The S-Mum, Maria, offers seven pieces of advice to first time expectant mammies.

You’re expecting your first little minion.  Congratulations lovely.

I hope you’re feeling great and that Bump is behaving.  I’m sure that no matter how far on you are right now, you’re wishing it was your due date already.  You possibly feel nauseous, sick even, outrageously tired, nervous, hormonal etc.

You’re no longer in control of your body, and no matter what you do or try; reflexology, pilates, meditation… every-so-often, your little Bean will remind you that you are no longer in charge.   Nope.    Mammy, (because you’re a Mammy already, whether you’re 3 weeks or 39 weeks pregnant), Mammy, your one and only certainty is that the little bun you are cooking, is 100% in charge of YOU.  And that is okay, because that is normal.

But here are a few things that I want to advise you to do before your little bundle arrives to completely rearrange your life, your priorities and your world (all for the better of course!)

These are the things that you won’t have read on other lists.  They don’t appear in the Pregnancy guides.   

I offer them only from my own experience, and most of them were shared with me by friends who were Mammies before me.

  1. Sleep:  Do you see those evenings where you feel like going to bed half way through Corrie? When you tut at yourself because it’s FAR too early and you couldn’t possibly?  Yeah.  GO TO BED!  Enjoy being able to snooze at 4pm if you feel like it.  And take advantage of this time when you can go to bed at 8pm and sleep until whatever time you have to get up, or your bladder calls!
  2. Rearrange your cupboards:  When your bump is still relatively small, move any pots, pans, cups etc from low cupboards to high ones.  If, like me, you end up MAHOOSIVE from 26 weeks, trust me, you’ll wish you had rearranged your kitchen earlier.  Simply make sure that the things you use most often in the kitchen are moved to bump level.
  3. Go to the cinema: This was something that I never thought about until I realised when Mini-Me was 8 months that I missed it.  We used to go to the pictures 2 or 3 times a month.  I’d say we’ve been 3 times in the past 6 years, (excluding kiddy shows!)  I’m talking night time shows.  If you enjoy the cinema, (or theatre), GO often.
  4. Date nights: This was the best advice my mate gave me.  From 30 weeks, myself and The Him made it our business to have one date per week.  That time with your partner is precious.  Even after Babba arrives and you eventually get to go out together for an evening, or a way for a weekend, your mind will NEVER be far from your minions.  Enjoy being just you, because while the Bump might be kicking the living lights out of you, it’s still only the two of you for now.  
  5. Coffee dates:  As above but with your friends.  Go for that cuppa.  Eat the cake.  Watch the Mammies at the other table struggling with their defiant and hilarious little chubsters, and pat your belly contentedly knowing that it’s all ahead of you, but that THIS cuppa is a calm one.
  6. Enjoy your hobbies:  If you are a reader, read.  If you paint, paint.  Yes of course you will eventually get time to do these things again, but for the next few years, they will be at the bottom of your priority list.  I still have a novel beside my bed that I started about 2 years ago.  Don’t spend your entire pregnancy reading “What to expect” etc.  Stock up on whatever floats your boat, and indulge yourself.  
  7. Appreciate showers/baths:  Take as long as you like (or as long as you can stand!) Stay in there until your fingers go wrinkly.  For the foreseeable future, 99% of your showers will be 35 seconds long, and in front of an audience.  I now consider having 2 minutes to put conditioner in my hair a treat.  And Saturday morning is the ONLY morning that I know I can close the bathroom door and stand under the running water long enough to actually GET wet!

 

These may seem silly to some, but most Mammies will agree with them.  Your first pregnancy is special for so many reasons, but the main thing that I wish I’d appreciated more was the time I had.  Especially the time I had to do nothing!

Subsequent pregnancies are also wonderful, but they are so different.  They’re so busy.  Your toddlers and kiddies don’t understand, nor do they care, that you are exhausted or hormonal.  They still need fed and played with and looked after.  

So if you are currently expecting your first little bundle of joy, enjoy every second.  It really is a special time.  And I do hope everything goes well for you.   

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