The 3 Most Surprising Things About Motherhood
When I had a baby,life was far different than I expected.
Now that I have a five month old baby, Hazel, I realize that there were some things about motherhood that I never anticipated:
1. I Don't Hear a Baby Crying Constantly. Before having a baby, I was anticipating non-stop screams-especially because my mother told me that I was pretty much crying constantly until I was a three year old (I had severe food allergies). What a pleasant surprise that Hazel rarely cries for longer than, say, five minutes at a time. She makes her wishes known in other ways, of course, by fussing and squirming. But screams? Pretty rare.
More on Babble: Have You Ever Had the "Lost Baby" Dream?
2. You Can't Keep Working While on Maternity Leave. It really is impossible to get anything done after having a baby. Everyone told me this was the case: "You'll have no free time at all!" But when you also hear that a newborn baby sleeps 16 hours a day, you start to wonder what all the complaining is about. What they don't tell you before you go on maternity leave is that your baby sleeps on you, and if you try to set her down while she's dozing, chances are, she'll start fussing and immediately wake up. And have you tried using a computer with a sleeping baby in your lap? Very awkward!
3. The World Seems Way More Dangerous. Suddenly, from the moment I took my newborn baby home in a cab, the cars seemed faster, the buses louder and the people more reckless. Even though my neighborhood is very safe, I felt like it was one of the most dangerous places to live and that my baby could be struck by disaster at any turn. I am getting a bit less neurotic about this as I see that people will, in fact, slow down when they see a baby stroller-but sometimes I'm tempted to move to Amish country just to protect her. I don't know how I'll deal when my baby grows up and actually wants to leave the house alone!
To read which other aspects of motherhood took Amy by surprise, including the surprising difficulty of juggling two kids, head to Baby's First Year!
MORE ON BABY'S FIRST YEAR:
How Do I Keep My Baby Healthy When the Heat Won't Work?
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