by another mom who gave birth few years ago. The book is all about the things she learned being a new mom. Things that she didn’t learn or wasn’t discussed on all parenting books she had read. It was such an entertaining and quick book to read and I found myself always smiling as I reminisce the first few months of my mommyhood journey.

Here are some of the best points she shared on the book:

·         Mommy brain is a very real and true condition - hhhm, ever since I gave birth, I’ve been experiencing some sort of short term memory. I would always jot down things I need to accomplish, buy and what not. I am a fan or scrap paper lately. (I guess I can blame the anesthesia)

·         Showers will no longer be an enjoyment - having a shower or pooping (Too much info, eh?)  is already my escape from reality. Long baths have turned into 10 minutes of freedom.

·         Baby stores are so good in marketing strategy - as soon as you become a mom you will always have this limitless hunger for shopping for baby items. This is so me! I cannot stop buying stuff for my daughter and I’d end up being stingy   for myself so I can buy something for her. Haven’t bought something expensive for myself and where’s the fairness in here? My daughter has H&M, Cotton On, Calvin Klein and other expensive garments but here I am wearing an RTW blouse I bought near the MRT station for only 120Pesos. Haha. Also, my daughter has lots of shoes and there’s this one famous baby shoe brand that I bought 2 months ago for almost 4,000 and she can’t even wear it yet because it’s still big for her. (Patay ako sa asawa ko nito kapag nalaman nyang 4k yun)

·         New mommy fashion doesn’t exist -  well, most of your clothes will be a “thing in the past”. In reality, no mommy would ever go out of the hospital wearing skinny jeans, boots and a sexy crop top. (Just like those famous actresses and models) In reality, if you hated wearing granny panties, baggy pants and loose shirts, you will absolutely appreciate these types of clothes as soon as you become a mom. (most especially if you’re a breastfeeding mom).

·         Emotional - blame it with the hormones, because as soon as you realize that you are pregnant and once you become a mom, you will be more emotional. I gave birth 8 months ago, and I still cry over cheesy commercials. You must remember that your emotions will be on overload during and after pregnancy.  There will be crying. There will be irritability.  There will be unnecessary arguments over stupid crap with your partner. A warning - the tears are going to just start flowing for no reason.  Who knows what will set you off?  The latest celebrity break up. 

·         Obsession - During your pregnancy you will become obsessed with your baby's development and what size he or she is each week.  You are going to see it in a book, on a smart phone app, or on the web and like clockwork every Monday morning be checking on the status.  Every single week the baby will be compared to the size of a fruit or vegetable, and your mouth will instantly be watering for said food. This is so true! I have downloaded a couple of baby apps when I found out I was pregnant and kept on checking my baby’s progress. I even downloaded some tickers for my desktop and mobile too.

·          Care - less - Before I gave birth, I said to myself that I wanted to look good when the time comes that I need to push my baby. Little did I know that I never cared how and what I looked like when I started to have labor pains. I never cared how many nurses, doctors (even the male ones) saw me half naked because all I wanted was for the pain to go away.

and being:

·         Bionic - It's kind of amazing how while you're nine months pregnant all you can do is waddle around the house, plop on the couch like lump, and can't even bend over to pick up your car keys. When the time comes that you have to undergo the labor process, believe me, your body will be flexible just to find the perfect position to lessen the pain. You will be in positions you never knew you could be in.  

The author was right when she said that all those mommy and parenting books are fantastic but it would have been better if these books gave a sense of reality. I read a handful of parenting tips before I gave birth but none of these discussed what I would experience inside the labor room. How I wish I was able to read this before I became a mom. 

Every mom should read this so they can re-live what they went through during pregnancy and early years of motherhood.