5 Things I took for granted before I had a baby.

I wouldn’t change being a mum for the world. It is hands down the best thing i have ever done. I would, however, take the time to go back and tell my younger self to stop, take time, and appreciate the following

1. Bathing more than once a week. Don’t get me wrong, I do bathe every day. But a lukewarm bath with a squiggly rugrat on your lap just doesn’t cut it sometimes. I greatly look forward to a Sunday afternoon where I can take my book to a bath that is so hot it hurts, and just sit there in adult bubblebath. Uninterrupted. This I do not take for granted. Because I know that soon enough, the afore mentioned squiggly rugrat will be pestering me to get out and come play with her!

*note to self: must move to a house that has a lockable bathroom door.

2. My pelvic floor. Before Alice i could quite happily sneeze, do star jumps, go on a trampoline; do all sorts of things without the risk of a bit of wee coming out. Nowadays I just have to cross my legs and hope for the best! If any of you ladies are currently pregnant, then – for your own good – do your pelvic floors! You’ll regret not doing it more.

3. A clean house. Now, I have never been the most tidy person in the world. But what I now deem as an ‘acceptable’ standard of living has changed dramatically in the last five months. My house occasionally resembles that of a student. Or a squatter. My dining room has now been renamed the laundrette (I occasionally find time to fold the washing, but rarely get time to put it away!) And you are lucky if you can navigate your way across my very small living room without having to step over toys, nappy bags, knitting and cold cups of coffee. But who cares, we see the carpet and the dining room table once in a while when we have visitors.

4. Staying up late ‘just because’. This was all well and good before Alice, but now I could stay up, but we all know that tomorrow will be the day that Alice decides that 5am is the time she wants to get up and play. Sleep

5. Popping Out. Not going away for a holiday, not going out for the day, not even meeting a friend for a coffee. But popping out.Getting up and leaving the house at a moments notice to get something you needed, or simply ‘just because’. Now we have to change her nappy, sterilise bottles and boil water, prepare formula, pack change bag, dress little one, put little one in pram, head towards the door. Reverse back into the house, that noise didn’t sound to friendly. Check nappy. Change nappy. Change clothes, this one went up her back. Put back in pram. Baby cries. Check your watch, its time for a feed. Feed baby, burp baby, baby throws up, change baby….you can see why I can never just ‘pop out’ any more, right?

What do you miss from your carefree days?

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