When I gave birth to my first child, a daughter, I thought I was not going to be able to hold her correctly, or have her suckle in my warm bosom. I grew up hating children, infants, babies – these little things who shout and shout and get everything they want by wailing. I never took care of my siblings so I didn’t know how to give them a bath, make them formulas, and put them to sleep or put them in diapers.
Things changed. I had to know everything I have to know to overcome my baby allergy.
She was real handful because she is so strong that giving her a bath was five minutes of pure sweat and exercise. She was consistently shouting and talking and babbling that I couldn’t help but imagine how talkative she will be once she grows up – and it is a constant struggle to go to church because she sings loudly with the choir. The hardest part was probably waking up in different parts of the night or early morning because she was hungry, and she was shouting, and everybody else in the house was asleep. I looked like a walking eye bag – but I had to work even harder in the office just to make sure I can buy her the next can of milk.
As the months went on, the worst I can recall about my few months of being a parent is when she was rushed to the hospital because of gastroenteritis. It hurt when the injection was making its way to her young flesh, and when she couldn’t eat or drink. I appreciated the fact that my company paid for the room and medications because had it been me, I wouldn’t be able to afford it. Then, a week after her release, we were back in the same room of the same hospital because she now has pneumonia. I learned not to sleep because the nurses came every now and then to give her medication and she cried at the sight of nurses in white. Those were the times that I understood exactly what a parent was.
It is when you are willing to sacrifice a lot of things – your luxury, your sleep, your free time, your hobbies – so one person can feel you love them unconditionally. I learned how to make funny faces to make her laugh and control the tears when each injection procedure sent her to cry big tears. It’s funny because when you are single and no one is dependent on you, you don’t have much to do except work, eat and sleep but when you become a parent, suddenly there’s just so much work to do. You have to clean the dishes, wash the clothes, fold the clothes, cook dinner, wash the plates, change diapers – the work is countless.
Until now, I keep learning. Until now, I keep waiting for more experiences that can solidify my parenthood.
For those who are going to have their first child, expect the unexpected. Yes, you will see in a lot of books ways to take care of your baby the first days, first weeks, first months – but you will never be able to read just how each and every minute spent with the baby who sheltered in your womb for nine months is going to be. I tell you, it’s going to be a journey you will never forget.
Author: Maria Jevska Nicolau is a 23-year old trainer on sales excellence who has a long love history with writing and won many journalism awards at college and region. She has a one year old daughter and a baby boy on the way. She likes Harry Potter and it is her ambition to write a book.
Read more from author I am my daughter’s daughter and more.
Things changed. I had to know everything I have to know to overcome my baby allergy.
She was real handful because she is so strong that giving her a bath was five minutes of pure sweat and exercise. She was consistently shouting and talking and babbling that I couldn’t help but imagine how talkative she will be once she grows up – and it is a constant struggle to go to church because she sings loudly with the choir. The hardest part was probably waking up in different parts of the night or early morning because she was hungry, and she was shouting, and everybody else in the house was asleep. I looked like a walking eye bag – but I had to work even harder in the office just to make sure I can buy her the next can of milk.
As the months went on, the worst I can recall about my few months of being a parent is when she was rushed to the hospital because of gastroenteritis. It hurt when the injection was making its way to her young flesh, and when she couldn’t eat or drink. I appreciated the fact that my company paid for the room and medications because had it been me, I wouldn’t be able to afford it. Then, a week after her release, we were back in the same room of the same hospital because she now has pneumonia. I learned not to sleep because the nurses came every now and then to give her medication and she cried at the sight of nurses in white. Those were the times that I understood exactly what a parent was.
It is when you are willing to sacrifice a lot of things – your luxury, your sleep, your free time, your hobbies – so one person can feel you love them unconditionally. I learned how to make funny faces to make her laugh and control the tears when each injection procedure sent her to cry big tears. It’s funny because when you are single and no one is dependent on you, you don’t have much to do except work, eat and sleep but when you become a parent, suddenly there’s just so much work to do. You have to clean the dishes, wash the clothes, fold the clothes, cook dinner, wash the plates, change diapers – the work is countless.
Until now, I keep learning. Until now, I keep waiting for more experiences that can solidify my parenthood.
For those who are going to have their first child, expect the unexpected. Yes, you will see in a lot of books ways to take care of your baby the first days, first weeks, first months – but you will never be able to read just how each and every minute spent with the baby who sheltered in your womb for nine months is going to be. I tell you, it’s going to be a journey you will never forget.
Author: Maria Jevska Nicolau is a 23-year old trainer on sales excellence who has a long love history with writing and won many journalism awards at college and region. She has a one year old daughter and a baby boy on the way. She likes Harry Potter and it is her ambition to write a book.
Read more from author I am my daughter’s daughter and more.
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