5 BIGGEST LIES ABOUT MOTHERHOOD

My son is my biggest love, best friend, and biggest inspiration. I can not express how grateful I am for having him in my life, and I wouldn't change a thing about him. As dreamy as motherhood sounds, it is a lot of hard work. I have prepared myself well for this role, and I have learned a lot throughout my pregnancy, but I have still believed in these 5 common lies that I wish I have never heard. 



1.BABIES ONLY SLEEP AND EAT

Yes, some of them do. While some others want to breastfeed all day long. I remember planning on doing thousands of things for myself when my baby arrives. I collected plenty of books that I wanted to read. I thought I would be able to start learning Russian again. I even planned some DIYs, and art projects ( yes, my imagination took me even there). None of them happened. When my hands were free for a few seconds, I had to take a shower and eat quickly before my son wanted to eat again. Obviously, as babies get older, they become more independent. If you're pregnant or planning to, I suggest you read about the '4th trimester' of pregnancy. This will help you a lot!




2. YOU CAN/SHOULD SLEEP WHEN THE BABY SLEEPS

As I explained in the 1st point, sometimes when your hands get free, there are thousands of things you want/need to do. Some people are OK with living in a messy house and eating ready meals. I couldn't bear it. And I needed some time only for myself, so instead of sleeping I was either organizing the flat or doing my makeup/ reading/ writing. Watching some Netflix. Just so I could remind myself that I am not only a mother.




3.YOU'LL HAVE NO MILK

Yes, you will have a milk. You will have a milk. Oh yes, you will. It is one of the cruellest lies one mother can tell another- you'll have no milk.
Breastfeeding can be very difficult at the beginning (it can, but it doesn't mean that it will), so if you want to breastfeed your baby, do a proper research during your pregnancy. I heard that from way too many women when I was pregnant, that I will not have milk because "my boobs didn't grow much".There was a moment when I started to believe in this.I would hear thousands of stories of how some women are not 'born' to breastfeed.  ✱bullshit✱

         

Luckily, I woke up early enough. And there was one midwife, very kind and patient, who helped me a lot. She not only reminded me that yes- I can breastfeed but also showed me what I was doing wrong and how to correct it.
You will have the milk. It may come a few days after your baby is born, but it will come. Just do not give up.

4. YOU'LL KNOW WHAT TO DO AS SOON AS YOU SEE HIM/ IT COMES NATURALLY

Everybody told me that. Men and women who have kids, and those, who don't. But I didn't know what to do. I didn't know all the answers (despite being quite well ready for a baby). I didn't know if I was holding him right, I didn't know if he is too cold, or too warm. Even though I am an aunt to many nephews and nieces, I was never a mother before. 



5. ALL BABIES SUFFER FROM COLIC 

Thank God, not every baby suffers from colic! My son never had one, and I am very grateful for that. But I wanted to mention it here, because when I have had this colic anxiety thing for the first 3-4 months of my son's life. I truly believe that few things helped us to prevent colics.First of all- breastfeeding (regular feeds, and no over-feeding). Secondly, I have never used the 'cry it out' method. Here you can read more about why you should avoid this cruel sleeping training. Thirdly, I  wasn't feeding my son with anything apart of milk. Water, juices, camomile tea, fennel tea- they are not suitable for babies under 6 months old. Younger babies cannot try/ lick solids, or 'sip' a tea. And lastly, I wasn't overstimulating my son Obviously, we were lucky, too. I know that some parents are doing everything to prevent it, but their baby gets colics anyway 😢

Let me know what your thoughts are! Did you hear any of these lies yourself? Thanks for reading x