I’m sure you will agree with this: your life will change after giving birth. But, do you know the changes that will happen? Let’s start with an example. Say, before you got pregnant, you were planning on how you can advance your education to either get a promotion or get your first dream job. When the baby is on the way, all these will change, and you will start to focus on the baby. Your life priorities in life will be centred around your baby. That is just a glimpse of how a newborn will change your life. In this article, we will focus on more changes that will happen when you get a newborn. Read on to know the changes.
Ready?
Let’s go…
1. Priorities change
With the birth of a baby, your priorities will change in life. Things that concern your baby will always come first. When people go shopping, you will be surprised that instead of looking for your stuff you will find yourself looking for baby stuff. Your priorities will be anything that concerns your family because it’s like you lose the “you.”
2. Less sleep
It is common knowledge that newborns wake up at night to feed. So, be ready to wake up in the middle of the night to feed and change your baby. If you happen to have a kid who doesn’t like sleeping at night, be ready to spend the night awake. If you have such a baby, people advise you to train him/her to sleep. The training helps kids to sleep well at night and play during the day to help in life.
3. Routine changes
When people become a parent, you have to adjust your routine in life. Your schedules will be determined by the baby’s routines such as naps, breastfeeding, and bedtime. When you stick to a routine you had before giving birth, you might have trouble accomplishing everything in your to-do list. For example, if you’re used to waking up early and start cleaning right away, that might not work if you have a baby who wakes up early. The baby will need your attention, and if you’re not flexible, you will not be able to do the cleaning. You will also need to plan appointments in advance.
4. Lose and gain friends
Having a newborn will interfere with some of your friendships. If you hang out with friends who have no kids and all that you can talk about is your children, some of your friends might unfriend you. Some people will also unfriend you when you decline their happy hour invites. On the other hand, you will make new friends from other parents that you interact with throughout your life. You might meet these new friends online in Facebook groups, forums, and other sites meant for new moms. You can also make new friends when you’re visiting doctors and when shopping for baby stuff.
5. Gain confidence
When you have a newborn, you will be surprised at how your life will change. You’ll become confident. You will no longer be ashamed at yourself when you look at yourself in the mirror. Your tummy is bigger now, but you will see the beautiful side of it when you’re a mom. You will stop caring about how people see you in life.
6. More respect for parents especially your mom
A newborn will make you appreciate your parents more because you’re experiencing what they did when you were born. The same way you love your baby is the same way they loved and continued to love you. You will feel like your mom is present in your thoughts and decisions in life. You also get a chance to reconnect with your parents because you reach out to them whenever you need help. You also enjoy sharing moments when they visit their grandchild.
7. Change in relations with partner
When people have a newborn, and they have a partner, a change might happen to your life. Your relationship might become stronger, or you might drift apart. Some new moms have said their relationships became terrible because of the attention they give to newborns. If your partner was used to having night outs and intimate moments, he might feel jealous and distance himself.
Some moms have said that their bond with their partners became stronger. This happens mainly if the partner participates in taking care of the baby. They watch the kid grow and witness all the achievements happening. You also work together to provide for the newborn. The moments you share helps in making your bond stronger in life.
8. Less alone time
With the birth of a baby, you and people in general will not be able to have enough alone time. The baby will need to be attended to, and the free times you get you will be working hard to complete house chores. You can, however, schedule for time alone when the baby is napping or when you have someone to watch over the baby.
9. Healthy life
You need to breastfeed the baby, so you need to eat healthy foods for the sake of the baby’s growth. You will find yourself eating more vegetables and fruits and drinking milk instead of soda. You also need to eat healthy food so that you can set a good example for your kids. You will also be cautious with the products you use. You will be keen on the ingredients used in items such as shampoos and soap.
10. Change in type of entertainment
If you are used to reading books and watching movies, this might change when the baby comes. You might continue reading books, but you shift your attention from romance novels to books about babies and parenting. You might shift to entertaining yourself by watching the baby grow. This sounds odd, but it is true. Different stages in a baby’s growth can be entertaining. Watching the baby smile while sleeping, watching them when they learn to giggle, watching them fall when they are learning to stand, and watching them do literally everything. When they grow, you will also be forced to watch their favorite programs (cartoons) with them.
11. Change in your habits
Some people have admitted to changing their habits with the birth of their babies. One lady said that her partner had a habit of going out Friday nights to drink and have fun with his friends. This stopped with the birth of their baby. Some have also quit habits such as smoking.
12. You learn to be more patient and understanding
A newborn will change you if you have been impatient all your life. As a parent, you become patient in every aspect of your life. You will take your time with things such as saving for college fees, buying assets, and having a budget that you stick to.
You will understand what real pain is. When your newborn is crying because of pain, you will feel the discomfort. You will understand what lack of modesty is. This mostly happens at the hospital where you will be exposed, and the nurses and doctors are watching. You will also understand that you need help from others.
13. Timelines change
Before you get a baby, you probably needed a few minutes to prepare yourself when leaving the house. In life, with a baby, you need more time because you need to prepare the baby too. You need to clean and feed them. You also need to carry things such as car seats, strollers, and baby bags. Sometimes when you’ve left the house, you realize you’ve forgotten something, and you have to go back for it. The baby might also mess things up immediately you’re in the car so you go back to the house for a diaper changer. These plus many more will affect how much time you need to be ready. If previously you needed 20 minutes, be prepared to spend more minutes.
14. Your pets will just be pets
Most single people treat their pets like babies, and they refer to them as their babies. This will change because the newborn will take the place of the pets that were part of your life. Although some might disagree with this, most parents have admitted to shifting their attention from pets to babies.
15. Change in fashion
You will be more cautious about what you wear. Why? Because you never know when your newborn will drool over your clothes. If you love black, you might need to change to maybe white. If you were used to trendy and fashionable outfits, you will start to love loose and comfortable clothes.
16. Your brain changes
Brain change starts to happen when you become pregnant and continues to when you give birth. The changes in the brain help in supporting moms in controlling their emotions and in decision making. For example, you realize that you previously used to wonder how moms used to cope with crying babies at night. But you now have a newborn who at times cries at night, but they don’t drive you crazy. You can handle all that seemed hard to do when you didn’t have a child.
All these changes are worth it. The joy you get from your newborn outweighs all the “bad” changes you will experience. Nothing can be compared to the fulfilling moments you will have with your baby.
Thank you for reading with us today! Let us know in the comments below how you adapted your schedule to your newborn. We’d love to hear from our fellow mothers out there.
Be sure to check out more SmartMoneyMom content like “6 Money Saving Challenges To Improve Your Finances” or “How To Live On Half Your Income” and see how you can save money today.
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