The pros to Parenting

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when it comes to parenting and to dwell on all the negatives. But let’s focus on the positives of having these little, wonderful, grey-hair-inducing… things.

• Sleep: Yes, you heard me. Sleep! So they might wake you up at any time of the night, sometimes even preventing you from getting an evening to yourself BEFORE you go to bed. But look at it this way… have you ever appreciated sleep so much, since having kids? Pre-Parenthood, I used to spend ages lying in bed, thinking about 101 things, then when I woke up at 4am, I would then lie awake again thinking, not getting those much needed Z’s. However, since having two little sprogs, I now zonk out straight-away, as though one of them has hit me over the head with a mallet (I hope this is not the case).

• Entertainment: When you have kids, you don’t have time to be bored! No lounging around, thinking what to do with yourself. They provide a constant source of “entertainment”. Sometimes, they can even make you laugh, or at the least, not cry. If you’re bored and fancy something to do, have some children! Then sit back and enjoy a glass of Wine…

• Pride: Doing something yourself can give you a sense of pride and purpose. When you have kids that achieve something, you get a sense of pride beyond compare & haven’t even had to do anything yourself! Win-Win!

• Companionship: You could get a pet to keep you company, but they end up saying the same thing (e.g. a dog will only ever go “woof”). Children however (eventually) say all sorts of things. Sometimes they even say things that make sense! You also (again… eventually) can stop clearing up their poop.

• Exercise: You WISH you could sit down for five minutes! But with the tiny gremlins under your care (aka your children), you will spend all your time playing with them, chasing them, dressing them (particularly exhausting activity), and clearing up after them.

• Cloning: Ever fancied a mini-me, that you can get to dress like you, walk like you, talk like you? Well with kids, you can! They might not like it, but they can choose to do things differently (as soon as they are old enough to pay rent).

If you’re a parent, or expecting some sprogs in the future, then hopefully the above has all helped to put things into perspective and if anyone has any other suggestions for pros to parenting, feel free to add them into the comments!

Fatherhood: the first four weeks

Can’t believe I have been a Dad for for whole weeks. To celebrate, I have decided to dust off the WordPress app on my mobile, and do my first blog post for a while. I hope that this post will help any future Papa’s in preparing and coping for when the big day comes.

I’ll start from the beginning (no, not the conception, you pervert). Labour is a scary time, for both of you! The key to labour is being patient. There little one is gonna pop out in their own time, and this can take days, and may require a bit of help. In our case, they got the BBQ tongs to pull him out, which involved going into surgery, so be patient and expect the unexpected! Hang in there, support your partner the best you can (you may find that there is a stage you feel useless and you can’t do anything), and think of the end goal… A mini-me!

Post-labour you may be discharged after a few hours, or you may need to stay in for a couple of days(usually of you’ve had to go into Theatre, like we did). More patience is required as you will likely be fed up and just want to get home, and like with me, you will need to spend those days looking after baby and partner. Fear not, for you will get home soon… where the fun begins!

Getting home is bliss compared to the stress and uncomfortableness of the hospital. You finally have a decent supply of food, nappes, muslins, etc. You can take it in turns to get a few good sleep, and acclimatise to home. Don’t get too comfy though, as baby still needs food, nappy changes, and sleep. In fact, that is all the baby needs. If you thought you can start playing with your new creation, or start interacting, this only happens towards the 4 weeks onwards mark, and only in small doses.

  Here are some tips that may help with coping in those first “fun” weeks:

– patience (my keyword for this blog I think!)

– enjoy (make the most of it, he won’t be tiny forever)

– grab sleep whenever opportunity allows

– accept help (if you have relatives, let them help! Maybe they want to come round while you get some sleep)

– use Mam bottles (tomee tippee ones are rubbish, Mam bottles are excellent at preventing colic and are self sterilising… with a microwave anyway)

– use decent nappies (and do them tight enough!) Aldi nappies are excellent and a fraction of the price of pampers!

I shall try and do an update blog post with any more tips and advice I acquire soon! So I’ll leave you with a picture of the star of the show!