If I Knew Then . . .

I found this post in my draft file . . . I originally wrote it for a blog hop that never came to be. The question posed: What are five things you wish you had known before you became a mother?

Agent E's first birthday . . . quite a year.

1. I would completely change my views on parenting. I previously wrote about things I would never do as a parent. When Eva was a few weeks/months old (I can't really remember) I read The Baby Book by William and Martha Sears. This book changed the game for me. It became clear that the reason I thought parenting was so freaking complicated was because I was fighting my instincts on how to take care of my baby. Once I let go of what I thought I was "supposed" to be doing it was a whole new experience. This led me to investigate attachment parenting further, and the rest, as they say, is history.

2. Breastfeeding is about more than just food. This was perhaps my biggest "conversion" when it comes to parenting. I knew very few people who breastfed. I only saw someone (my sister) breastfeeding maybe once in my life. I thought anyone who would nurse a child past one year was weird. Then I had my own children and I finally got it. I've mused about breastfeeding a lot on this blog. You can read my other posts on this subject here.

3. Life will be—oh, wait, did you say something?—interrupted. This is one of my favorite chapters in Naomi Standlen's book What Mothers Do (Especially When It Looks Like Nothing), which I raved about here. I think I got the whole "your priorities will change and it's not just about you anymore" thing before my first baby arrived, but the everyday ability to stop what you are doing, or thinking, at a nano-second notice came later. I've blogged a bit more about interruptions in this post.

Senior Agents having some "bonding" time.

4. Everything seems worse at night. I still struggle with this one. Every time one of my Agents gets a fever, or gets an ear infection, or pukes, it seems 1000 times worse if it happens between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. I don't consider myself a huge worrier but night time illnesses still freak me out just a bit. I'm better about it now that Hubby is home most nights, but when he goes back to sea duty my crazy level will increase.

5. Pediatricians are not always a good source of parenting advice. My first pediatrician told me I had to stop breastfeeding Eva and give her formula because she didn't get back up to birth weight at precisely two weeks. (Not once was getting breastfeeding assistance suggested, nor were any questions about our nursing experience asked.) Another pediatrician I saw when Agent E was about 9 months old tried to convince me that "letting" her sleep in our room would contribute to her future juvenile record and ultimate demise. (Well, those weren't his exact words.) Even pediatricians I have genuinely liked have said some things to me that made my Mommy Radar twinge. As a general rule, I do not ask my doctor for parenting advice, and when it is offered without being requesting, I tune it out.

How about you? What do you wish you had known before entering the world of parenthood? Leave a comment and share!

Thanks for reading and have a blessed day.