It’s funny when I think back to my child-free days at all the times I moaned and groaned about now having enough time. Things were just so carefree back then, and so easy to take for granted.
Pregnancy presented a time of great upheaval but there was still the expectation that life would go back to normal. Well, guess what? Life never goes back to normal. Ever. So if you’re still pregnant with your first and counting down the days, I would advise you to enjoy it as much as you can!
Because here are (at least) 5 things that are impossible to do with a baby:
A full night’s sleep
I mean like you used to. You know, waking up at 12 pm after going to bed at 4 am during the weekends? Enjoying a full 8-10 hours sleep straight? Yeah, that’s all going to change the minute baby arrives. Even if your baby miraculously sleeps through the night from his first day, the best sleeper still loves waking up with the dawn. Yes even on weekends.
Enjoying a meal
Either baby will be in your arms, leaving you to eat with one hand or fussing so you can’t eat without settling him down first or he’ll be napping and you’re eating at lightning speed in case he wakes up soon. It MIGHT get better when they start solids, but then that depends- if you’re feeding them then forget about enjoying a hot meal because baby eats first, but if you’re doing baby-led weaning then you may just be losing your appetite watching them throw food on the floor (or at you).
Taking your time
Remember how you could spend hours wandering around a shopping mall? Or sitting at a cafe just talking and catching up with your friends long after the food is gone? That’s not going to happen anymore. Nowadays, you could still catch up with friends, but everyone will be leaving right after the feasting because your baby needs to nap.
Work stuff
As a mum who works from home and juggles a one-year-old, I can tell you it is not the easiest thing in the world to get things done. Want to have a phone conversation? Well, so does she. And in the most obnoxiously loud way. Want to type an e-mail? She needs to approve it (and maybe make some amendments by banging on your keyboard). It’s like she knows Mummy needs to work so that’s when she needs the most attention.
Enjoying downtime
Not only is it challenging to get work done, having a baby also means it's challenging to get the fun chill-out times happening too. Want to finish a book, tv series or movie? Good luck with that, it’ll probably take a lot longer than you expected!
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