Photo from Bin Bin
I’ve never really considered myself to be a very maternal person. In fact, there was a time in my youth where I wasn’t even sure if I wanted kids.
What changed? It could merely be the passage of time and the perspective gained along with it, or finding the right partner to parent with. Whichever it was, since making that decision to have children, it’s been such a journey of self discovery for me and my husband and I’ve realised that this is such a precious time that only happens once in our lives.
Below are the moments in the journey towards parenthood that I now look back on and savour. If I could go back in time, I would have done more to document this experience – especially taking many more photographs!
Photo from Bin Bin
Our honeymoon year
When we first got married, my husband and I decided to take some time to first focus on us. We were mindful that this was a time just for the both of us, to enjoy the things that we wanted to before making that next step. And we did! We enjoyed a few years of splurging on things we knew would be difficult when the kids arrive, like diving trips and lots of travelling. This made the decision to later on settle down easier as we didn’t feel like we were missing out on the things we wanted out of life anymore.
They say you’ll never be 100% prepared for that next step (I’m sometimes still not!), and while I agree, it helps that we made this conscious decision and planned out our time before stepping into our next roles.
Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels
Finding out the good news… and the real preparations begin
Learning I was pregnant invoked a whole range of emotions from excitement, feeling blessed, nervous, and even thoughts of “Oh god, life will never be the same again!”.
It’s a little bit daunting to realise I was now responsible for another life and that responsibility doesn’t start nine months later, it started now. I had to understand the changes my body was going through and make certain lifestyle adjustments. The most difficult ones for me were cutting down on caffeine and giving up raw foods!
Then there are the not so fun preparations like financial budgeting, deciding on the delivery and post-delivery plan, and ensuring we have all the essentials ready (and there are a lot).
But there are fun activities as well – currently we are decorating the baby corner and picking out cute baby onesies. We’re also making sure to document more things now like arranging all our ultrasound pictures by date and keeping track of the baby’s firsts.
Photo from Katrina & Andrew’s Set
Almost there!
As I enter into my third trimester, there’s a renewed sense of anticipation. Even though the pregnancy is at its most obvious and challenging – my belly is HUGE and I’m unable to do a lot of things that I normally find easy such as touching my toes, the preparations actually lean more towards the emotional ones now.
I’ve realised that parenthood is a continued learning journey and it’s ok to not have all the answers, we’ll learn along the way. The most important thing is to take time to slow it down and appreciate all the little things as each pregnancy is unique.
Photo by Alex Tim from Pexels
Enjoying the journey
Having gone through two-thirds of this journey, I’m reminded how fast time really flies. To expecting mothers – take many, many photos (plan for a professional photoshoot if you can) and start a journal keeping track of your baby’s development as early as possible. There are plenty of apps you can use these days for both these purposes.
As cliché as it sounds, while I’m still very much nervous, I already can’t wait to step into my new shoes as a parent.
About Bin Bin
Bin Bin has a background in finance and travel designing. Being people-centric in nature, she now handles all client-related matters and assists with business development at Stories Business and Stories.my. When she’s not working, Bin Bin loves recreating her mom’s recipes in the kitchen and immersing myself in nature, whether it is through a hike, a dive or merely, relaxing by the beach.