Last weekend we went to a BBQ and music festival down the road from us, they had given away tons of free tickets for local residents so it was a great opportunity to go and listen to some music and eat some BBQ! My husband being American, this was right up his street. However 15 mins in, I basically said "This is when you wish you didn't have children ( I don't mean wish they didn't exist but wish somebody else would look after them for a day!) and could just sit here and drink all day and not have to get up tomorrow morning". So it got me thinking how does 24 hours in a pre-baby life (PB) compare to now?
Friday 5pm
PB: Have a look around the office and ask: "Can we leave work and go to the pub now?"
Friday Feeling= it's the weekend! We get to sleep in!
Now: Put baby in the high chair with finger foods and try to shove as much puree in to her mouth in the hope this will help her sleep.
Friday Feeling = it's the weekend! Daddy will be here to help to look after the baby!
Friday 5.30pm:
PB: Drinking in the pub or on the way home wondering where we can for dinner
Now: Check time, 90 mins to go (until 7pm, which is BED TIME!)... Clean high chair, clean baby and wonder if you have to bath her or if she's "not that dirty"
Friday 6.30pm:
PB: Still drinking in the pub or on the way somewhere for dinner.
Now: Check time, 30 mins to go... whilst breastfeeding baby and reading stuff on the iPhone
Friday 9pm:
PB: Nice dinner out somewhere
Now: TV and start contemplating going to bed
Friday 11pm:
PB: Go to bed or have one last drink somewhere
Now: Asleep
Saturday 3am:
PB: Asleep
Now: get up to deal with baby (sometimes for the first time in the night, sometimes not...)
Saturday 7am
PB: Asleep
Now: wake up to the sound of a baby moaning, feed baby in bed and put her in between us with plenty of toys and hope she will play quietly so we can snooze, what actually happen is she "attacks " us, pulls our hair, screams (happy scramming but still screaming!), tries to leap off the bed etc.
Saturday 9am:
PB: Asleep
Now: Go to your Osteo appointment because giving birth has wrecked your body and having your bones cracked now counts as "me time". It's raining and the streets are empty and the peace and quiet alone feels so nice!
Saturday 10am:
PB: Wake up, have a leisurely peaceful breakfast
Now: Make your way home from the Osteo to find the Baby has had a 90 mins nap, this only happens when daddy is in charge.
Saturday 12pm:
PB: Put on a coat and your shoes and make your way to the festival
Now: Feed baby in the high chair, clean high chair and clean baby. Spend 15 mins getting "ready" and loading the buggy with water, snacks, toys, rain cover etc etc. Pray baby falls asleep in the buggy on the way there.
Saturday 3pm:
PB: relax listening to music, eating delicious food and drinking
Now: listen to music but not too close for fear of damaging baby's ears, play "pass the baby" so one of you can eat whilst the other tries to entertain the baby and stop them from eating grass
Saturday 5pm
PB: have another drink and keep enjoying the festival
Now: Home! Time for dinner. Feed the baby, clean the high chair, and clean the baby. You could have fed the baby in the buggy at the festival but you forgot to bring food and everybody was getting tired.
Saturday 7pm
PB: now you're really having a good time and loving the music
Now: now you're really happy as baby is asleep
Saturday 9pm:
PB: head home from the festival pretty drunk!
Now: think about going to bed and then remember it's Saturday night so stay up until 10PM.
In summary:
PB: lots of sleep, drinking, relaxing and peace
Now: lots of work, cleaning, not so much sleeping but so much love and pure happiness
How do your pre- and post-baby lives compare? Have things changed more or less than you expected? Are there things you just wouldn't do anymore? Do you long for you pre-baby life sometimes?
The original version of this was published on my blog here:
https://myaalife.wordpress.com/2015/09/07/24-hours-pre-baby-versus-now/