What REALLY happens during your first year as a new mum

You’ve spent 9 months awaiting the arrival of your bundle of joy, making endless checklists, getting your home ready and mentally preparing! Nothing can prepare you for motherhood and every new mum is different, but fella blogger and first time Mummy, Notes From Alex shares her advice on what REALLY happens in your first year as a new Mum…

The little person you’ve been growing arrives.

And you realise you’ve just met your new best mate. And you’d do anything for them – even forget to brush your teeth some days (for real in those early days) because you just want to tend to their every whim and make them feel safe and happy. Cheesy, but true.

You suddenly realise everything your own mum did for you.

After feeling aaall of the anxiety and worry about your own child, you realise that she had those EXACT, same worries over you – and probably still does. Oh, the guilt!

Paternity leave goes nowhere.

Two whole weeks ‘off work’ sounds great from the outset, but the reality is you’ll both be figuring stuff out and nowhere near in a routine yet. You’ll probably have visitors every day and then before you know it, it’s gone – just like that. So get making as many memories as you can just you both and your baby.

You become the mum you promised you wouldn’t be.

I said I’d never post any mumbore pics on social media. Wrong. I said I’d never call myself ‘mummy’. Wrong. I was never going to do baby voices. Wrong. Just embrace the new you – the obsession with your little love is real and feels like you could shout it from the mountain tops! So do it!

You get everyone else’s opinions, all the time.

Nobody warns you about the non-stop opinion train. Oh my word. It’s hard, but try to let it wash over you and find your own way. It can become incredibly tedious when even a random bloke at the shops asks whether you’re using your boobs to feed your child (just weird) or a taxi driver tells you the downfall of society is mums who work (FYI – he got no tip).

Some of them will even be in your inner circle. So to anyone who makes any mama feel bad just for doing it her way – especially the women, where’s the sisterhood, gals? -when she’s doing her ABSOLUTE best for her baby… I hope a pigeon poos on your freshly washed do!

You realise all babies are different.

Sounds obvious this, but I mean they are sooo different in the way they like things done. Some babies like swaddling, others hate it. Some will only sleep with silence and lullabies, others will sleep while you play thrash metal. Just do what works for them and you as a duo.

You realise there are a handful of staples you bought.

The baby bath, the steriliser, the electric pump, the video and sensor pad baby monitor – they were our personal top buys. But I still bought a million other things too that we could have done without in truth. And you’ll find there will be the unexpected that come along as well – such as the extra moses sheets, bibs and babysuits we needed for our reflux baby being sick 24/7.

You will want to give them the world on a stick.

In the sense that you want to give them every opportunity, every experience, every beautiful memory you can make for them. You will dream of their first holiday, their first Christmas, their first birthday… it’s all so magical and every decision you make now revolves around them. And it’s the best feeling ever making them happy… Which is usually when they have a pan and wooden spoon to bang, or when Hey Duggee’s on CBeebies, in truth. But you will still meticulously plan a range of photo opportunity activities for their first birthday!

Your heart will burst at your loved one’s love for them.

There’s really no feeling like seeing the people you care about love your baby – it’s a joy beyond words.

And you’ll find a deeper love for your other half.

Seeing them go gushy talking to their mates about your joint little bestie, or getting up in the night to give you a rest, and being happier than you’ve ever seen them – it’s a whole new level of smushy feelings. Especially when the three of you are all curled up together, loving life. That’s all you need, forever.

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