Nobody Told Me

When you’re pregnant, or you have babies or young children, it seems like you’re a beacon for unsolicited advice.  Despite this, there so many things about motherhood that I wasn’t prepared for.  I don’t think I could have been – there are certain things that you need to experience to understand.

If you’re pregnant for the first time, or hoping to be, proceed with caution.  Read the entire post, and trust me when I say it’s worth it.  Without further ado, 21 things that nobody told me about becoming a mom:

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1. Nobody told me that the term “nausea” seems wholly inadequate when you feel like you’ve been fighting a stomach bug for 4 months.

2. Nobody told me about the heartburn, the pelvic pain, the absolutely paralyzing first trimester exhaustion, and the fact that it’s not just your belly that grows when you’re pregnant.

3. Nobody told me that you can, in fact, be too late for an epidural.

4. Nobody told me that I would fall in love with my child in an instant.

5. Nobody told me that it’s normal to question if you’ve ruined your life, even while knowing that you wouldn’t give your child up for the world.

6. Nobody told me that I would fight back tears when it was time to nurse my newborn, anticipating the excruciatingly painful uterine cramping and nipple pain that was to come.

7. Nobody told me that watching my husband embrace his new role as “Dad” would make me fall in love with him all over again.

8. Nobody told me that I would have a brand new appreciation for my parents, finally recognizing everything they’ve done for me.

9. Nobody told me that I would cry over commercials (seriously, I brought my oldest home during the Olympics – do you know what those P&G Thank You, Mom commercials are like for a new postpartum mom?).

10. Nobody told me that dealing with a child who will.not.sleep. in the middle of the night is truly a form of torture.

11. Nobody told me that I would never again be able to read a book, watch a show, or listen to news where a child is harmed.

12. Nobody told me that my mom friends would be critical for my sanity and survival.

13. Nobody told me that I would never go to the bathroom alone again.

14. Nobody told me that when my child looked like they were going to throw up, I would instinctively try to catch it (please tell me I’m not alone in this!).

15. Nobody told me that a miniature version of myself would be an expert at pushing my buttons.

16. Nobody told me that a 5 minute car nap could ruin an entire day.

17. Nobody told me that having a child opens up a whole new world of things to worry about.

18. Nobody told me that babies come out of the womb with distinct personalities and temperaments.  Nothing is more humbling than your second child making it abundantly clear you that you actually have no idea what you’re doing.

19. Everybody told me that the years go by so quickly.  But nobody told me how slowly a day could pass.

20. Nobody told me that the love you have for your child is unlike anything else.  That there are literally no words in the English language adequate to describe it.

21. Nobody told me that being a parent is the hardest job in the world, filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.  And that I wouldn’t change it for anything.

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