There’s no denying that having a baby is an exciting time in any new mom-to-be (and dad-to-be)’s life! You’re probably reading this because you are expecting a little bundle of joy to join your happy family soon.
But, you want to ensure that you’ve done as much preparation and research for your introduction to motherhood as you can!
The truth is, having a baby and raising a child will mostly bring joy into your life, but there will be times when things can get on top of you and make you feel frustrated or sad – these are the things that others will seldom tell you about if you’re new to motherhood!
With that in mind, it’s worth taking a look at the following seven points of consideration to help you ease your way into the world of motherhood:
1. Your Hormones Go Crazy
One thing that happens during pregnancy is that your hormone levels will fluctuate. You’ll experience random mood swings, going from happy to irritable for no particular reason, and you’ll probably cry a lot more than usual.
Increased estrogen levels can make you feel sick and cause you to feel sad, and those changing levels can affect your serotonin levels – your “feel good” hormones.
Levels of progesterone, a “relaxation” hormone, also increase, and some women find their muscles become too relaxed bringing on fatigue and unhappiness. Have you heard of women using a progesterone suppository to boost their odds of a successful pregnancy?
2. Your Clothes Will Annoy You
You may have probably laughed at the thought of walking around your home naked, but now it has suddenly become a serious option. Why? The answer is simple: your clothes are now annoying you!
As your pregnancy develops, your clothes will feel tighter and some will just be too uncomfortable to wear.
Fortunately, you can buy new clothes that aren’t uncomfortable. Examples of what you can get include a maternity bra, stretchy jeans, and loose blouses and tops.
3. You’ll Experience Brain Fog
Pregnancy brain, or brain fog, call it what you will, but it’s something virtually all expectant mothers experience during pregnancy! In a nutshell, brain fog begins in the first trimester but usually subsides by the time a woman gives birth.
The brain fog that pregnant women experience has typical symptoms like forgetting phone numbers, where you’ve put down your keys, or even a daily household chore like putting away clean clothes into a wardrobe.
When you start forgetting a lot of things during your pregnancy, don’t worry because there is nothing wrong with you; it’s just a shift in hormone levels!
4. The Unexpected Can Happen
As a mother-to-be, you will have undoubtedly made lots of plans for your pregnancy – both during and after it. Unfortunately, it’s quite common for some plans to fall through.
For example, you might want to have a water birth, but your midwife may want you to go to hospital in certain situations, such as if you are experiencing high blood pressure.
You may even have decided not to know the gender of your baby and told yourself you’re having a boy when actually you’re having a girl and vice-versa, throwing a spanner in the works for things like nursery decoration and clothing!
5. You’ll Be Grumpy With Your Significant Other
Hormones cause all kinds of changes and abnormal shifts in mood and behavior, as you’ll have discovered by now and read about on this page.
One issue they can cause is making you be really grumpy to your significant other, even if they have done nothing to warrant incuring your wrath!
It makes sense to learn the best ways to relax and keep yourself calm, as it won’t make things between you and your significant other volatile, and it’ll help you have a stress-free pregnancy as much as possible.
6. You’ll Miss Sleep
Having a child will undeniably be one of the highlights of your life. But, the period of time where you must carry your child inside your womb for nine months probably won’t be memorable for the right reasons!
One of the downsides to being pregnant is that you won’t enjoy your sleep anymore. Also, lack of sleep will continue after you give birth until your child is old enough to sleep in his or her own bed!
7. Hospitals Are Boring
Lastly, if you must spend some time at the hospital, such as to give birth, you’ll quickly conclude they are boring places to be.
Yes, hospitals are places to help people get better when they’re ill, or in your case, to ensure a smooth childbirth experience. But, time goes very slowly when you’re in a hospital bed with lots of idle time on your hands until your baby wants to make an appearance!
