Challenges During the First Year of Raising a Baby

Since my first article focused on things that we managed to achieve in the first year with Sofia, here are some things I was unable to achieve during that time frame.

What I did not do:

• Work out — does long walks pushing the stroller count? Or carrying a 10 kilogram baby?
• Lose weight — I did keep a diet but I gained back all the weight very quickly…will try again
• Pampering myself more, usually when I gained some free time I used to sleep, relax with a book or watch a movie….I did not have energy left for anything else
• I keep in touch with friends, though we do not see each other too often

I was fortunate enough to be able to sleep full nights since the baby was about 9 months old — she learnt to sleep in her own room and stopped waking up during the night. She is not breastfed (not by my choice), she is on formula, which probably helped with the sleep. So it worked fine. She also tends to wake up late in the morning, 9–10, so I have some time to drink my coffee peacefully.

I have never been away from her for more than 3 or 4 hours.. I am not complaining, I am lucky to have an involved husband, a baby who sleeps all night and is healthy, I have what I need materially, I do not have to worry about cooking, because I cannot afford to order cook or count money on what food I buy in the supermarket — which is something I did a lot as a student or when I first got a job. I also live in a nice neighbourhood, I have other babies around and people I can ask for advice. So, overall things are pretty well set up.

Daily, I take her out to play and on long walks, meet with kids, I read her books and use image books, we use development toys. We are lucky to leave in a house with garden — not so common in big cities, most people leave in city blocks, so we have a small playing ground and a house with enough storage space. However, nobody ever says how much dirt a small baby can cause….especially in the kitchen, it seems that I am always cleaning my kitchen and it still needs more :). Finally, last week, I was able to clean the house uninterrupted while she watched what I was doing and played with her books and toys. I felt a small victory since it is a challenge to even take out the washed dishes from the machine :)

However, it is not easy having, for most of the day, the sole responsibility of keeping a baby alive, well fed, clean, entertained, especially since they are not able to communicate their mind, or their needs and you have to guess and eliminate causes of discomfort. Also, it’s important to make sure the place they play within is safe. I secured the first floor of the house so that she can go everywhere and it is safe for her. I do not let her cry in her crib and cry in general, I am trying to make sure her needs are met. Thus far, this strategy has worked — the baby was mostly collaborative. Now she is starting to develop a personality, to gesture what she wants and to protest and she is not allowed to do something

Clothes must be changed quickly, toys as well, it is incredible how fast time flies. Also we have 4 seasons, which means wither clothes, and so on; and changing the wardrobe every couple of months completely. The most complicated periods were during growth spurts, mental leaps and colds. There were indeed days when I didn’t have time to shower.

However, like I stated in my first article, it is all worth it. I am truly blessed. What is your experience during your first year with the baby?