Baby groups have been one of the biggest learning curves since having a baby. At 4 weeks the time had come where I could just about brush my hair and put on clothes often enough to leave the house with dignity. Not to mention I had found myself watching this morning and not only enjoying it but giving a lamb recipe a go. This is a serious sign it is time to get out. But where an earth was I meant to start?
I always imagined during pregnancy you would be given information on local groups or during your first outing to the coffee shop the group of mums would approach you like charity workers in tabards. But no due to the lack of NCT groups thanks to a pandemic and the fact parenting did not result in the sudden admission to a secret society, I was left with no choice but to join any community page I could and search groups, babies and parenting (this did not always result in useful content).
This is where you will make your first new parent error by signing up to so many groups and courses it would take experience as an event co ordinatior to manage our calendar. I mean new baby and regular appointments, what could go wrong?
Well I attended six weeks of the most expensive baby naps of my life. How was I supposed to know that the 16-20 hours a newborn will sleep will always fall at the wrong time. Now fortunately I was told that newborns take 70% in whilst asleep, fantastic news then as he already takes more in asleep that I do when awake. Now you would think that your baby sleeping may mean that you can just sit back and have a rest…but no, you need to be involved in case someone else’s baby is watching (this was actually told to the group).
The music begins you turn to the woman next to you, suspecting she is equally as nervous but no….instead she is using sign language to say hello to the sun and appreciate all her friends. Oh god I don’t know how to sign, why is she so good? Was there pre-reading I missed? Am I an awful mum? My god how many times has she done this class? Now based on the fact I did French for 5 years and can still only just tell you my name and that I’m off swimming, this would not naturally be my moment of glory but….
I looked this mother dead in the eye and I made up as many big moves in front of my sleeping baby as I could, until even her child couldn’t take their eyes of me. This resulted in her checking her once confident moves with the instructor. First time parent 1 – baby group regular 0.
Lesson learnt this week, is one I bought from pre parent life – lack of confidence can stop us achieving.
This lesson may mean my baby can’t ever do sign language, but my god he will be able to dance.
Honestly surviving parenting 