Mother's Day

What does it mean to be a mom?

For a first-time mom like me, you tend to learn as you go. I have never raised younger siblings or cousins or babysat anyone's children. I was starting from ground zero, I had zilch on the kid-experience level. Of course, changing diapers wasn't as hard as movies depict them to be for first timers, but babies are not just about diaper changes.

"Being a mother is learning about STRENGTHS, you didn't know you had and dealing with FEARS you never knew existed." -Unknown

A mother cannot be defined by one word and Motherhood cannot be defined by movies or books. Here is what I learned this past year and a half about being a mother. I hope it helps first-timers. I wish I had known when I was researching natural products, hospital bags, etc... about the obstacles one will face with a newborn. Here it goes, to the best of my experience.

1. Baby's first attempt at speaking depends on the amount of time you put into

verbally communicating with baby.

2. Reading to a baby requires steps to take. For instance, a newborn to 3 month-

old baby, it is recommended to read black and white picture books. 3 to 6- month-old baby's can now see in color, therefore you can now read books to

them with colored pictures of animals or objects but the book does not need words, just yet. You get my point. There are books and certain learning blocks that baby's need at certain ages of their lives. (I didn't not know this. I was reading Cinderella to my newborn baby and reading word-by-word).

3. Some may disagree but one should grab a cloth and wipe baby's gums and tongue everyday. If our mouths feel gross in the morning and night, a baby's mouth must feel the same. On the plus side, baby might get used to having their mouth washed. Which means no fuss when mom or dad brush their teeth when they're older.

4. Your life literally revolves around your child. If you want to exercise, you have to make sure baby is sleeping or full so they won't fuss in the middle of your exercise. You no longer have control of your schedule. If you need to work on the computer, again you should make sure baby is comfortable and happy otherwise you will have to repeatedly stop what you're doing and attend to baby. That was something I had/have difficulty with because I love to finish what I start.

5. A daily routine beginning when they're newborn (no matter if you're constantly moving) is important. A routine helps your child feel secure. The routine may not be perfect (don't feel bad) again, your baby now controls your life, not the other way around. Baby's, especially in their first year will sleep at different times, wake-up in a bad or good mood, and get bored of just lying there (if they cannot walk or crawl yet). So all-in-all routines will not be perfect in the first two years of their lives but a routine is a must.

6. Take advantage of the fact that your newborn sleeps heaps. If you will be a stay- home-mom or you took time away from work to stay with baby during their first two weeks of life. Clean when they're sleeping, cook extra meals so you don't have to constantly cook, and prepare yourself with books, work, extra curricular activities (projects or homework) or movies. They don't do much until they are about 4 to 6 months which is when they sleep less during the day, want your attention more and get bored so you have to move around a lot.

7. Try and always remember EVERYTHING is new to your baby. They are learning with you. When your baby cries, it's not because they want to annoy you, or they're doing it on purpose. They just came into this world where they have heaps of space to stretch their little toes and hands now, they feel cold and hot, they're pooping, they now depend on mom or dad to feed them and so on. So, Please give baby a break. Remember they didn't ask to be made.

8. When your baby starts eating solids, it is NOT enough to just feed them and then give them a bottle or boob, they will need heaps of water. My husband and I struggled a little with this, for us, or at least for me, If I was't thirsty I didn't think that my baby might be and whenever she was thirsty I would mostly give her boob. So, please give your baby's lots of love and water.

9. Children are all different. Some will face challenges that you never thought possible. For instance, our baby girl is afraid to poop so she holds in her poop as much as she can. It is a struggle that stresses us but when she does a poop we celebrate it so she knows that it's not a big deal. This all stems from having ONE huge poop one day and she tore her bum-hole a little, so when she would poop it hurt her (my poor baby) and since then she has been afraid to poop.

#TheStruggleIsReal

10. Sometimes you will want to cry from being overwhelmed and that's ok. Going from just worrying about yourself to worrying about another human being 24/7 can bring anyone to cry.

These are things I wish I would've known when I became a first-time mom. Hope it helps those new-moms-to-be. The upside of everything, you really do learn that deep within us we have incredible strength that's capable of great things.

What does being a mother mean to you?

Besitos 🌿 With Aloha,

Them Plus Us Ohana