8 Things I Don’t Do Since Becoming a Mom (and 1 Thing I Do…)

mom playing with little girl on floor

It goes without saying that having a baby changes your life. Sure, you can say things won’t be different – that you’ll still get together with friends, go out to dinner and see a movie in the actual theater every now and then – but in reality, things are never quite the same once that little bundle of joy arrives. The change is good, don’t get me wrong, but there are some things I miss about my life B.C. (before children).

Here are eight things I no longer do since becoming a mom.

Spoiler Alert: most of these have to do with my sleeping and personal hygiene habits.

I don’t feel rested.

Ever. And I’m pretty sure every parent in the history of parenting could say the same thing. I had no idea what I was talking about every time I uttered the words “I’m tired” before I had a baby. I’m sorry if I even said those words in the presence of anyone who had kids because I clearly didn’t understand the meaning of sheer exhaustion. Did you know that it’s possible to function in society on less than three nonconsecutive hours of sleep? It’s not pretty, but it’s possible. And I’ve done it several times since becoming a mama.

I never sleep through the night.

This is related to No. 1 but I cannot remember the last time I slept through the night – regardless of my child’s sleeping habits. Even when my toddler sleeps all night (which still seems to be a rare occasion at almost 2 years old), I find myself awake at least once during the night due to needing a bathroom break, hearing a noise over the monitor or the dog pacing back and forth. Anything and everything seems to wake me up, and it’s not cool.

I never do one thing at a time.

Motherhood is the name and multitasking is the game. These two are synonymous. There are only so many hours in the day and there is an ungodly amount of laundry to tackle, dishes to wash and noses to wipe. I believe it’s a skill that you automatically inherit once you become a mom because it becomes absolutely necessary for survival. Need an example? Right now I’m typing this post, reading an article about postpartum hair loss (because I’m pretty sure it’s happening…), watching the news on TV and soothing my newborn by rocking her bouncy seat with my foot. Boom.8 Things I Don't Do Since Becoming a Mom | Kansas City Moms Blog

I never eat an uninterrupted meal.

At home, anyway. The other night, I got up from the table seven times during supper. Seven. I fetched milk. I picked up a dropped spoon. I forgot my own napkin on the counter. My daughter needed ketchup. And then she needed more ketchup. I don’t even think we were eating a meal that required ketchup, but what baby wants, baby gets apparently.

I never drink hot coffee.

See No. 4 above. I don’t even try to drink a hot cup of coffee anymore. I might even prefer iced coffee nowadays since I already expect it be cold. That way, I’m not disappointed when I go take my first drink 37 minutes after I originally brewed my cup and it’s room temperature. Coffee that’s supposed to be hot and tastes cold is no good. Coffee that’s cold and supposed to be cold? Winning.

I never wash my face with hot water.

I always make it a point to wash my face before falling into bed at night, sometimes it’s the only “shower” I get that day, but I’m far too tired and lazy to wait for the water to actually get warm. Maybe our water heater is on the fritz but it seems to take an abnormal amount of time for the warm water to kick in up in our master bathroom and I refuse to waste precious minutes when I could be sleeping waiting for hot water. So, I wash my face with cold water instead. Surely there are some health benefits to this? Anyone?

I don’t wash my hair.

I used to shower, wash, dry and straighten my hair every day before I had kids. That idea is almost laughable now that I’ve birthed two babies. I’m lucky if I get to rinse off for 5 minutes every other day and dry shampoo is my new best friend.8 Things I Don't Do Since Becoming a Mom | Kansas City Moms Blog

I don’t care what you think.

Sorry if that sounds harsh but when it comes to my kids, I don’t really care if you agree with all (or none) of my parenting decisions. Becoming a mom has given me a sense of confidence that I didn’t really have before. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely had (and still have!) the typical mom moments where I questioned every move I was making when it came to taking care of an infant. We all have those days. But over time, I’ve realized that my husband and I are the only ones that know what’s best for our children. There are a million different ways to raise a child and what works for our family might not work for yours, and that’s OK.

As moms, we give up a lot of things. Some of the above are pretty trivial in the grand scheme of things. Unless you’re sitting within close range and I’m on day 3 of unwashed hair and stained yoga pants, maybe.

One thing I actually get to DO since becoming a mom?

Love deeply and fiercely.

The love a mom has for her kids is on another level. It’s intense and awesome. I would go to the ends of the earth to make sure my babies never feel pain, to protect them from being hurt or scared. I put their needs and wants before my own without even thinking twice. I could burst into tears right now thinking about how much I love them. Being their mama is the best thing in the whole world and everything that I’ve sacrificed since becoming a mom is so, so worth it.

Mackenzie Oakley
Hi! I’m Mackenzie, wife to Justin and mama to three beautiful babes. I grew up in Sioux Falls, SD and headed south for college in Lincoln, NE where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from UNL. I met my husband while I was visiting family in Kansas City in August 2007 and we've been together ever since. After graduating college in 2008, I landed my first job in Kansas City, Justin and I bought a house in Olathe, got married and started our little family. We’ve called the KC-area home for almost 10 years now! I work full-time for a small marketing firm and spend what little free time I have loving on my kids, attempting a little DIY here and blogging over at Baby By Oakley.