Gorgeous Citizen TV news anchor, Janet Mbugua walked down the aisle on May 30, 2015 and said ‘I Do’ to the love of her life and long-time fiancé, Eddie Ndichu, at a colourful invites only ceremony at Chaka Ranch, Nyeri.
The lovely couple would later be blessed with a cute son, Ethan Huru Ndichu, on October 26, 2015, which was the most joyful day in Janet and Eddie’s lives, with their celebrity friends sending congratulatory messages.
5 months down the line, the proud mother of one has truly embraced motherhood with time, but it’s not been easy, and according to her it also came with it’s challenges.
Through her blog, ‘The Journey with Janet’ the TV Presenter is able to share her journey of motherhood and this time she decided to share the struggles she has gone through as a first-time parent. So motivational! Read the post below.
Parenthood is so, absolutely fulfilling, but first time parenting can be frightening. I’ve had an interesting run so far and as Baby Huru or Ethan approaches his sixth monthversary, here are some of the ‘milestones’ I’ve overcome in the last 5 months:
1.COLIC ?
The situation: Man…this was tough. Ethan would lift his leg, crunch his face and let out a wail a sure sign of colic. Baby colic (also known as infantile colic) is defined as episodes of crying for more than three hours a day for more than three days a week for three weeks in an otherwise healthy child between the ages of two weeks and four months. The cause of colic is generally unknown. Baby Huru’s colic was not on the extreme side (he was easily soothed) but it was still stressful.
What I did: I used gripe water, infacol and finally Bonnisan, all recommended by my Pediatrician, the last two of which helped a great deal. They’re not medicinal per say but they certainly soothe the baby for a period of time before the next episode. I also waited patiently for Huru to hit the 3 month mark to kiss colic good bye, and now I sing all kinds of praise hymns because colic is behind us! Mothers to be, and new mums, worry not! It literally lasts three to four moths max and then it’s gone!
2. SLEEP DEPRIVATION
The situation: The night before I left the hospital to take Baby Huru home with my husband, I decided it was time to spend an entire night with him. He had been under the care of the nurses for five nights and I had such an urge to spend more time with him and get a feel of what life at home would be like. It was brutal; he woke up every hour, I kept buzzing the nurses to ask what I was doing wrong until I finally handed him back at 6 am to get some sleep before we went home. I’m glad I experienced it because it gave me a feel of what those nights of sleep deprivation are like. Five months in, I’m not quite used to it but I’ve figured out so many coping mechanisms, that its not as daunting as it was especially during the first three months.
What I did: The first few months, I just went along with it so that I could understand Baby Huru’s different cries and sings. now, when I hear him begin to whimper, I know that he’ll be up any minutes, so I wake up ahead of time to prepare his feed and keep a diaper ready in case he needs a change. By the time he’s fully up I go on army mode and before long, he’s back to sleep. So far so good! On the nights I feel too tired, I ask the nanny to stay with him so that I can get my system back up and running again. The combination of the two has helped a lot!
3. LACK OF KNOW-HOW
The situation: The first three months, I was confused about everything happening with and around the baby. But you can’t blame me! It’s not easy to know how to bring up a child if you haven’t done it before. It’s experiential learning, since one-size-fits-all can’t be applied to parenting. Four months in, I started to get into some kind of routine. Five months in, I’m genuinely enjoying the mother-baby bonding without all the worry that overshadowed the first few months.
What I did: The only solution for this one is to follow your gut and learn as you go!
4. CHANGE IN DAILY ROUTINE
The situation: The newborn baby requires much care and attention. Your life may become an endless cycle of feeding, changing diapers, soothing your crying baby and putting him to sleep. Then there is the additional work of washing baby clothes, keeping bottles sterilised, making baby feed and purchasing baby supplies. Before you know it, time swiftly passes by without the achievement of other family goals.
What I did: tried my best to nip this one in the bud by making sure my support system was in place and thinking ahead, planning what happens during what part of the day. Because babies are adaptable, you can put them on YOUR schedule, which helps you get things done as well
5. FRIENDS – YOU’LL WIN SOME, YOU’LL LOSE SOME
The birth of a child will impact all your relationships including your friendships. Some friends may slowly drift away as your hectic schedule is no longer able to facilitate the friendship.
What I did: I moved on!
