As exhausting as it may be, mummy life really is the best life. And as we approach Eric’s official 9 months old point, I can’t help but feel extra grateful for our beautiful, happy and healthy baby boy. I spent 9 months growing him and keeping him safe, and together Marc and I have spent 9 months taking care of him and loving him with every fragment of our beings. We really are so lucky!
Motherhood has amazed me, terrified me, humbled me... all of those things. Often daily!
But it’s also proven to me that every mum’s experience of motherhood is unique. And that a lot of the hearsay and scaremongering that pregnant women are subjected to is that and literally nothing more. Scaremongering.
Whilst I was pregnant with Eric, I was overwhelmed by how many negative things people were saying to me. And as someone about to have their first baby, some of the things I was told did make me nervous.
It’s only now that I really look back and I actually realise how unfair it was, and how unfair it is that future mums have to go through this. I feel like there should be an unwritten rule that ensures all pregnant women are shielded from any negativity. It’s just so unnecessary (not to mention completely rubbish a lot of the time.)
To me, pregnancy is a time in which every woman should be showered with nothing but love & affection. No nightmare birth stories. No ‘you’ll never sleep again!’ warnings.
Just nice things, please.
Anyway, with all of this in mind, I thought I’d put fingertips to sleek, gold MacBook Air keyboard (sorry - a year on and I’m still obsessed with this thing) and do some proper mummy myth-busting.
It’s time to call out the bull s*** & stamp out the pre-motherhood scaremongering.
Who's with me?
Let’s get to it…
1. You’ll never put makeup on again - CERTIFIED MYTH
Oh the number of times I’ve heard this. Major yawn. For the record, I was wearing makeup 3 days after having Eric. I wanted to feel good about myself, and even though my post op recovery meant that I was housebound and permanently wearing my dressing gown, I was determined to put my lipstick on.
Will you be able to wear makeup again? Of course you will. On occasion, you may need to learn how to speed up your makeup routine. But yes, you will be able to wear makeup again.
2. You won’t have the time to cook properly again - CERTIFIED MYTH
Granted, I did take a couple of weeks off cooking all the usual healthy meals I’d normally make for Marc & I. But thanks to my Mum, we were able to eat just as well as usual, anyway, as she was always cooking for us & helping out with anything around the house that needed doing.
Once my mum was back in work and wasn’t able to come round all day every day, I’m not going to lie, I did struggle to find my feet & establish a solid routine when it came to cooking. But I got there in the end.
I’d say it took me around 5-6 weeks to get my mojo back in the kitchen, but it happened!
3. Your house will be a mess forever more - CERTIFIED MYTH
Again, for the first few weeks, I’ll happily admit that our house was - for me - uncomfortably untidy. I like to keep everything super clean and tidy, so this drove me slightly insane. Fortunately, my mum was a huge help with this. She was constantly sorting out our laundry, making the beds, vacuuming…you name it, she did it. Which I will be forever thankful for.
Very occasionally, when I’m feeling completely shattered or burnt-out, things do become a little messier than I’d like. But ultimately, I’ve found a new routine with cleaning and tidying up, and as well as this, I’ve learned to adjust my goalposts slightly. I’ve accepted that the washing basket will be full most of the time, and that toys will be out most of the time.
But I’m OK with it.
I always tidy everything up before we go to bed & I’m happy with that.
4. You’ll never have a bath again - CERTIFIED MYTH
‘Forget baths!’ ‘Make the most of baths whilst you can!’ ‘You’ll never have a soak in the bath again!’
It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for a long, hot soak in the bath - which is why I think people were so quick to warn me that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy this me-time anymore. Why is it that people love to scaremonger?!
All I’ll say on this one is that I’ve been a mum for 9 months, and I have had plenty of relaxing soaks during that time. Leading me to proudly certify this as a total myth.
What I would say to any new/future mums reading this is that you’ll probably have shorter baths - and you’ll often have company (Eric & Elvis both often join me when I have a bath. Eric sits in his bouncer whilst I chat to him and pass him things, meanwhile Elvis tends to stand on his hind legs with his paws on the side of the bath.)
And okay, it’s not quite as relaxing as it might be if I were to close the door for half an hour. But it’s a compromise - and a very cute one at that. How could I ever complain with those perfect little faces following me everywhere I go?!
 |
| Eric & Elvis often join me whilst I have a bath! |
5. You’ll never have a hot cup of coffee ever again - CERTIFIED MYTH
I’m not going to sit here and lie to you. Have I drank some cold cups of tea over the last 9 months? Absolutely I have. But I’ve also drank many hot ones, too.
Once you begin to get more in-sync with your baby (or babies, if you have more than one!) you’ll naturally begin to learn when is and isn’t a good time to put the kettle on.
I feel like I know Eric’s routine like the back of my hand right now. He naps for an hour and a half to two hours at about 10AM, and then has another shorter nap at around 2PM. Then, he goes to sleep for the night at around 7:30PM. Obviously, things don’t always run exactly like clockwork, but in general, this is his routine.
When Eric goes to bed in the evening, Marc & I always sit down with a cup of tea and watch whatever series we’re into - and we always enjoy that cup of tea hot.
6. You’ll go weeks without washing your hair - CERTIFIED MYTH
This is another one of those things I’ve learned to do much faster than I used to. Showers in general are something that i used to properly take my time with. Now, I’m much speedier.
But I’m totally okay with that. How could I not be? Swapping my thirty-minute showers for 5-10 minutes with my shampoo, conditioner and body wash doesn’t feel like a bad trade off to me - not when I have a beautiful, happy baby boy smiling at me.
7. It will take you at least 9 months to lose your pregnancy weight - CERTIFIED MYTH
I thought I’d finish this list off with one that lots and lots of women worry about - their pregnancy and post-pregnancy weight gain.
This is such a tricky one, as weight is such a sensitive subject - especially when it comes to pregnancy. And ultimately, each and every woman’s body reacts differently to pregnancy. Some women gain a lot of weight and it takes them a long time to lose those extra pounds. And then for other women, snapping back into shape happens almost instantly.
And it really doesn’t matter. You’re either one or the other, and it is what it is. Don’t beat yourself up over it, and if you ever do feel down about your weight post pregnancy, just look at that perfect little person you’ve created. I promise you’ll soon stop thinking about the number on those scales.
But the truth with this one is that there is no set rule as to when your baby weight will vanish. It could take a week, it could take 6 months, it could take a year. Or, you might never quite get back to the weight you were. And that’s OK!
 |
| I snapped back into shape after having Eric - and this is normal for some women, just like it's normal to carry those pregnancy pounds for a long time after giving birth |
Whether you’re a new mum, about to become a mum, a third-time mum or whatever else your mummy status may me, my advice would be to live in the moment, take the good advice, ignore the scaremongering and just enjoy your own unique experience of motherhood. You’ve got this!
I so hope you all enjoyed this blog post & I can’t wait to share more with you all very soon. In the meantime, be sure to check out my other Mummy Life blog posts here.
Lots of love,
Grace x
No comments
Post a Comment
Leave a note...