The things nobody told me about being a mother
When I was expecting my first baby it felt right to interrogate my mum friends and scrutinise some bestselling books with a view to gathering answers to those all important questions. As a consequence, I pretty much succeeded in packing my hospital bag and making it through the first week with a newborn at the maternity unit. Yet not until I came back home did I have a ‘chance’ to find out that:
- You should think twice before you do what other mums advise you to. Even the very experienced ones.
My first months home with Rob were very decent. He would sleep through the night, (and in his own bed), had a good appetite and generally was pretty easy-going. Lovely. Well yes, until a friend of mine, and as a matter of fact, a mother of three, payed a visit and on hearing I’m tired of Rob wanting to breastfeed every one or two hours concluded he eats too much and suggested taking a longer break between feeds. Liking the sound of her advice I proceeded to extending Rob’s feedings to every few hours. She supervised the process and reassured me it’s going alright. Indeed, at first Rob wouldn’t show any signs of distress towards the changes and was still gaining weight rapidly but one evening, suddenly, he was crying inconsolably and rejected to be breastfed. It seemed to come out of nowehere! In the act of desperation my husband rushed to pharmacy, bought milk formula and since then Rob would love his bottle so much that it was game over for my breastfeeding adventure. I called in the best in town lacatation consultant, she shared a few tips and tricks, but eventually she couldn’t help much seeing Rob had already made up his mind. I spent the next months breast pumping.
- There is a real risk of gaining weight in the first months of caring for your newborn.
Mums, bloggers, bestselling authors keep going on about the importance of watching your weight while you’re pregnant but hardly anyone warns you about the hazardous time just after labour. Well, I’ve learnt my lesson: While I successfully managed my weight gain during pregnancy I ignored the risk in the first months of staying with Rob at home and put five unwanted kilos on by the time Rob turned five moths old… At the end of the day professionals say you will need to eat a little more while breastfeeding — about an additional 300 to 400 calories a day — to give you the energy and nutrition to produce milk. You also want to make sure you and your baby are getting all of the vitamins you need so you may end up eating sligthly more food than you normally do because of its variety. As a mum you natually want the best for your baby so you accept such recommendations. In consequence, Rob is over one now but I’m still making an effort to slim down and tone up.
