When did you start enjoying motherhood?

[frenchie4002]

I’m 3 weeks PP and in the thick of the newborn trenches. Obviously love my baby but keep thinking wtf have I done😂 when did you start to actually enjoy motherhood?

Shit, not shot.

The older the better! Hard when they can’t talk. Better when they can. Even better at age 4. Really nice at KS2, a golden age. Secondary, I’m now enjoying even more. Maybe it’ll be bliss when they leave home ;-). Tho part of me is really dreading that!

But op, yes, I found it pretty hard, and not that rewarding, when DC were babies. I found the one-way convos quite (very) hard, ditto all the responsibility of puréing (their dull and worthy food), bum wiping, potty training, then into the twos, with teaching boundaries, them crying every time you had to leave the park, oh god, even the boring park. Honestly, I know I sound like a right grouch, which I probably am, but I found it much better when we left the baby and toddler stage behind, and found everything increasingly better the older they became.good luck Op!

For me, life was great when DD1 was 5 and DD2 was 3.

But the baby years are better around 18 months for me

I enjoyed being a mum after my child started school and I only had to parent for 5 hours a day. Prior to that it was such a burden, I couldn’t cope with the amount of hours and I had nobody to step in and do some of the work.

My own mother, on the other hand, loved every single moment of motherhood - so much that she helped neighbours by looking after their kids too. Unfortunately by the time I had my own kids she was too disabled to help me. So it really depends on you as an individual.

As soon as I pushed her out. I hated pregnancy and thought I was a shit mum before she was even born. That all changed when I met her and whilst I've been through the same ups and downs that we all have with motherhood since then, and sometimes hated it, I can honestly say I've loved being a mum since she was placed on my belly

This! 3.5 things started to get easier but I’m only now enjoying it since he started school 😬

About 8-12 weeks I think. Before that it was amazing and awful in equal measure and also a complete blur. I went back to working a couple of days from 6mo so between 3&6 months I enjoyed maternity leave as I knew it was short. From 6mo I had good balance working 2 days / week. I slowly increased my working days over the next couple of years and enjoyed it all - probably mainly because we didn’t have a second! One child is so much easier.

When I started co-sleeping because you can't enjoy anything when sleep deprived. So month 2.

Omg the newborn bit with your first is the wooorst!! The first week I just cried and wished I could go back in time and use contraception 😂🙈 it literally felt like I'd ruined my life.
It started to get easier at around 5 weeks and by 5 months, I loved it.
Getting out really helped me. I went to loads of baby groups and classes as speaking to other mums going through the same kept me sane.

Mine are now 3 and 4 and it's still hard but just in different ways. I love being a mum more than anything and miss the baby days so much now.

I remember sitting there endlessly breastfeeding and thinking 'what the f*ck have I done?'. Honestly it gets easier. When you have recovered from birth. When they start to sleep for longer stretches. When they start to smile. When they feed more quickly 😂. When it becomes less of a slog.

With my first I didn't really enjoy it until about month 3. With my second I enjoyed more, earlier, and more intensely. I fully embraced the sleepy newborn stage as I knew that soon a day would come when they would be going round trashing my house! Now feeling nostalgic for binge watching Netflix and eating cake 😂

When they became teens. No sacarsm here. My two teens are so lovely and they are my BFFs

Yes, my first. I’m encouraged by those saying things might improve in the next few weeks. I had a difficult birth, lost nearly 2l of blood, and then had a series of infections including a nasty bout of mastitis. I’m currently having investigations into another possible infection. I don’t think I’ve ever felt even half as crap as I have done over the past three weeks!

At around 4 months

@museumum I think we will also be a one and done family! Did you get much backlash from your decision? Everyone has said ‘you’ll change your mind and have another!’ or rabbited on about a sibling when I’ve mentioned just having the one. Slightly annoying.

@The3rdWatermelon gosh that sounds awful. Are you going to do a birth debrief, I heard they can be helpful? Mine has been crappy too, my episiotomy stitches are infected and baby blues have hit me like a train the past two weeks. But we’re halfway to 6 weeks which seems to be a turning point for some so fingers crossed it’ll be the same
our end!

Tweens/early teens tbh. I discovered that despite being absolutely driven to have babies and loving them ferociously, the entire baby, pre-school and early primary school eras were just deeply stressful and not a natural type of parenting for me. I felt much more relaxed and enjoyed it more as they got older, when I didn't feel the need to be on constant high alert/alarm and the communication was easier.

I have come to realise after having my kids that I’m really not a big fan of the newborn/ baby stage. There is a real turning point for me around 6 months old.

My kids are much older and I still have the odd day where I wonder what have I done.

I'm 4 weeks PP. I love my baby intensely but we went through a lot to have him (IVF and miscarriages) which are difficult to shake off. We had a week of him sleeping in blocks of 2-3 hours during the night, but now he wakes up every 45mins unless being held... Hoping 6 weeks is the turning point like people say.

I just loved it from the start, but my first daughter was a very easy baby who slept well. My second baby was harder as she had colic and woke every two hours for 9 months, so that was harder. Things get easier but I honestly loved it from the start.

No improvement for me untill 18 months old.

When they got married ....
Sorry
It does get better ...promise

The difference between the first 12 weeks to week 13 and beyond is huge, congratulations and just appreciate the little puffs of loveliness for now

Honestly 12 weeks as that's when I stopped BF and could go on ADs. Genuinely enjoyed her at about the 6 month mark.

Morning OP
congratulations 🎉

I think it took me to get to around 8 weeks before the immediate what the hell has happened to me and my body calmed down. My baby blues didn’t pass so I went to the GP and then after a prescription for citalopram I started to feel more grounded.

You are superwoman, take things at your own pace and if you need extra support, always ask. Hope you have a good day!

Better around 5 month as they become more human so you get a little back. Down hill around 2 (the tantrums!!) properly good around 4/5. Then horrific 12-17. They are great as adults.