20 Things that Change when you Become a Mum

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As you are counting down the days to becoming a mum, get ready for many aspects of your life to change forever when your new baby arrives. Here are 20 ways your life will transform when you become a mother.

You Become Stronger

“Sometimes the strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.” – Barbara Kingslover

When it’s no longer just ‘you’ you have to think about, building up your inner strength becomes par for the course of being a new mum.

Much of this fortitude will come naturally and instantaneously - as soon as you hold your new baby in your arms and realise that you will do anything you can to love and protect them.

And when the going gets tough, this inner strength will help you keep your chin-up and moving forward with whatever life throws at you.

You Get Nostalgic

“Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days.” – Doug Larson

Many mums like to keep hold of mementos of their child growing up, things like their first pair of baby shoes or a lock of their hair from their first ever haircut etc.

And you may also want to look at your own family tree, since you will be adding a brand-new branch.

You may become curious about who your ancestors were – possibly in anticipation for when your child asks about your family history for a school project.

You Speak Fluent Baby Speak

“To take children seriously is to value them for who they are right now rather than adults-in-the-making.” - Alfie Kohn

When you are spending so much time with a person who is learning and experiencing everything for the first time, you will naturally develop an understanding of your baby’s babblings and hand signals.

Add to this your new ‘mummy’ tone of voice, acquired over the years from cooing at cute puppies and kittens, and conversations between mother and baby can sound completely incomprehensible to an outsider.

You Watch Children’s Shows

“I don't think there is a national pastime. Watching TV is a national pastime. Really. If there is a national pastime, it is watching TV.” - Michael Lewis

Just like we all had favourite TV shows as children, you’re bound to have some favourites as an adult monitoring your own kid’s TV time.

Whether its new shows like PAW Patrol, or you try and introduce some of your old favourites to your children, you may find yourself belly laughing at some of the genuinely funny jokes or cringing at some of the more grating characters.

Either way, with some shows at least, you will probably find yourself memorising every word, as many kids enjoy watching the same episodes over and over again.

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You Build Friendships

“Mingle often with good people to keep your soul nourished.” – Anthony Douglas Williams

Whether you make friends within your mother and baby group or at the school gates, one of the best things about being a mum is expanding your network with people who are going through all the same ups and downs as you.

If you ever feel like you need help and advice, you can call on a second or third opinion from the friends you make in motherhood.

You Practice Self Care

“Keep taking time for yourself until you're you again.”– Lalah Delia

In the rare instances that mums get some time to themselves, you will want to make sure that you spend that time unwinding and practicing self-care.

For every mum, your self-care routine will be different. For instance, you may like taking bubble baths, going for a run or even curling up on the sofa with a good book.

Just make sure that you make the most of this time, and yes mum, looking after yourself is just as important as looking after your children.

You Become More Organised

“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.” – A.A. Milne

Every parent of babies and toddlers know that leaving the house takes forever compared to how it used to be before they became a parent.

You need a full itinerary of equipment to go down to the supermarket; nappies, wipes, changing mat, snacks, toys, spare clothes – you name it, it’s going in the pram.

You only have to get caught short in toileting emergency once to instantly acquire the organisation skills every mum needs. Just trust us on this.

You Become a Better Judge of Character

“Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.” - Heraclitus

It could be down to the sleep deprivation, or the weight of responsibility that comes with bringing a child into the world, but often mums will develop a strong intolerance to toxic people in their lives.

Making your environment as stress-free as possible helps you be a better mum and it helps your children have a happier childhood overall. So, make sure that you turn away from the people that make your life miserable.

There is nothing more worrying for a child to see than their mum upset, so make sure you delete all the fake friends from your life as a matter of priority.

You Get More Active

“True enjoyment comes from activity of the mind and exercise of the body; the two are ever united.” – Wilhelm von Humboldt

We’re not talking running or lifting weights at the gym. Mums become more active when they are constantly having to run around after their little ones.

The kind of exertion your body goes through when you are just doing your normal day to day activities is called NEAT exercise. NEAT is an anagram for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.

By doing simple things like vacuuming, climbing the stairs, or playing with your kids you can burn calories. Get yourself a pedometer and count your steps every day to keep a track of how you’re doing.

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You Get Messy

“A two-year-old is like having a blender, but you don’t have a top for it.” – Jerry Seinfeld If it’s one thing all children love, it is making a mess and getting their hands dirty.

Even the most cleanliness obsessed mum cannot stop their kids from getting themselves into a right old state every now and then. So, try not to worry about your house looking less-than-immaculate some of the time.

You Declutter

“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Toddlers get everywhere in your home and find everything about your home fascinating, even the baking trays in your kitchen cabinets.

As a mum, you will soon realise that holding onto things you no-longer use may not be the best of ideas when you have a young child around. It may be time to get some of your old stuff on eBay.

You Perceive Time Differently

“Time is always standing still; we are only changing.” – Debasish Mridha

Kids grow up so fast, you may find yourself constantly having to buy them new clothes and shoes.

The way time seemingly slips away from new mums can be alarming, and so you have to make the most of every second you get when your kids are small and can still be persuaded to give you a cuddle.

You Become an Expert Negotiator

“Everything is negotiable. Whether or not the negotiation is easy is another thing.” – Carrie Fisher

Bedtimes can become a fierce subject of debate once your child hits a certain age.

Try as you might to follow all of the best parenting advice, ultimately you may end up caving on some days and that’s okay on occasion.

You will face good days and bad days when it comes to keeping your kids to a steady routine, but hang in there, Momma, these things take practice.

Your Spending Habits Change

“You know you're a mom when you have more baby wipes in your purse than cash.”- Anonymous

Apart from the obvious things like Saturday night clothes, make up and breakable ornaments, when you become a mother your spending habits completely transform.

The bulk of your income will be spent on feeding and clothing your kids.

Make sure you set up financial provisions like life insurance, should the worst ever happen to you and you are no longer there to support them financially.

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You Become A Teacher

‘Education is not the filling of a pot but the lighting of a fire.’ –W.B. Yeats In the last year, parents of school aged kids all over the world have been taking part in schooling their children from home.

For some, teaching kids reading and maths etc. has been a great way to bond with their child. So, embrace this home-schooling lifestyle with both hands.

You Understand Your Parents More

“We never know the love of a parent till we become parents ourselves.” -Henry Ward Beecher

Teenagers go through a phase where they think their parents are the uncoolest people in the world.

And when you become a parent yourself, you dread to think of your kids thinking the same when they get older. Sadly, this is the circle of life, and completely normal as your child learns how to become self-sufficient.

But, when you become a mum for the first time, you also start to look at your own parents differently. Hopefully, you look back and realise that they were not so bad after all.

In fact, you may even ring up your parents in tears apologising for all the worry you put them through when you were younger – every parent’s dream.

You Take More Photos

“Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph.” – Matt Hardy

Baby’s first bath, first trip in the car, first meal of solid food, first steps, everything is a Kodak moment when you have a baby.

Luckily, smartphones are always with you to capture those great family moments. When you become a mum your entire phone gallery will be filled with pictures of your kids growing up.

Make sure you never lose them by backing them up and getting print outs of your favourites. We may have moved on from the Polaroid and APS camera days, but old-fashioned baby photo albums will never go out of style.

Your Priorities Change

“There is no greater name for a leader than mother or father. There is no leadership more important than parenthood.”- Sheri L. Dew

Every parent you know will tell you that their kids come first, and this simple statement is never fully understood until you have children of your own.

They really become the centre of your universe, affecting where you live, where you work, what you do with your spare time – pretty much everything. Embrace it with all your heart.

You Look To The Future

“You know your children are growing up when they stop asking you where they came from and refuse to tell you where they're going.”― P. J. O'Rourke

Looking forward to all the milestones your children will reach fills every parent with pride.

You will wonder, as you are holding your baby in your arms, what career they will pursue, their school graduation, their first heartbreak, every life event you can name.

You will want to hold onto every precious second you get with your child as they are growing up, so make sure you plan a future that is rosy for them.

If you can name any other things that change when you become a mum, leave us a comment on our Facebook page.

Lots of Love

Polly