10 Things That Change After You Become A Mum

Kafayat Olawale

A natural leaning or the sheer excitement of it, motherhood is something most women happily envisage. During the pregnancy phase however, mums-to-be are haunted by feelings of nervousness and uncertainty about what would change and if they could pursue the full length of their dreams.

Well scientifically, there is ample evidence to suggest that you certainly don’t remain the same after you become a mum. Scientific American reported a few years ago that almost all female mammals undergo “fundamental changes” during pregnancy and after birth and that pregnancy and lactation hormones may alter the brain, “increasing the size of the neurons in some regions and producing structural changes in others.”

If you are a mum already, can you relate with any of these changes? Find 10 of them below….

1. You No Longer Come First

You will no longer put yourself first when making major decisions and your life will no longer revolve around you.

You will love this new arrival more than you love yourself, that’s what becoming a parent does to you. You completely become unselfish when it comes to your baby.

2. You Will Stay At Home A lot More

You will find staying at home a lot more appealing than a night out with friends. This is simply because you miss your child so much that being without them for a while scares and can make you feel even guilty having fun without them.

3. You Become More Gracious With People

If you haven’t been a people person before becoming a mum, all that is likely to change once you become one.

You suddenly find that you’re more tolerant of others and actually like to have people around, even when you don’t particularly like them, you are more likely to become gracious when you become a mum.

4. Sleep Becomes Alien To You

Those 8 hours of sleep you enjoyed before becoming a mum is luxury, and once you welcome your newborn, you will be thankful if you even get four straight hours of sleep.

You will have to feed your baby at odd hours and be hands on when he/she cries for attention and sometimes nobody does it better, your babysitter may not be able to calm your baby even when you need some rest. The perks of motherhood, no?

5. You Feel Bad When You Let Your Baby Cry It Out

With all the stress and little sleep you get, you may sometimes decide to ignore your baby’s cries and just leave him to cry it out.

But it won’t be long before you begin to feel guilty and reach for your little one.

6. You’ll Probably Stop Being Such A Diva

Once you become a mum, you’re going to be less irritated by baby poop and puke. If you used to find it absolutely gross with other babies, you couldn’t be bothered to help with wiping them clean and stuff. Once you have your own baby, you will have many encounters with baby poop and will get very comfortable doing so too.

7. You Become More Efficient Generally Speaking

If you are a mother already, you probably can relate to this. Waking up early, doing the laundry, keeping hospital and school appointments.

You just become more efficient in how you coordinate activities so that your baby can have a great head start in life.

There’s no compromise, there’s no laundry day anymore, everyday is laundry day, you’re the new queen of multitasking.

8. Shopping Is No Longer About You

If you loved to shop a lot or you are an impulse-buyer, there’s a great chance that most of your shopping when you become pregnant or after you become a mum is going to now be for your baby. You just want the best for them.

9. Your Body Is No Longer Your Body

Perhaps one of the most evident changes of motherhood, your body succumbs to the stretch.

Despite what people say and all the glossy pictures of yummy mummies, away from camera edits, your body actually will never be the same.

Maybe after one kid, you could bounce back but you’ll have to fight tooth and nail if you want a semblance of your old body after popping out four kids.

And I’m not so sure the stretch mark creams do in fact work after you become a mum.

10. You Will Love Your Own Mum Better

Becoming a mum opens a new gateway of emotions, then you realise how much love your mum has had for you. From your special experience with your own child, you are likely to become filled with a new and deeper level of appreciation.

You may find yourself calling to check up on her more often and that you are now more welcoming of her opinions generally. Having your own child helps you bond with your mother on a deeper level.