First time mum. Fed up of being told how awful it will be and hoping I'm not being overly optimistic.

[GingerDoodle]

We're expecting out first at the beginning of October. I will be honest, i've had a bit of a point to prove from the start as my best friend helpfully informed me I would become boring and no longer myself as soon as I got pregnant.

Overall i've been lucky and felt pretty good with pregnancy so far (minus horrid sickness and my current carpal tunnel) and as such have more or less carried on as normal with nights out, parties, life etc. I've cheerful smiled through the more or less constant lectures from some friends that I should take it easy, should not do x, that I won't be able to keep it up etc.

But now the doubts are starting to creep in about after the birth. Obviously its going to be a huge huge change when baby arrives. Obviously i'll be tired, emotional and possibly (probably) physically sore. But why does everyone feel the need to laugh / sneer at the suggestion that given a few weeks I won't be feeling like the world is ending? At the beginning of November there's a party I throw every year, I have no intention of cancelling - its my dh's birthday party, its at home, my folks and friends will be on hand to help and I'm planning on starting in the afternoon anyway. But everyone seems to think I am insane?

Am I?

Just wanted to say I completely agree with fruitybread - it's quite bewildering to go from being organised and highly efficient to floundering and not being an expert.

I know for me the party would have been too much - well I was back in hospital with infected stitches for a start - but know ithers who coped marvellously with that kind of outing.

Keep positive - but also keep sensible. Don't try to prove anything to other people ( eg bounding around up and down stairs to show how quickly you can recover from a cs) - put yourself first.

think it's very personal as to how you'll feel. i was back playing a very physical sport less than 2 weeks after having ds (my first) and went on a skiing holiday when he was 6 weeks old (i did wait until he was born to book - as had i needed a CS this may not have been possible). i'd been filled with horror stories too but to be honest, i didn't like pregnancy at all (just because it prevented me doing my sport in the last 20 weeks) and it was such a relief to get him out that everything afterwards seemed easy! i don't think there's anything wrong with planning a party and seeing how you're feeling. people are all different and some like to change / others stay the same.