As a mother of 3, I have been through all of these at some point over the course of motherhood.
1. Sell my house. As a newlywed, we were excited to be on our own. It didn’t matter what size house we had. It didn’t even matter what size the bedroom was, as long as the king size bed could fit because the dog needed space at the bottom or in between us. A new baby was a signal for us to embark on a journey of getting our house ready to sell.
2. Buy a new house. Once we got the house sold, now we had to find a bigger house to fit all that stuff we got from the baby shower. For such small creatures, babies sure come with a lot of equipment.
3. Qualifying for a bigger mortgage. It was important that we be able to comfortably afford that bigger mortgage so we met with a mortgage rep. He discussed all of our options and helped us get through the process. Before we even looked for a new house, we had an approval letter from the mortgage company. We were in the driver seat when it came to negotiating.
4. Remodel the bathroom. The bigger mortgage for the bigger house meant we made a few sacrifices on house features. The house we chose definitely needed the bathrooms remodeled. One of the best investments in remodeling a house is the bathroom. Homeowners can re-coop 98% of the cost to remodel so it was a no-brainer.
5. Life Insurance. The weekend we were moving into our new house, my mom was babysitting and in her glory. Oh, to have a tiny baby to cuddle and play with. On the way from my mom’s house to my new house, a car stopped suddenly. My life flashed before my eyes but I did stop in time. Thinking about my new baby and wondering about what might happen to him motivated us to get life insurance. No one wants to think about the heavy topic of death but it is a reality of being in the living.
6. Circle of Friends. Going to parks, having play dates, talking with other mothers who understand became the norm. Right after I had my son, I joined a mom’s group. It was that connection with other moms that helped me get through difficult days and nights. You are at a very vulnerable time in life because it’s a new experience. You were not a mother a year ago and now you are. Having a supportive circle of friends helps to cope with the identify shift, plus gives you someone to vent with. Believe me, you will need it!
7. Join a Gym. Keeping up with a baby is constant movement. After your body goes through pregnancy, getting back into shape not only helps with physically taking care of the baby but also mentally. When you feel good about yourself, you are more able to handle stress.
8. Get a little lipo. Your body changes in ways you might not expect. Remember #6 and the identity shift? Well, say good-bye to your 20-year old body and hello to your post-baby body. Sometimes the gym just can’t help you with those difficult areas like your stomach, hips or outer thighs. Coolsculpting and Smartlipo are simple procedures that can help you reclaim the body shape you want.
9. Career. Some people need to return to their job after having a baby and some women choose to stay at home. The internal agony women go through with choosing can be overwhelming. To me, there is no right or wrong choice, there just IS a choice. But consider a third option, finding a new career. One that allows you to stay at home with the baby and still bring in income to the household. Real Estate, Marketing, and Medical Coding are fields that offer many options.
10. Experiences. How could we not talk about all the amazing experiences having a baby brings into your life? There will be times when you are so frustrated you want to pull your hair out and other times when you can’t get your phone out fast enough to grab an adorable snapshot of your baby’s expression. It’s those moments that will sit with you forever so savor every moment because they grow up so fast.
As a disclaimer, these are some of my clients but this is my story and I’m sticking with it. From one mother to another, enjoy!
About the Author. Kim Adamof is the founder of Raleigh Inbound Marketing and manages many clients in a variety of industries.
