Photograph by Mark Borthwick. Found via.
Nobody ever tells you the full truth about pregnancy: that it drops a stone into the stillness of whatever love made it and some of the ripples can be fierce.
- Joseph O'Connor in Elle UK October 2010
I'm not exaggerating when I say that being a mum is the greatest thing. But it certainly isn't always roses 'round the door. Maybe this is why I can feel Joseph's words vibrating with truth and honesty.
What do you wish you'd been told about the birth of a parent?
Posts
I just remember telling all my friends who had babies after me that my husband and I bickered a lot in the first few months, so to be as patient as possible and just know that it's normal. Exhaustion pretty much taps out patience, so you turn into a snappy nag, and the dads often want to help but don't know how they can, especially in those early days. That aspect was a lot harder than I expected.
ReplyDeletethat you never get to sleep!!,that each milestone is challenge.... but rewarding.slowly slowly mummy here is getting more sleep now but having other things to deal with like fussy eaters.Basically mums are always the ones to handle it better though..you just do it no matter what it is.:) xx
ReplyDeleteI'm never sure why everyone is always so concerned about the labour ... it's the first year that's the killer! (Or perhaps it's longer .... I'll let you know, I'm only up to 11 months.) The tiredness overwhelms everything at times xx
ReplyDeleteI think many of my parent friends try to warn me about the changes to come but one doesn't fully understand what they mean until the day you actually become a parent. Seven months ago, I found out the real meaning of being tired and not having time. The lack of sleep is the real killer for me!
ReplyDeleteSo well said Olive - during your pregnancy there is such a focus on labour/birth...then in hospital I found that the focus shifted almost exclusively to feeding so by the time I came home I felt overwhelmed and underprepared.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of sleep got to me...but even more than that, I was blown away by the relentlessness of being a mum. I think that was the bit I didn't fully understand until I was in the thick of it!
What an adorable and precious photo!! I wouldn't know because I do not have any kids. Great post.
ReplyDeletexoxo,
MelRod
What an awesome quote and an absolutely fascinating photograph...
ReplyDeleteWhat do I wish I'd been told? Probably something about how profound the permanence of parenthood is...but how can you explain that? It's both completely obvious and impossible to describe (!?!). And I only really felt it after being a parent for over a decade. Something to think about I guess...
(Oh, and the isolation in the beginning. Intense.)