Guest Post: What to Expect (From Bec!)

Hi all! My name is Bec and I went to elementary, middle, and high school with Kate. Let me start by saying that I am so excited for Mama Baer and can’t wait for her to meet her precious little boy. I love how I have been able to follow along during this exciting journey through Kate’s blog. Her entries are some of my favorites to read because they’re funny, honest, and thoughtful. She asked me to share some things about motherhood, specifically things I didn’t expect once I became a mom. (So… do you have a few hours?)

I welcomed my first little nugget in July. His name is Sam. Before he was born, I had some ideas about how things would go. I expected there would be frequent diaper changes, feedings, and sleep deprivation. However, there were other things that surprised me. Here is a whittled down list of three things I didn’t expect.

1. The “Baby Blues”

My mom said to me in her mothering voice, “Rebecca has anyone talked to you about the baby blues?” To be honest, I just shrugged the question off thinking, “how could I possibly be sad? I can’t wait to meet this little fella!” The hospital even made me read a pamphlet and sign a paper about the issue. I figured I was in good shape. But when I arrived home from the hospital and began “real life” (because let’s be honest, in the hospital the nurses do most of the work), I couldn’t believe how emotional I felt.

Samuel just yawned! (tears)

I’ve been wearing this shirt since the weekend. (tears)

We’re out of peanut butter?? (more tears)

You get the idea. Thankfully these feelings only last a couple weeks and then went away on their own. Now when I have friends that are expecting, I tell them not to feel upset/ashamed/silly if they cry a lot those first few days. It’s okay! You’re not alone.

2. To like staying home.

Prior to having my son, I was always very curious about stay at home moms. It was sort of a mystery to me…what do they do all day? Surely they can’t be that busy. I thought I would go stir crazy staying at home all day with a baby and honestly, some days are tough. When the weather stinks and we’re stuck inside, it can be difficult coming up with things to do. But most days, I feel busier than I did when I was working full-time. It’s just a different kind of busy.

3. To be able to do so many things one-handed.

When my son was born, I wanted to hold him all the time (Could this explain why he likes to be held a lot now? Hmm…).  I learned how to do everyday things while holding him like a little football. Teeth brushing, hair combing, email writing, dishwasher unloading, dog walking, and laundry folding soon became one-handed tasks. Of course there is always the option of putting the baby down…but the rocking motion from my movement seemed to soothe him. Some folks fancy the baby sling and will put their little ones in those so they can get things done. Kate has one! I saw it on her blog ;) I tried putting Sam in one and he would NOT have it. I guess it all depends on the baby.

So there you have it. The list could go on and I’m sure there will be more things to add through the years. I’m excited to read Kate’s post on things she did not expect!

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