By Bethany Kandel
You’ve set up the nursery, stocked up on diapers, and read all the expecting baby books, but nothing can fully prepare you for the arrival of your new baby. Here are just a few examples of how your life is going to change in new and unexpected
ways.
- You are on baby time. Forget your daily routine, your alarm clock, your live TV. Once your baby arrives your whole day will revolve around feeding, diaper changing and sleeping – when the baby sleeps. You will eventually develop a new regular
schedule, but it will be dictated by your baby’s preferences and behavior, not your own.
- You will want to put the world in a bubble. Square table corners? Grandma’s purse? Door hinges? Everything suddenly takes on an ominous vibe and seems like potential baby danger. Baby proofing will actually be really fun (and you might stash a few outlet
covers in your diaper bag – really).
- Taking a shower will be a fantastic luxury. Things you took for granted before baby, such as taking a hot shower uninterrupted, reading a book, or meeting a girlfriend for coffee, will now seem indulgent – and really special. Don’t forget
to make time for yourself, but it will be harder to come by in the beginning.
- You will find your silly. Babbling, cooing, making goofy faces – get ready to bring out your silly side to engage and communicate with your baby. You’ll find yourself knowing every word to the most ridiculous children’s songs,
dancing unconsciously to puppet videos playing on TV, and giving over your playlist priorities to making your baby happy. Unleashing your inner child will be one of the true delights of being a new mom.
- You will have new respect for your mom and the moms in your life. Caring for your baby, worrying over every little hiccup, persevering through sleepless nights, and putting yourself second will give you a new appreciation for what your
parents went through raising you.
- Bodily functions and fluid will not faze you at all. Spit up? Vomit? Poop? No big deal. You’ll be cleaning up messes you never imagined possible, and then you’ll just move on with your day.
- You will see your body differently – and it will be different. After nine months of watching your body change you will now watch it transform again. You will have a new respect for what your body can do, and care a lot less about what other people think
about it.
- You won’t take selfies; you’ll take hundreds of baby pictures instead. Instead of filtering everything just so, you’ll be busy taking endless photos of your baby and trying desperately to capture every single moment. And, of course you’ll be sharing
them all with friends and family!
Enjoy the changes that come with having a new baby. Your life will never be the same - it will be richer and full of many wonderful surprises that no parenting book could ever prepare you for.
Image : Getty
