So, you’re about to become a mother? Congratulations!
These are exciting, magical, wonderful times and we are thrilled for you. Becoming a mother is an adventure like no other. There’s ridiculously awesome highs and a few crazy lows. It’s SOME journey. We’re sure you’ve heard, right?
But as you look ahead and dream of your not-too-distant future as a nappy-changing, sleep-deprived, baby-feeding machine, we suggest you take a step back and focus on the present. Try to appreciate that things will never again be like they are right now. So, trust us. You don’t want to take these last few child-free days / weeks / months for granted.
But don’t panic, here’s our list of the top 10 things you should do before you haul ass to the hospital to deliver your precious little bundle…
[mc_block_title custom_title=”1. Spend some time alone”]
See a movie, sit at a café and read, walk on the beach, or if you’re feeling really committed, check yourself into a hotel with just a sumptuous room service menu and the TV remote for company. Once you’re a Mum, your alone-time is relegated to the 30 minute to 2-hour naps of your offspring, and it becomes a very precious commodity. Spend some time alone now and you’ll remember it fondly in a few months when you’re tied to your kid ball-and-chain style.
[mc_block_title custom_title=”2. Have a long, drawn-out conversation in which you are fully engaged”]
Sitting down with your bestie and taking turns pouring out your latest trials and tribulations is one of those things we take for granted pre-kids. Once you’re a parent, sure, you can still meet a friend for coffee and chat, but tucked meekly away in that pram next to you will be the mother of all distractions – your child. Conversations are generally punctuated with games of “Guess why I’m crying?” and “I’m super bored and antsy” and a year or so down the track “You must give me all your food and cappuccino froth”. Catch-ups with childfree friends become exhausting as they helplessly watch you flounder, and catch-ups with fellow Mum-friends who have their own little distraction in the high chair next to them? Just forget about it. Find a park and attempt to chat there!
[mc_block_title custom_title=”3. Sleep in”]
It’s the most overused cliché in the world, right? Parents don’t get to sleep much. Yeah, yeah. You’ve heard it before. But when you’re in the thick of it, the cliché becomes very much a painful reality, and the shrill wake-up call coming over the baby monitor before the sun rises will hurt your soul. Sleep in now, and when you wake, enjoy some lazy time laying around in bed. You’ll thank us later.
[mc_block_title custom_title=”4. Read. Read as much as you can”]
Are you an avid bookworm? Chances are, this is a hobby that you might let slide once the responsibilities of parenting have you in their grips. Time becomes precious, and eyes become tired, and your ability to devour a compelling book in a single afternoon is most likely going to suffer. Read #allthebooks now.
[mc_block_title custom_title=”5. Do something spontaneous”]
Wake up feeling like Sunday brunch? A trip to the beach? A long drive in the country? Do it, lady, before your life is ruled by routines and a tiny human who will punish you when things are out of whack! You probably take spontaneity for granted now, but soon it will be a memory you will want to savor.
[mc_block_title custom_title=”6. Leave the house with only your wallet and a head full of dreams”]
There’s something freeing about knowing that everything you need as you go about your day can fit in a tri-fold floral printed Laura Jones you picked up at Strandbags for 20% off. Of course, this perspective can only be gained once you find yourself weighed down by 40kg of nappies, bottles, spare clothes, wipes and dummies in an industrial-sized Petunia Picklebottom every time you leave the house.
[mc_block_title custom_title=”7. Throw a dinner party”]
Spend all afternoon cooking and setting a gorgeous table. Chat with loudly with your guests. Relish interruption-free social interactions with your friends. Dinner parties are more than possible post-baby but are marred a little by bub’s bedtime routine and the fact that voices need to be kept to a whisper so as not to cause catastrophe once you’ve finally gotten bub down…
[mc_block_title custom_title=”8. Wear white”]
Nothing screams feminine chic more than a pristine white clothing. Unfortunately, once you’re thick in the post-baby life, you will be opting for dark colors and garish prints to try and mask the pee/poop/vomit/snot/grubby finger stains that quickly became a standard part of day-to-day life. Wear white while you still can.
[mc_block_title custom_title=”9. Spend a bit of money on yourself”]
If you’re all about the pampered life right now, soak it up! Spend those extra dollars on #alltheprettythings you can shove in your Target trolley. Soon that cash burning a hole in your pocket will be your nappy fund. Indulge now and enjoy every second!
[mc_block_title custom_title=”10. Enjoy things how they are now… but look forward to the next step!”]
We’d be lying if we said the transition from child-free to motherhood is totally easy, and we all have moments where we sorely miss our pre-motherhood lives. But ultimately, motherhood is something to get excited about! So enjoy these last few child-free days ahead of you, but know that life is about to become awesome in a whole new way!
