Being a first time mom and a preemie mom

It has officially been 6 months of me being a mom to a beautiful little boy! I am beyond obsessed with him 

and everything he does and love seeing him grow everyday. There's been a lot of times I've found myself 

wondering what I did before he was here and how it's all been such a blur. No matter what anyone told me 

before he arrived, I was definitely not prepared. I think part of that was the challenges that came along 

with him being 8 weeks early, but also the combination of being a first time mom and facing everything 

head on for the first time and learning on the job! 

FIRST TIME MOM

Being a first time mom and parent is hard for anyone and everyday is a new challenge. There is also 

something that surprises me and something that I didn't expect. Whether that be how you will do anything 

and everything to make your baby smile and laugh, even in public without getting embarrassed, or the joy 

you get when your baby finally goes to the toilet after not going for a few days.

I have done several blog posts on different aspects of motherhood and am very open about the difficulties 

and challenges. However I am forever grateful to be a mother and experience this new chapter in my life.

 In no way is this an easy job, but it is the most rewarding job I will ever have. 

Experiencing the cuddles and smiles for the first time and no matter how many times you are up in the 

night with only a few hours sleep, you are still so happy to see them. I have found being a first time 

mom to be very overwhelming. The constant worry and anxiety and pressure to do everything right. 

The fear, uncertainty and winging it is difficult, but the growing together is the best. As mothers we put so 

much pressure on ourselves to be the best and have a picture perfect life, but what people don't see is the 

dark moments when your baby goes to sleep and it's just you alone. We are both in the experiencing and 

navigating life for the first time together. It's so important to remind ourselves that there are ups and 

downs and together we are growing and learning. 

PREEMIE MOM

Nobody ever expects to be a preemie mom and when it happens you are overcome with worries, fears, 

stress, information from hospitals and so much more. Early on in my pregnancy I started to get a feeling 

that he was going to be early, mainly because he was very low from the start. I thought he would be 2-3 

weeks early, not 8 weeks. I have spoke about certain details further in my birth story, but nothing could've 

prepared me of the after of having a preemie baby. 

The time until the baby's due date doesn't really count, and they will have a corrected age and actual age 

up until they are 2. Codey was 8 weeks early, so if he is 6 months old (26 weeks) his corrected age is 4 

months (18 weeks). This makes new milestones hard to estimate as to when they are going to happen. 

Premature babies are at risk of more things than a full-term baby, such as breathing and immunisation 

difficulties and further health complications later in life. This is a constant worry for any mother, but as a 

preemie mom this is definitely heightened. I found the combination of a first time and preemie mom to be 

extremely difficult when it comes to this. 

Being a mother changed me. Both physically and mentally. There are times I cry and times I laugh 

uncontrollably. My priorities and fears are different. But my heart has grown so much bigger! 

xoxo

Lea-Mai