Tell Asda about your pre-birth ideals versus post-birth reality - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

[AmeliaMumsnet]

We're all guilty of viewing parenthood with thick rose-tinted glasses... before we give birth. Who amongst us didn't have lofty ideals - never putting your child in front of the TV, reading Shakespeare to it every afternoon? Maybe you thought that dummies were the work of the devil or that every bit of baby food would be pureed from vegetables grown in your garden’s organic vegetable plot. And then the baby is born and reality comes crashing down like a tonne of nappies.

What high-minded expectations did you have for your parenting before your baby was born? And how have they played out now you have the real thing? Share your pre and post birth comparisons below and we’ll enter you into a prize draw to win a £300 Asda voucher.

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Thanks, and good luck!

MNHQ

GOING TO TAKE TURNS DURING THE NIGHT, NOW ITS 95%

I can remember getting information about breastfeeding, and it sounded like on of the most loveliest things in the world, so I was quite enthusiastic about doing it before baby was here. Literally the day after she was born I can remember having problems with her latching on, then it turns out she wasn't getting enough because she dropped too much weight. So, I had to see a breastfeeding support weaker (had no idea this role existed), she gave me pointers to improve my position etc so baby could get more milk. On top of not quite doing it right I quickly got very sore nipples, i was up all night sometimes it seemed doing it as she seemed to do a lot of cluster feeds. Eventually it settled down and became a nice bonding activity, but boy was it tough going at first! If i knew the reality of bread feeding and how tough it could be the. I wouldn't have been as enthusiastic to try it before hand. Though i wouldn't change it for the world!

My pre-birth ideal was to have a water birth whilst listening to The Beatles' 'Get Back'. Instead, my dd decided to shoot out 11 weeks early and I nearly ended up deliverying her on the floor!

That i would NEVER have an epidural! At my labour workshop the midwives made it sounds like the most horrendous thing that could ever take place during your labour. The had a pregnant dummy wired up on a bed with a catheter set in and i was horrified!!

5 hours in and no amount of back rubbing and gas & air was cutting it....so i reluctantly signed the paper work and it was by far ( for me ) the best thing i ever decided to do!! I fell asleep during my labour, was woken by the midwife for an examination and my son's head had been crowning whilst i was sleeping!

I always pictured a rosy glow of calm days basking in the love of my baby. I would easily fall into a routine and would spend countless hours just cuddling and being with my son. The reality turned out a lot different. I still had those quiet moments where i just held him in a quiet calm house but more often than not it was a daily routine of utter chaos and hard work. Feeding times were a battle as i strove to live up to my ideal of breastfeeding. Every night being woken up on average every 3 hours. Dragging my feet out of bed and feeding my baby but then spending another hour changing and trying to get him off to sleep only to have to wake up again an hour later. :) Not the ideal picture i had painted in my mind. But it all passes in the end.

I had the idea of having those "Mary Poppins" children absolutely perfect
I would be like Mary Poppins myself i would not shout at my children and i won't need a break i will spend every single minute with them.
The reality is no child is perfect. I do need those breaks and i do find myself telling my children off. But i love my kids unconditionally and would not change it