Becoming a parent is one of the most special gifts in life. There is no other feeling like it when the moment arrives for you to welcome your first child into the world – and you can never understand the overwhelming love you’ll experience until it happens. However, no one said that parenthood is easy and there will be occasions when you’ll ask yourself “Am I doing this right?”.
The Most Important Things to Consider Before Becoming a Parent
There is a lot to figure out alongside welcoming a new baby into the world, and this guide will highlight some key things to take into consideration to help prepare you for parenthood:
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#1 Getting pregnant is no easy ride
One of the most important aspects to be aware of is that getting pregnant isn’t always as straight-forward as you might have imagined. Scientific studies show that approximately 1 in 7 couples struggle to conceive naturally. For some, it can just happen, while others may spend years trying. Therefore, it’s best to keep an open mind and understand that getting pregnant may take a vast number of attempts before striking lucky.
After years of trying for a baby with no luck, you may be diagnosed with infertility by your GP, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll never become a parent.
#2 Adjusting to change
Becoming a new parent is one of the biggest life changes you will ever experience, therefore, knowing how to adjust is a huge factor of parenthood. You may be worried that you’ll lose your identity, whether you will bring up your child correctly and even how your relationship with your partner will alter – but these are all normal feelings that everyone experiences before welcoming a new child into the world.
Becoming pregnant is also another major change that cannot be prepared for until it happens. Your body will be going through a major upheaval, and you’re likely to experience morning sickness and food cravings, to name just a few symptoms. There are also many aspects that your partner should be reading up about to help you transition through the pregnancy phase, both mentally and physically.
#3 Sleep becomes a rarity
Once your baby enters the world, you may realize just how much you took sleep for granted. The amount of sleep you get ultimately depends on your baby’s feeding sleep patterns and emotional impulses, but it is extremely unlikely they will sleep through the night during the first few months at least. During one night, you can expect to get up multiple times for either bottle or breastfeeding and changing diapers, so a couple of hours of unbroken sleep at most is all you can expect.
You may have already been told by other new moms to ‘sleep when your baby sleeps’ and there is a very good reason for it – when they are awake, you simply won’t have the chance to get some much-needed shut-eye as they’ll be constantly in demand of your attention.
#4 Memories are sacred
Regardless of how busy you may be, whether it be work or other commitments, always remember that the early memories of your child growing up are sacred and cannot be replaced. You may be someone who is committed to your career and tends to bring work home with you, but you’ll only be filled with regrets in the years to come if you don’t spend much free time with your child.
It would be devastating to miss them speaking their first word or taking their first step, so aim to be around as much as possible. Take the time to create happy memories with your family that you can look back on in the years to come.
#5 Don’t worry about milestones
It is very easy to become stressed if your child isn’t developing at the stages of your friends’ babies, but rest assured, there is no right or wrong time for your baby to reach these achievements. If your child isn’t yet sitting up, crawling or walking at the ‘correct’ textbook age, don’t panic. Remember that every single baby is distinctive in their own way and will develop when the time is right for them.
If you do have any doubts and wish to seek advice from other parents, you could join an online forum and involve yourself in discussions regarding baby development to put your mind at ease.
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