How do you feel being a mother?

@mermaidivy (15395)
United States
April 4, 2011 12:37pm CST
I often hear some mother says her son doesn't cry; he entertains himself in the crib; he sleeps through the nights; he naps good etc... but my son is not quite like that, I know people says every baby is different so we can't compare them with each other, but that makes me wonder if I am doing anything wrong... I do feel good to be a mom, I feel very happy to see him growing and learning everyday. I just wish he would sleep sometimes for me at nights, it could get frustrating when I am all worn out in those sleepless nights and when he is cranky for days... but one thing I know is after all the frustration, he is still my good baby and nothing could be traded him for. So how is your baby like, is it easy?? or difficult? How do you feel being a mom?
5 people like this
19 responses
• United States
4 Apr 11
I have 3 children, and they are all extremely different. My oldest son is now 14.He was my husband's son from a previous relationship, but I adopted him when he was 3 years old and have raised him as my own.He was my most trying child.He had been through a lot and in the beginning had nightmares, serious behavior problems.Many nights I cried myself to sleep.He still is difficult now, but I have learned to deal with his behaviors and put him back in his place. My middle child is my son who is 11.He was a wonderful baby, I was very lucky.He slept 6 hours straight from the time I brought him home.He still is a wonderful little boy, he has his moments, but for the most part, he's been an easy child. My daughter is my youngest.She will be 14 months old on April 10.She is into everything.Grabbing my computer, climbing on tables and couches, going through my cabinets, pulling things off shelves, pulling the dog's fur, terrorizing my cats. She slept well until she was 7 months, since then she wakes up several times during the night. I am so exhausted all the time, and she is just full of energy! She won't nap during the day at all. My husband works a lot, so the children are my "job". My older kids help me a lot with my daughter, which is nice, but during the night, everyone else is asleep and I am awake with her several times. It's very frustrating, I just keep praying her sleep habits will get better!
1 person likes this
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
4 Apr 11
hehe that's cute, sounds like your little one is a little bully already!! just teasing you It is pretty much the only thing I wish that he sleeps through the nights, itmakesmy life lots lots easier if he did. Taking care of him is mostly my job because my husband s a very busy man, he works all the time and he goes on business trips very often.
1 person likes this
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
4 Apr 11
same here, he works so late and gets to get up early, I don't feel like asking him to get up at night so I do it on my own, he wold help sometimes though which is very nice.
• United States
4 Apr 11
According to her doctor, this is normal behavior for her age. It's been a long time since my boys were this small, I must have intentionally forgotten all these behaviors, lol! My husband helps when he is home, but usually he works at least 12 hours a day, so it wouldn't be fair of me to ask him to get up with her at night.
@thetigers (108)
• Philippines
4 Apr 11
My baby was so quite during his 0-12 mons period but when he turned 1 y/o OMG! everything seems so different a quite one turned to wild. i got sleepless night cause he' does'nt sleep during night time when he turned 1, he always wanted to play play and play. he sleeps at 3 or 4 am. But when he grows older things have changed again seems he wanted to be independent. there's no valuable thing will compare for being a mom, it's a joy, a life, everthing. No exact word for me to express the feeling of being a MOTHER.
1 person likes this
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
4 Apr 11
My baby doesn't like to sleep, he likes to stay up, I have heard the they will sleep once they turn 1 year old but I don't think that is the case, I think some is just like that, they have have different personality, some is quiet, some is hyper.
• Philippines
4 Apr 11
yeah every babbies really are different, don't worry from time to time their attitude will change. Try to put nursery rhymes in his room while playing or even while sleeping. It helps.
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
4 Apr 11
Yea I do that, I play waves and some water drips sounds for him when falling asleep, it does help, just the matter of he keep staying asleep for the night or not.
@jaiho2009 (39141)
• Philippines
5 Apr 11
hello ivy, My kids also acts different from each other when they're babies. My daughter is always a crying baby when she's 0-5 months and have a bad sleeping habit,sleeps mosts of the day and awake at night and always crying. My 2 sons are better one when they're babies,they sleep at night and plays in daytime. Being a mother of 3 grown up kids,it's a real challenge. I can't say if i am good mother (for other people to judge me),but i know i am doing my responsibility as a mother and enjoying being a mother and a friend to my kids. Our relationship now with my kids is more of friends,i have to their friends,i have to know their feelings,and i have to get along with them,so they won't have to keep secrets from me. Fear of parents is different from being a friend,it's more comfortable if you treat kids-parents relationship as friends and not just plain kids-parents relationship. enjoy motherhood and you will know more as your baby grows
1 person likes this
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
5 Apr 11
It is what I have heard from people's experience that if you want the teenagers to talk to you or still hang out with you, you want to act like their friends more than parents, is that correct? I'm sure I still have got a lot to learn being a parent.
@devijay78 (1573)
• India
5 Apr 11
My daughter used to stay awake the whole night and not sleep even for a minute! She used to sleep only by 5 or 6 in the morning and that is the time when I get to sleep too! Oh it was so tiring and frustrating! But as you said, nothing in this world would be traded for our little darlings, isn't it? She was like that for about a year. And then she slowly started sleeping at nights. But she would not doze off before 2 or 3 early in the morning. And the time slowly changed. don't worry, your son will change too. But it will be difficult for you till then and hope you get enough sleep when he is dozing.
1 person likes this
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
5 Apr 11
Thanks for your comment. I'm still doing when he sleeps, I sleep pattern to try to get some rest.
@ynahh1 (454)
5 Apr 11
Being a firts time mom is really hard because you need to undergo different adjustment in your life including your sleeping habit,eating habit and even your work schedule.When I first saw my baby it was love at first sight to me.During his 0-12 months old.I cant get enough sleep,i always feel tired and when he turns to a year old he was so naughty and hard to deal with,sometimes he always cry when I leave him for work.Yeah!its difficult but inspite of that when you see your baby smiling all the bitterness,frustration will fade away right?..
1 person likes this
@Jlyn10 (11965)
• Malaysia
5 Apr 11
I agree with you. That's the joy of being a mom.
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
5 Apr 11
That's very true The sleepless nights are difficult but when I see him give me a big smile in the mornng, the tireness will go away.
@Jlyn10 (11965)
• Malaysia
5 Apr 11
I know baby tends to wake up in the middle of the night asking for milk cause he is hungry. What you can do is, when he is about 10 months old or could be less, start giving him water instead of milk, then he would definitely sleep through the night. Don't worry about your baby not sleeping at night, that shows that he is active. Maybe you can try not letting him sleep too much during the day time. I guess you could say that mine was easy, but he usually wakes up before me, lol! He's a talkative one. When he was 2, he really talks alot and it's really fun when babies start to talk. I love being a mom and my son is already 11 years old this year.
1 person likes this
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
5 Apr 11
I try to keep him up forlong during the day but he gets very crnky if he doesn't get to nap so... when he naps during the day, I rest for a bit as well. I think he is active too because he doesn't like to sleep, he only nap for about 30 minutes each time and he always wants to sit up and play.
@SViswan (12051)
• India
19 Apr 11
I have two boys and they are so very different from each other. But I love them both dearly and if it makes sense ...in different ways. As a baby, my older one was an easy baby....independent soon enough...no fuss...no crying...sleep through the night...fixed routine....and easy to adjust....quite mature for his age....never fussy about food....and would have his veggies without having to coax him. MY younger one is the straight opposite.....crying...fussing....whining...fussy eater...and generally give us a hard time. But he is also funny and sweet. He is very active and loves to be out and play with his friends. He is a fixer (that's what he calls his 'engineering bend of mind') and is quick to apply the things he learns.Even today (he is 4), we have sleepless nights thanks to him. It definitely is a challenge to manage two kids who are so different from each other. But I enjoy every moment (though I have days when I am ready to throw in the towel...thankfully they don't last long).
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
19 Apr 11
I understand that, it is tiring to be mom but it is also a joy to be a mom. My baby is like your little one, it can get frustrating sometimes when he won't sleep or refuse to eat but I do enjyo the motherhood!
@jdyrj777 (6530)
• United States
5 Apr 11
I liked being a mother. My son wasnt a cry alot baby but my daughter was. Actually still was well into adulthood til she asked me one day about her own baby,"When is he ever going to stop crying so much?" I answered her ina whinny voice,"I dont know, i keep wondering that about my youngest one too." She protested she wasnt like that. I explained to her how i used to have to sit her in front of the tv news broadcaster just to get away long enough to wash the dishes. If they showed video clips she would cry til the new person came back on. I guesss she was thinking they were talking to her. When she was bigger and able to sit up i had to take her into every room i was in or she would be crying. She was a cry baby till she was in her 20's. I love being grandma much better. I can enjoy them and send them home.
@jdyrj777 (6530)
• United States
6 Apr 11
I guess moms can always send them to grandma for awhile if they live nearby.
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
6 Apr 11
I absolutely wold do that if my mom lives close to me and I'm sure she won't mind a bit.
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
5 Apr 11
haha "I can enjoy them and send them home. " Yeah... moms cannot, moms have to deal with the good times and the tough times.
• United States
4 Apr 11
Gosh I was really lucky compared to some of my friends experiences when it came to their babies being irritable all the time and or lack of sleep. Although mine slept well at night and did not fuss too much during the day. They had their moments and cried at times. The way us mommies see it is that they cannot flat out and tell us what ails and or bothers them so they have to cry, it is all they know at such a young age to do. But life as we know it allows them to grow up and us mommies miss those tears and days when we wish they were little again. So enjoy your little guy, based on the picture in your Id he is so cute and I am sure you are enjoying every second. One thing I remember the most is that when mine got sick they were so quiet and slept all the time and I would worry so much, and wished they would fuss and cry, simply because they are not themselves at the time.
1 person likes this
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
4 Apr 11
Since he turned 6 months old, he has been cranky all the time, he cries as soon as I put him down, he cries when he is alone... he is a demanding baby.
• Philippines
5 Apr 11
I would like to apologize if I'm not able to give a proper response to your question. I'm not yet a mother, but I just want to express that I am happy for your experiences being a mom I know it's enjoyable but not easy. You are lucky you're given the chance to have a child. I wish I will also be as lucky as you.
1 person likes this
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
5 Apr 11
Being a mom is really a joy, you will experience that in the future
@lakshmi11 (278)
• United States
5 Apr 11
hey mermaidivy, I can sympathize with you. - My children are no babies anymore, but I remember that I thought just like you. My first born is a boy. He was such a cute little boy, but nights were a disaster. Sometimes I was so tired that I didn't know if I had taken him in my bed or if he was still in his crib.- I also thought that I made a mistake with him. Then two years later my daughter was born. She slept through the night and was a wonderfully easy baby. This made me realize that I did not make any mistakes. Children are different. And some time later I learned. that baby boys suffer from colics much more than little girls, which makes them cry at night and being cranky sometimes. Try fennel tea. This helps calm the baby down. Rubbing the tummy also helps.- There is also some good news in this. Babies which are difficult as babies and little infants turn often out to be the sweetest teenagers!- Which was true for my boy.- Good luck. Enjoy your baby.- Time goes by fast.
1 person likes this
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
5 Apr 11
I'm so glad to hear that. From all I have heard from people, it always sounded like I have done something wrong with taking care of my son that led him to be cranky and not sleeping at nights... I'm glad to hear your experience, that makesme feel better. I would like to have tougher time for now and have a good teenager
1 person likes this
@iva75cpb (729)
• Bulgaria
6 Apr 11
I feel great being a mother. My daughter is 4 now but to share my experience... Ever since she was born, she rarely cried, I never know what a sleepless night was, I have never had troubles feeding her, nothing. Many people called her the perfect baby. May be. But I don't think we can divide babies to perfect or non-perfect. every child is unique and perfect in their own way and the fact itself that the baby was born makes that child perfect. All the troubles around will pass some day but the great feeling of being a mother will never expire.
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
6 Apr 11
You should call yourself alucky one then because sleepless night is difficult and something that lots of mom have to deal with.
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
19 Apr 11
Good luck!!!! I keep my fingers crossed for you
@iva75cpb (729)
• Bulgaria
7 Apr 11
I wouldn't mind sleepless nights at all, as long as I have the luck to have another child. I'm still working on it. Wish me luck!
• Philippines
5 Apr 11
i had 2 kids already, my eldest turn 11 years old today and my youngest is 9 years old. as i remember when they were babies, i also experience the same thing. i always wakes up in the middle of the night to give them milk or to change diapers. but after 1 or 2 years, i passed those sleepless nights =D maybe it is just a part of having a baby. it will soon change as they grow up. and when they are already grown up, its ironic that you will miss those days that they were still babies. . hmmm, confusing =] but, just enjoy each and every single day with your baby =D it is a wonderful thing to be a mom, very much!
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
5 Apr 11
I think I understand that, although it is difficult to deal with all these sleepless nights, I 'm still missing when he was newborn alreadY!! I can't believe how quick these 6 months went, where did these time go??????
• United States
5 Apr 11
Hi I am a mother of two my son is now 2 years old and my daughter is six months. When I had my son it was easy he never cried and I got all the rest I could get but when I had my daughter it was crying and sleepless nights. I realized that it's not anything that we are doing wrong it's just that every baby adapts to their new world differently some take more time then others so don't stress your self your baby will come around.
1 person likes this
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
5 Apr 11
I'm glad to hear that
@34momma (13882)
• United States
5 Apr 11
As a mother of 3 children, I can honestly say it's the most rewarding and the hardest job in the world. when you realize that you are not raising kids, but creating people who could one day change the world we live in, you start to see them not as just your children, but as their own person. I think that being a Mom is the greatest thing i ever did. the people I am loving, teaching, and molding are going to do wonderful things in their lives!
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
19 Apr 11
I know... it seems likeyou raise the kid then they willrun away just like the birdies, as soon as they can fly, they seperate with their moms, so sad.
@shaggin (72006)
• United States
5 Apr 11
There is nothing better in life to me then being a mother. Just because your baby is fussy and doesnt sleep through the night doesnt make you a bad mother. Like you said every baby is different. I know that I am a good mom. I think there are things that I could do better but I think I am a great mom. My kids are great sleepers and always were. I know a mother who I think is a better parent then I am and all 3 of her kids were terrible sleepers as babies. Its just how some kids are.
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
5 Apr 11
Thanks for your comment, I feel better after I hear other mylotters saying the same thing
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
4 Apr 11
I am very satisfied and comforted in my longtime role as a mother. I can't imagine the feeling of not experiencing motherhood. It is an emotion that cannot be matched by anything else.
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
4 Apr 11
I wouldn't think I could be a mom before I was a mom and now I relaly realize how big mom can be.
@p3ks626 (6538)
• Philippines
5 Apr 11
I am not a mother yet but I am gonna be a few months from now. I am having a baby girl and we are really very excited about it. I hope that when I become a mother I will be the kind of mother my kids want me to be.
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
5 Apr 11
Congratulations! You are going to be very happy when you see your baby girl come to this world I feel like my son was just born yesterday always!
@mlla24 (841)
• Mexico
5 Apr 11
i wanna be a mother, but i dont have man.
@mermaidivy (15395)
• United States
5 Apr 11
Hope you meet a nice man soon in the future