10 things that instantly change when you have a baby

Life after having a baby is forever altered. And as a parent you definitely feel forever altered. As soon as you have responsibility for those ten tiny toes and everything besides, things can never be the same. But as well as the big ones, there are a lot of little changes to both you and your daily life, that happen suddenly yet often without you realising. Before you know it, you dress differently, think differently and talk differently. 

It inevitably happens to us all, you’re not alone!

Here are 10 things that change after having a baby, some are funny, some are annoying but they’re all, undoubtedly, true.

1. You can no longer travel light, even to the shops. In fact, it would be helpful to know where Mary Poppins bought her carpet bag from, because the amount of junk your baby seems to need for every single trip out feels like you’re constantly packing for a mini-break.
2. Being on time is a thing of the past. You could blame being late for everything on all the stuff you have to pack, although there’s always your baby’s ever-changing nap pattern and poorly timed nappy explosions to ruin your timekeeping too.
3. Outfit planning is no longer in your vocabulary. Well, your outfit planning at least. You may well think about your baby’s wardrobe for hours - they’ll always be dressed as sharp as a pin. Whereas yesterday’s milk-stained top and a pair of leggings found on the floor is about all you can hope to achieve in the fashion stakes. But hey, they’re only going to end up with poo or wee on them anyway right?
4. Your hobbies cease to exist. It’s totally normal to switch from being a well-rounded individual to talking and thinking about your baby pretty much non-stop, isn’t it? Asking for a friend…
5. Conversations are now decidedly… different. Whether that’s because 70% of what you say is to your baby, ‘Oh yes it is, do you want some milk milk my little munchkin, do you?’, or because your little one is all you and your partner can now talk about, you’re possibly not quite as up on world affairs and diverse conversational topics as you once were. But back to more important matters, have you shown everyone the last 50 snaps of your baby snoozing in his new swing yet? 
6. And of the things you talk about - to mum friends, your partner, your family or online buddies - burps and bowel movements are probably one of your favourite and most interesting topics. You don’t recall maybe ever talking about such things before having a baby, but now the subject is an enthusiastic daily occurrence.
7. Your thoughts are almost entirely driven by sleep. Their sleep, your sleep, that baby from the buggy walk’s sleep who apparently does 6 hour stretches every night. Welcome to your new obsession in life. Yawn.
8. You’re now on first-name terms with the GP receptionist and local pharmacist. Who knew little babies have so many appointments, not to mention potential ailments?!
9. Long showers are now something for other people, and the idea of a relaxing soak in the bath is laughable. You’ve moved seamlessly from the luxury of shower, hair, make-up by yourself to being good to go in two minutes... and even that’s too long for your impatient baby some of the time. Where are his manners?!
10. Your memory is, well, a bit naff right now. While you can probably tell everyone the length of each of your baby’s naps for the last three days, you can no longer remember the two items you needed from the shop. Whether it’s baby brain or plain old lack-of-sleep brain, things definitely aren’t functioning quite as sharply as they should.

Wow, when you consider the huge instant impact these little humans have on our lives, it's no wonder they’re designed to be so adorable we can’t help but let them away with it!  

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