#MOTHERHOODMONDAYS FEATURING LAUREN'S MUMMY

Hello you lovely lot and welcome back to another instalment of the #MotherhoodMondays guest post series; a weekly feature for mothers to share their stories about their incredible journeys of motherhood in all kinds of forms. Don't forget to get in touch if you want out get involved, we're always looking for some more mamas to guest post for us.

For this week's feature we have the lovely Katrina from Lauren's Mummy. I am very happy that Katrina got into contact to share her wonderful post about being an anxious first time mummy. I feel you, as a first time mum myself I understand exactly what you mean by being an anxious mummy, along with so many first time parents. But rest assured, we soon found our happy medium. Even though my little lady will be turning three in the summer, I still have those moments where those moments of anxiety stop me in my tracks. It is something that will take time. So for now, I'm going to hand you over to the very lovely Katrina...

Hello, my name is Katrina, I’m 26 years old and I live in London with my one-year-old daughter, Lauren. My blog is my place to document all the highs and lows with being a first time mummy to my daughter, which I would love for her to read in the future. You will find a wide range of topics on this blog including tips and advice for other first time mums, our everyday day life and so much more.

The Anxious First Time Mummy

Becoming a mother is one of the most amazing things that could’ve ever happened to me and you. Right? Watching your little bundle of joy grow daily, from sleeping most of the day to refusing to sleep at all; it truly is a great experience. It’s not always as rosy as it seems though.

In 2015 I found out I was pregnant and my whole life changed. Literally. Fast forward nine months of stretchmarks, tiredness and weight gain I had a beautiful baby girl. Before I had my daughter I wasn’t mentally or physically prepared for the massive turn my life would take. The sleepless nights were the biggest shock for me, because I loved my sleep. I was getting at least four hours of sleep each night, waking up with massive bags under my eyes and a banging headache! Changing nappies were okay but sometimes I’d change her and once cleaned she’ll end up doing a massive poo.

Becoming a mother comes with a huge responsibility and people around you may expect so much. As a first time mummy I felt that extra pressure to do things right. I was constantly asking my mum questions, googling different things about my baby and generally really anxious about her reaching her milestones.

Lauren reaching her milestones was one of my biggest worries. I would attend baby groups at my local children’s centre, and babies her age were crawling and reaching out for their mummies. I would find myself subconsciously stressing over why she hasn’t started crawling at six months, or why she doesn’t want to wean yet. (We are currently still breastfeeding at twelve months!) I realised that every baby is different, as cliché as it may sound they all develop differently.

Lauren started crawling on her own one day, and is now trying to walk without any help from myself or her daddy. Sometimes when I have a minute to myself I think back to her earlier months, when I was anxious about almost everything! Now Lauren is a mini diva, has her own personality and is developing at a rapid pace. Why on earth was I so worried?!

Becoming a mum for the first time we have so many expectations thrown at us. We are expected to get our pre- baby bodies back, look after a baby, do the washing and cleaning. The list goes on! With a little help from your partners, family and friends it always makes the journey a bit smoother.

My mum was my biggest cheerleader, and greatest help. Having four children and being an experienced Midwife I was in safe hands. The help was really needed. From waking me up at night to do a feed or helping me wash Lauren’s clothes’ I’d be a big mess today without the help.

Fast forward to today and my baby is a year old! The sleepless nights have become less frequent, the nappy changes aren’t as messy and we have developed a routine. The next milestone we hope to hit is putting Lauren into nursery and I can then finally return to work.

First time mummies, more experienced mummies we are all doing fantastic jobs raising our little ones! We deserve the credit and shouldn’t be so hard on ourselves anticipating milestones because our babies will do everything in their own time.

Thank you for your post Katrina. If you liked this post don't forget to share, share, share. I'm sure that it will be more than appreciated. Remember sharing is caring. You can find Katrina over at Lauren's Mummy.