I cannot believe it’s been 9 months since this tiny human joined our world! Now that Atlas has been in this world as long as she was in me, I thought I would talk a little bit about my experience as a new mom and the nine things I have learned along the way.
I am stronger than I think- mentally and physically at handling pain, sleepless nights and days, maintaining a good headspace, etc. I thought I had been challenged in the past, but a newborn will put you to the test.
I need to take care of myself so I can take care of my family. Our breastfeeding ended early and I lost baby weight quickly, but not healthy way. Skipping meals or “intermittent fasting” is the contributing factor, but I need to rethink. I need to consider not only what I’m feeding myself and my family, but also the amount of water I need to be drinking. My esthetician said I can solve a lot of my skin issues by just drinking more water. Noted.
I can’t be the world’s best mom and world’s best boss at the same time - it’s a give and take. I have to make sacrifices and show Atlas we are contributing positively to the world around us. But, I also have to say “No,” at work, create boundaries, and get home at a reasonable time.
Don’t make plans- Atlas rules everything. Stick to his routine: Wake, bottles, feeds, naps, play time, etc. Whatever else you can fit in is a bonus. We do projects and house cleaning during naps and make sure to get outside and take Winter on her walk the same time every morning.
Be a great partner, wife and mother everyday. I hate to label myself and put what I do in a box, but once we had Atlas mom mode kicked in and I almost forgot to be a wife, partner, daughter, friend, etc. I wear a lot of hats and want to show Atlas he can too!
This shit is hard. We read the books, took the classes, got the advice, but whew! Shout out to all the parents out there- you are the real MVP’s!
His smile is worth everything. The hardest day, the tired nights, the stressful work meetings, it all goes away when I see Atlas smile.
Take all the pictures! At first I just wanted to take them of Atlas, but making sure we are in them too is just as imports. It doesn’t matter if we don’t “look good” because booking back at the photos we don’t say, “wow my hair,” we say, “look how cute Atlas is." Videos too! Check out our Youtube page to watch our Vlogs. We have more coming soon!
Being your mom is more beautiful than any dream I could have ever imagined and this dream just started. I love you Atlas J.