We knew our lives were going to change when we had our first baby, we just didn't realise how much! From the irrational to the wonderful to the downright mad, these 21 things pretty much sum up the experience of being a new mum.
Take a deep breath and here goes...
1. You’ll be terrified. Of everything.
2. You’ll smell your baby’s face, neck, feet (and bum) obsessively.
3. You’ll scream in delight when you can finally put his / her hair into a mini-ponytail. Aww.
4. You’ll wear out your phone’s photo storage within a week.
5. You’ll make a Mohawk with your baby’s hair and laugh hysterically. Then you’ll try to take 7,000 photos from every angle and realise you’ve no phone storage.
6. You’ll buy expensive baby runners even though you KNOW they’ll last a month at best. But who are you to resist the cuteness?
7. You’ll smile to yourself regularly, amazed you’re now part of this special ‘mum club’.
8. You’ll suddenly chat with random strangers just because they have a child too. And you’ll walk away with all sorts of intimately personal information.
9. You will approach your first glass of wine with a mixture of fear and reverence.
10. You’ll be scared and exhilarated by the punch of love you get in your chest every time you look at / think about / talk about / smell your baby.
11. You’ll be incredibly annoyed whenever anyone uses the shortened version of your baby’s name. “Ahm it’s Louise? Not Lou? Thank YOU. Pfft.”
12. You will sometimes sob because you’re so tired. “I’m… so… TIRED!”
13. You will start to get a taste for baby food. That apple purée ain’t half bad!
14. You’ll feel worried that you’re doing it all wrong. “WHO LET ME TAKE THIS BABY HOME? THEY SHOULD BE STRUCK OFF!”
15. You’ll be obsessed with your baby’s weight gain and will stare at their chubby legs and arms about 100 times a day.
16. You’ll put far too many clothes on your baby every time you leave the house in case they catch a cold. “A snowsuit in July isn't THAT crazy in Ireland!” will be your defensive mantra.
17. Whoever wakes the baby is off your Christmas card list for life.
18. You will carry a ginormous bag around with you featuring items for every eventuality including but not limited to: earthquake, volcano, puke, poo, rain, sun and snowstorm.
19. You’ll sob to your child, “WHY are you crying?” over and over again, never giving up hope that they’ll eventually answer you back.
20. You’ll call your own mum for help, sometimes crying hysterically, sometimes with a weary acceptance.
21. You’ll look at your baby and know having this adorable little bundle of love is the best thing you’ve ever done.
What do you reckon mums? Have we nailed it? And have you any more to add to the list? And mums-to-be, we're not forgetting about you – it's all ahead of you!
