5 Things I Wish I Knew vs 5 Things I Learned After Becoming A Mother

As I recently became a mama to a beautiful baby girl in April. I been thinking about the stuff no one told me while I was pregnant. Or the things they overshared. Here is a list of the 5 things that I wish I knew compared to the 5 things I learned since becoming a mama.

The Things I Wish I Knew...

1. Pregnancy IS hard: the reality of it that people often do not understand, unless you are a parent yourself. It is one thing you can imagine and then it turns out to be completely different. Your body is growing a little human, be kind to yourself.

2. Educate yourself: about what is going on with your body (or even your girlfriend/wife). Knowing every stage that the development of your baby is going through will help you understand what your body is going through.

3. Motherhood will change your perspective on life for the better: do I need to say more? I never knew this until it happened. Before I became pregnant I do not remember life before when it was just me and my husband. After becoming pregnant, all I ever could imagine is the future where all she did was during the holidays (such as Christmas) would come running screaming, "IT'S CHRISTMAS!" I cannot wait for this to happen.

4. Do not take your pregnancy for granted -- mark down EVERY milestone: see, I sorta made this mistake. I wish I actually took the time and took all those weekly photos or paid more attention to my pregnancy app to see her development. But the one thing I regret is not taking enough pictures. If you think it is important than write it down. You will thank yourself later.

5. Ask about EVERY contraction you have -- whether it being a Braxton Hicks or the real thing: I made this mistake. The day I gave birth to my daughter I never thought that my contractions were that bad until about 2 and a half hours before she arrived. My contractions were so intense and to the point that I threw up on the way to the hospital. The staff at hospital said if I came twenty minutes later than I did I would have given birth on the side of the road! So any advice to any mamas out there I would suggest, call and ask! No question is a stupid question.

The Things I Learned...

1. How Time Flies: People say this even if they are not parents and boy is it true or what? People say the older you get the faster it goes and there have not been truer words said. This next thing I learned goes hand in hand with how time flies and it is...

2. How much they grow in so little time: right before we were released from the hospital, one of the staff told my husband that our baby will grow up fast so don't blink (not a Kenny Chesney pun). I cannot believe how much our daughter has grown. since she has been born (almost 5 months ago), she has gained double her weight. It is mind blowing how fast they grow up. She is already hit her milestones of rolling over back to tummy, tummy to back and sits up on her own. She has started to crawl but really has not gotten very far. I love seeing her grow into the little sassy girl she is becoming because her bubbly personality is so infectious.

3. Do NOT let others tell you how to raise your baby: yes, having people tell you what they did is okay but trying to have them actually force you to do the same is not right and is wrong. Just because someone older than you that had multiple children, does not give them the right to tell you that (such and such) is okay to do because they did it and their children grew up fine. For one that was a different generation, things have changed.

4. Your sleep schedule WILL come back: in the newborn stage having to get up every 2-3 hours feeding your little one might be a pain. But I can assure you that once they start growing and eating more they will sleep longer at night. My daughter was around 3 months when she started sleeping 5 hours and about 4 months she was sleeping around 6-7 hours a night. My husband and I were and still are very thankful but the first few times she slept throughout the night we were both a nervous wreck because we did not know if she was okay or not.

5. Self care is EVERYTHING: as a mother, our first priority is putting our needs last and putting our family first. But you need to remember, you cannot take care of others if you are not taking care of yourself first. Getting away (going into your room) for a half hour will benefit than no time at all. Just schedule "me time." Read a book or magazine you enjoy, take a shower, even drink your coffee in the morning. If you have a supportive significant other, then take a day to yourself to get a facial or get your nails done. Although, one thing to remember to do is do the same for your husband or boyfriend as well.