You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Mom<br />
NEW PARENTS<br />
What It's Really Like to be a New Mom<br />
Baby bath time is my<br />
favorite. The squishy<br />
skin, curious eyes,<br />
kicking and splashing are loads<br />
of fun. The best part, though, is<br />
when you scoop your little one<br />
out of the tub, wrap him up in<br />
a towel and listen as he coos in<br />
your arms.<br />
Moments like these should be<br />
put on pause to full enjoy. So,<br />
one night after bath time, I sat<br />
with my son Henry on the couch<br />
and stared at his round face surrounded<br />
by a green terrycloth<br />
Motherhood is a paradox.<br />
Regarding the post bath-time<br />
cuddle, it can be oh-so sweet<br />
right up until it gets just plain<br />
gross. And the love, my goodness,<br />
the love. Being a parent<br />
is, without a doubt, the most<br />
intense experience of my life.<br />
You see, becoming a mom<br />
goes like this:<br />
One day you're hoping for<br />
two lines on a test and the<br />
"Those first few weeks are the<br />
best!"<br />
Do you all have amnesia?<br />
Let me remind you. The<br />
first few weeks of motherhood<br />
should qualify for some sort of<br />
military training. Sleep deprivation?<br />
Check. Emotional turmoil<br />
and manipulation?<br />
Check.<br />
Unquenched thirst and relentless<br />
hunger? Check. Check.<br />
Hormonal imbalance? This one<br />
is a bonus.<br />
When we left the hospital,<br />
Henry slept soundly beside me<br />
in his car seat. Just two days<br />
into the soak-up-every-second<br />
phase, I had already wised up<br />
to the lies. I swooned, yes, but I<br />
also sighed. We were tired, and<br />
we were about to go it alone.<br />
Making the decision<br />
to have a child—it's<br />
momentous. It is to decide<br />
forever to have your heart<br />
go walking outside your<br />
body.<br />
frog. It was just the two of us,<br />
and it was wonderful...until he<br />
pooped on me. This, friends, is<br />
motherhood.<br />
When people ask what it's<br />
really like to be a new mom, this<br />
is what I want to tell them:<br />
Motherhood is more than I<br />
ever imagined. It's more exciting<br />
and more terrifying; more<br />
rewarding and more draining;<br />
easier to figure out yet totally<br />
confusing.<br />
Motherhood brings instant<br />
community but sometimes it<br />
feels lonely. It's a daily dose of<br />
the brand new and the mundane.<br />
It's more hilarious than any joke,<br />
but then sometimes, not funny at<br />
all.<br />
next day you're holding your<br />
baby. The months in between<br />
are filled with dreams, nursery<br />
plans and lines from strangers<br />
who say things like, "Oh my<br />
gosh, you'll just want to soak<br />
up every second!" and "Nothing<br />
is more precious than a<br />
newborn baby!"<br />
Thank you, mom at the<br />
park, for lying to me. I really<br />
appreciate the false hope,<br />
kind sir at work. And you,<br />
lady at the checkout counter,<br />
you feigned shock at my<br />
due date, wondered aloud if I<br />
might be carrying twins and<br />
rounded out our lovely conversation<br />
with the encouraging,<br />
if deceiving, words,<br />
Read more online<br />
Kzn Lifestyle Magazine • Issue 29<br />
9
Change language