7 things every mum-to-be needs to know

Welcome to my first blog! Below are 7 things (from my perspective!) that every mum-to-be needs to know. There are hundreds more things but these are my top 7.

1.    Control freaks beware - be prepared to have no routine

If there’s anything I’ve learnt from bringing a child into the world… you can best let go of your sense of control and routine. While most people realise that birth plans don’t often actually go to plan, perhaps a lot less thought is given to the fact that there is basically no control over your life in that first little while after your baby is born.

Want to sleep? Oh you have a small human to take care of!

Want to shower? The baby is crying and wants milk!

Look, I’m not saying it’s not an amazing, precious and wonderful time filled with the best moments you can possibly imagine… IT IS! I promise you, nothing can prepare you for the overwhelming love you feel where you just want to cry of happiness. ButI’m being real with you here, it’s also a shock to the system having your control, schedule and plans completely hijacked by your new little arrival.

Thankfully this change is just temporary, and you get used to it.

2.    Hormones will do some CRAZY things to your body

I won’t go into detail about this because there are plenty of places to read up about this but you will be surprised by the crazy things your body goes through due to the sudden changes in hormones.

Something that I wasn’t expecting (and none warned me about) was ‘night sweats’. For about a week after my little girl was born, I would wake up in bed COMPLETELY drenched in sweat. So weird and unexpected!

Read up on postpartum changes so you have some idea of what may be coming.

3.    You will love your child so much that you can’t stop looking at them

After our daughter was born, my husband and I were so tired and desperately needed to sleep but we spent hours staring at our new baby. It’s quite strange to be so obsessed with someone and no way to explain just how much love you have for that precious little human.

I would literally be bawling my eyes out only because I couldn't believe how perfect she was!

4. You might want some time in your newborn ‘bubble’

Everyone is different of course, but be prepared for the fact that you might not want to have visitors straight away. Going through labour, learning to breastfeed, surviving on little to no sleep… often times these things will take precedence over the desire to see family and friends straight away. As well as just wanting to enjoy the most special time in your lives together, without interruption and fanfare.

Most people will be very respectful and give some space to the new little family (especially those who are already parents) but you might have to communicate clearly to some well-meaning but clueless people.

5.    You won’t feel like yourself for a while, perhaps even years.

This is not necessary a bad thing. Becoming a mother makes you so selfless. All your focus goes into your tiny new arrival and the priorities you had before may very well shift.

I didn’t realise how long it would be until I would feel like myself again. The thing is, I changed into a better version of myself as I have grown as a person and changed in ways I did not expect.

Being a mum is amazing, hard, overwhelming, wonderful, scary, fulfilling and incredible. Give yourself some time, don’t worry about looking the same, or going to back to what you had or what you did before your treasure was born.

Just breathe and take in what you have now because before you know it, everything will feel normal again.

6. Take time with your husband/partner

Your marriage or relationship was there before you got pregnant. It is the rock that keeps your little family together.

Things may feel really hard at the beginning as you get used to your new roles, responsibilities and worries and you didn’t have before. Be patient with each other, but most importantly, schedule in time together. No matter how long! Even if it’s just 1 hour while baby is sleeping before you crawl into bed where you take the time to have a cup of tea together and really talk.

That time together is so important.

When our daughter was a little older, we organised with another couple that we would do ‘date swaps’. This is great idea if you have no family around, or if you don’t want to be asking for favours (i.e. babysitting!) all the time.

One weekend a the month,my friend would come over and babysit for me, then the following weekend, I would watch her daughter so that they could go on a date. Those dates felt so special and important - highly recommend!!

7. Get those newborn photos scheduled

Okay so this is a blog post on my photography website - you should be expecting this one! I can’t say this enough but those newborn photos are SO IMPORTANT. You will regret not getting professional photos done. I did! I tried to do them myself (this was before I had the training and the right equipment) and they didn’t turn out quite right.

The best time to schedule your newborn photos is in your third trimester. Newborn photos are best done between 5 and 14 days, when they are super sleepy and curly (they can wrapped in a tiny ball). Most newborn photographers will only photograph during this time, so it’s best to book in advance. A lot of people have their baby and then 4 days in decide - "Oh, I want actually want photos!". By the time you find a photographer you like, who is not booked out already, you may be pushing it to get photos done in time.

So decide what kind of style you like; lifestyle, studio, outdoor.... and choose a photographer in your area that matches your budget and style.

Also, it may seem like a lot of effort at the time, but get dressed up and get in those photos with you baby. You will treasure them forever, I promise!

All the best for special time in your life. You've got this :-)

With all my love and a flash of a camera,

Tash xx