35 Triumphs of My First Year in Motherhood

low cost IUI

Celebrating a first birthday is truly a milestone, but let’s be honest—it’s more of a party for the parents than for the little one! And if you can, try to schedule the festivities during naptime. This first year isn’t just about cake and balloons; it’s a monumental celebration of survival.

Surviving those moments when I feared my newborn might go hungry because I forgot to set my alarm for his next feeding, which only allowed me a brief 32-minute nap after another hour of feeding and another hour of soothing him to sleep. Surviving the time I attempted to arrange lunch with a friend, only to spend 25 minutes packing the diaper bag, 50 minutes feeding and changing my baby, and then bundling him up, only for him to poop right as I was loading him into the car. Yep, I made it through that!

As my son prepares to celebrate his first birthday this week, here’s a list of my personal victories:

1. I managed to spend 12 hours a day alone with a newborn and two sleepy cats.
2. I became a pro at typing on my phone while breastfeeding (bonus points for doing it in the dark!).
3. By week three, I stopped worrying that every waiter and bartender in town had seen my nipple.
4. I only shed a few tears when I forgot my breast pads and leaked all over Old Navy.
5. My son didn’t swallow anything that required a trip to the ER.
6. I limited my late-night Amazon binges to just twice a week.
7. I learned to prepare baby food without any mishaps.
8. I didn’t always buy organic, and somehow, my son survived!
9. I attended a handful of baby yoga classes, mostly for the free childcare.
10. I only dozed off while breastfeeding every other night (and miraculously never dropped him).
11. My son only managed to pee in my face a couple of times.
12. Bath time was a success—no poop incidents!
13. My son only face-planted into the iPad screen once during our binge-watching of “Orange is the New Black.”
14. I accepted that poop explosions and laundry replaced my nights out with wine and cheese.
15. It took just seven tries to figure out the Bjorn.
16. We experienced only one episode of projectile vomiting.
17. I only cried once at the checkout counter in Target.
18. I never spaced out and left my baby behind somewhere.
19. I wore mismatched shoes to work only once.
20. My husband and I didn’t split up (and I only contemplated it a few times).
21. My son didn’t consume any cat litter.
22. He also managed to avoid eating dog poop.
23. I acknowledged that half my wardrobe might never fit again.
24. I smiled through the embarrassment when my son was the only one shrieking in Gymboree class.
25. I panicked a few times and Googled “why isn’t my child crawling?” when he didn’t start until 11 months.
26. My son never fell through the bucket swing.
27. He only bit another child once.
28. He didn’t choke, or if he did, he figured out how to cough it up before it became an emergency.
29. I survived a day at the beach, managing to only burn myself, not the baby.
30. I kept my job, even while planning his birthday party during work hours.
31. I didn’t suffocate my husband in his sleep, despite his obliviousness to our son’s 3 a.m. screams.
32. I resisted the urge to smother him the next morning when he casually remarked, “The baby was up last night? I didn’t hear anything!”
33. I refrained from snapping at everyone who asked if my son was crawling when he wasn’t.
34. My son never once toppled off the changing table, even without using that buckle (who actually uses that?).
35. I’ve embraced the fact that saggy boobs and gray hair are a fair trade for my adorable son.

So, here’s to my first year of motherhood—happy birthday to ME! For more insights into this journey, check out this article on home insemination.

And if you’re looking for ways to boost fertility, here’s a great resource. For additional information on pregnancy and home insemination, visit this excellent resource.

Summary

The first year of motherhood is a roller coaster of challenges and triumphs. From mastering the art of multitasking while breastfeeding to navigating the chaos of baby care, each moment is a testament to resilience. Celebrate your victories, no matter how small—they’re all significant milestones in the journey of parenting!