Right after Ziv was born, I was scared of him! I didn’t want to be left alone with him at home because I thought I didn’t know what to do. I always felt I needed adult supervision! But now that I’ve been doing this mothering gig for a while, my confidence has gone up significantly.
Seeing Ziv thrive made me realize even though I’m a novice, I’m very much capable of being a parent. I’ve gotten to know my son and can anticipate his needs. I’m already familiar with his cues and can respond appropriately.
Reading books—on establishing schedules and routines, feeding, sleep and child development—also helps. The more I learn, the more I know what I’m supposed to do. Sometimes, though, reading too much leads to information overload and thus, major motherly confusion. Experts say different and sometimes contradictory statements making it even more difficult to decide what to do.
When I start to feel I’m losing a grip, I turn to every mother’s best friend: instinct. I just do what feels right, keeping in mind (and heart) my son’s best interest. I believe nature equips us with the tools we need to figure things out, whether it be picking a career or raising a child.
Focusing on the present also helped me cope. In the beginning, I used to be overwhelmed by everything that needed to be done—feeding, pumping, bathing, laundry, sleeping etc.—I felt I couldn’t make it another day. But I’ve learned that parenting, like any other thing in life, should be taken one moment at a time. That’s the only way I can do anything, by riding the wave. I let one wave take me to another and another and another.
Yes, I am still sleep deprived. I have really dark eye bags and my hair is falling like crazy. But I’m really enjoying motherhood now. It just feels so right.
Seeing Ziv thrive made me realize even though I’m a novice, I’m very much capable of being a parent. I’ve gotten to know my son and can anticipate his needs. I’m already familiar with his cues and can respond appropriately.
Reading books—on establishing schedules and routines, feeding, sleep and child development—also helps. The more I learn, the more I know what I’m supposed to do. Sometimes, though, reading too much leads to information overload and thus, major motherly confusion. Experts say different and sometimes contradictory statements making it even more difficult to decide what to do.
When I start to feel I’m losing a grip, I turn to every mother’s best friend: instinct. I just do what feels right, keeping in mind (and heart) my son’s best interest. I believe nature equips us with the tools we need to figure things out, whether it be picking a career or raising a child.
Focusing on the present also helped me cope. In the beginning, I used to be overwhelmed by everything that needed to be done—feeding, pumping, bathing, laundry, sleeping etc.—I felt I couldn’t make it another day. But I’ve learned that parenting, like any other thing in life, should be taken one moment at a time. That’s the only way I can do anything, by riding the wave. I let one wave take me to another and another and another.
Yes, I am still sleep deprived. I have really dark eye bags and my hair is falling like crazy. But I’m really enjoying motherhood now. It just feels so right.
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