11 Lessons Learnt In The First 6 Months of Motherhood

1. It’s hard. Some days are so incredibly challenging that you will want to cry and run away. You are so tired and often so lost. But each day things settle a little more. Things become less daunting and more rewarding. Just give it time. 

2. Your husband becomes your best friend. Your best best friend. I cannot wait to see him every night. He is the only one who really knows how deep you dig as a new Mom. You will count the minutes down to his arrival home, every night!

3. Your heart will fill up more and more with love until you cannot believe how much you love this little child. She is now 6 months and I love her more today than ever.

4. Breastfeeding is challenging. The first few weeks you will feel like all you do is breastfeed and your boobs burn with pain often. But one day your boobs toughen up and you will start enjoying it (well I did). I am amazed at myself that I’ve gone to 6 months. I didn’t think I would make 6 weeks at a stage. Just persevere. Breastmilk is so good for your little one. But also be gentle on yourself and if you want to give up, and it feels right, then onto the bottle baby goes! 

5. You will get bored. I have days when I get anxious about being bored. It honestly sounds ridiculous but it’s true. Entertaining a baby is boring at times. Try and find meaning in the small things again.

6. You will feel guilty if not constantly, very often. I found myself feeling guilty about the strangest things. Guilty for trying to get a routine going. Guilty for not being able to console baby. Guilty for putting my husband second. Guilty for eating a million rusks a day. Blah blah blah. Guilt is a disease that seems to attack, as one becomes a mother. Try and ignore it. It’s not helpful at all!

7. Your (old) life’s routine and structure disappear for a few months- completely. Accept this. Your life changes more than you can imagine. Your whole world becomes about your baby for a while- and it often feels like you never going to get that old life back. It does come back. Well, big parts of it come back. Just be patient. 

8. You will feel more connected to all the mothers you meet. You hold your own mom and the mothers of the people you love the most, in higher esteem. They walked this hard road you are walking and made it!

9. You will sleep a lot less and survive. You will be so tired that you cry but somehow you will get through that day and do it all again tomorrow. You will remind yourself often, than one cannot die for sleep deprivation. And this will give you peace (even just a small amount). 

10. Your body will change and you probably won’t like it. You will feel heavier, softer, unfit and oh so hungry all the time (especially if you are breastfeeding). I’m still coming to terms with these changes. What helps is remembering that my body grew a human- that’s no small feat! 

11. You will change at the core of your being. You will see the world through different eyes. You will become softer, less judgmental, more resilient, less pedantic, more relaxed about general life issues and less phased by the ‘small stuff’. It’s truly remarkable how big this change is.