Thoughts from a Worried First-Time Mom

How do you not always freak out as a mom? I get it, I am a more high strung personality and I do give myself more permission to worry over some things due to Lillian’s rough start (if you don’t know about her birth then be sure to read here about it).

I thought I was going to be so much more relaxed than other parents, hah, because I had already heard all the little things other parents worried about with their kids and I wasn’t going to worry about those things. Or I thought that since they told me their experiences I would be able to prepare more to handle those situations well.

Okay, so all those stories you heard from other parents will possibly happen to your kid, but in a completely different way. You’ll get your own worrisome stories to share with others that won’t apply to them because kids—apparently—never experience the same thing in the same way.

Also, if you are a first-time mom then there are a bunch of things that happen with your baby that you don’t know are normal. I didn’t know they were normal, maybe you do. But when Lillian’s hair started falling out I got concerned. I was concerned that her not getting any teeth until 11 months wasn’t normal either, but it is for her. You have to learn what’s normal for this baby and then wonder if the next baby will experience the same things in the same way your first did.

The thing that freaks me out the most is anything health related, especially allergy related. You can’t know what children will be allergic to until you introduce them to that item. I get nervous about any health-related problem that Lillian has. She gets a rash, and I wonder if she is going to have a really bad allergic reaction and stop breathing. But all she needed was a little Benadryl. She doesn’t poop for a week as a newborn, and I think her bowels aren’t working, but bowel sounds are normal.

I would like to think that I won’t worry about these little things with my next because, hopefully, the next one won’t have as many medical issues and the next one will be round two and I’ll say, no big deal I am more experienced. But you never know, each child is so different.

Parenting. It is something else. Lillian is an easy baby—I am the one making things difficult with all my worrying. Mamas out there, what helps you to not worry? What books can I read, or do I need to wait for baby number two? Do you ever stop checking in on them in the middle of the night?

If you are a mom and you are a worry wart like me, you will be fine! If I can relax, which I am becoming more relaxed day by day, then so can you! Just know, you aren’t alone. I think it is okay to give yourself permission to worry a little extra with your first cutie, but don’t let it consume you.