Are You REALLY Ready for Parenthood? Know What Geetanjali Has To Say?
Hello, dear parents to be; I am a mother of 1.5 year old and often thought of sharing my experience on parenthood with couples who are planning or willing to become parents.
So here it goes,
I was, and I am, Affectionate towards Kids, babies, toddlers, and they are/were always my weak point. Whenever I would see a child, I would quickly go cuddle or atleast give a wide smile.
It was almost like a mother and daughter relationship with my niece, so much so that everyone who saw us together would think that she was my daughter. Maybe I had that Motherly feeling in me; that’s what I thought, and I was confident enough that motherhood and having a kid would be a smooth sailing journey for me.
Soon when I got the news that the Little one was about to come, we were on Cloud 9! Almost flying in the sky like a balloon !! But soon, that balloon busted and gave goosebumps of reality.
I was almost in shock that why I was not so happy and always in panic mode when it came to my baby? Why all that cuddly feeling is gone more into “oh, my baby should not get hurt”. Why do I have these sudden anger attacks? And the list continues…
Thinking About Parenthood Made Me Realise;
– I was Overconfident about Motherhood
– I was not ready for the responsibility,
– I was Not ready for selfless love
– Most importantly, I was not ready to Accept the Change
Once you realise what is lacking and limiting, it’s getting easier to work on it. I will definitely suggest mommies be as well as daddies; before going ahead with your decision of having a baby, sit together and ask each other and yourself, are we really ready for this? At times we tend to make ourselves financially stable and also, most of the time, ready with all the materialistic stuff of being a parent (e.g., preparing a nursery for a baby, a hospital bag etc.)
But What About Mental Preparation?
I think that’s the most important thing to do. So what can you do about mental preparation for Parenthood?
Listen to your inner voice
Understand that it’s not going to be super easy but be ready for the fun-filled roller-coaster ride.
Research
Read books, go through authentic social media sites
Communicate
- Talk to your gynaecologist; whatever your problems or questions will be, talk it out,
- Talk to your parents, inlaws, and friends but make sure you are not comparing or panicking listening to their stories; everyone’s journey is different and special.
Counseling
In my opinion, this is most important. Taking a counselling session with a psychologist will make you mentally prepared.
Keep your mind calm
Practice breathing, do whatever you love doing, and be happy from within.
In my opinion, below are a few points on which you can think over; Ask yourself
Career
- Are you settled in your career?
- Are you ready to work when you conceive and throughout your pregnancy?
- Are you ready for the career gap (if required)?
- Are you financially stable/Independent?
Health
- Are you physically fit?
- Are you mentally strong and ready?
- Are you ready to take necessary actions about your health? (Excercise, yoga, change of lifestyle etc.)
- Are you ready for the postpartum changes in your body?
Relationship
Are you ready to build a relationship? (With your baby, trust me, it does take time.)
Apart from above mentioned “Gyan”, make sure you and your partner are spending enough time with each other before being ready for parenthood. Now, this thought will definitely have too many questions as everyone’s thinking process is different.
Some may say the earlier you take the chance, the better; some say to let it happen when the time is written. Also check this article to know the 15 signs that you are ready for parenthood.
If you ask me, I would definitely say, take your time; your life will surely going to change once the Little one arrives, so make sure you are doing all the things as much as possible before you take the big step of being a parent.
Do give it a thought!
There will be many more branches of this tree called parenthood; make sure you grow and nurture the seed you have planted with love and affection so that it will flourish and the root will be strong.
Parenting is a journey with its ups and downs, but as I said earlier, before taking a big step, always ask yourself, are you Really Ready for Parenthood?
As Elizabeth stone rightly said,” Making a decision to have a child is momentous; it is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body”.
All the best, Parents to be.
