Before I Became a Mom-The Things I Took for Granted

Motherhood is amazing. I have been a mother for about four months now, and it is the best thing that ever happened to me. I’ve embraced the mom bun, accepted that certain articles of clothing may never make it back into my daily wardrobe, and have reached a new level in multitasking.

Although my new mom life has amalgamated gracefully with my non-mom life, there are a few things that I definitely miss, things that I took for granted before I had my daughter.

Quality Sleep
Everyone knows a new baby equals no sleep, but the moments you do, they aren’t the deep sleeps of your youth where you would wake up feeling nice and refreshed. Now I fall asleep in awkward positions so I don’t wake up the sleeping baby in my arms, or I naturally wake up in the middle of the night to check on my daughter and make sure she’s sleeping well. Go figure.

Tasting my food
My father used to say, “We aren’t eating, we’re dining”, when asked why he took long at the table. Those days are gone, at least for now. No longer can I savor my meal or partake in the dinner conversation. Usually, meals consist of a one-handed appetizer until I can pass off the baby to dad or a grandparent. Even then, I have a set time to eat before my daughter starts looking for me.

Packing lightly
Before baby, I was able to get out the door in less than 15 minutes. Now, it’s a two hour affair. First I have to get myself ready, get my purse and/or diaper bag ready, get baby dressed and fed, and then into the car seat. By that time, she’s already ready for another diaper change and her next feeding.

Living without a schedule
This one goes both ways. I love that we have fallen into a natural pattern of consistency throughout the day, that way I can plan accordingly. But I also miss making spontaneous choices. Unplanned road trips and random vacations are still doable, they just can’t be unplanned or random. The same goes for midnight cravings-now I just keep my kitchen stocked!

Life before a baby was great, but life after is even better.

While I miss those little luxuries, I couldn’t ever go back to the way things were before. All the sleepless nights, all the two minute meals, all of the planning and then cancelling or rescheduling of plans is worth every minute of my beautiful, messy life as a first time mom.