The First 1,000 Days of Parenthood

When I was asked about the first 1,000 days of parenthood, after Pampers supports a study conducted by the NCT, I instantly thought back to those first few days as a new mother with my first born Lucas. I was petrified and had no idea how to look after a little person, this little person I was instantly drawn to and had been growing inside me for nine months. I thought everything would come naturally, some did, but it was harder than I thought.

I’ve blogged before about the difficulty I had breastfeeding, it was hard and didn’t work out in the end, but I tried. The first few weeks, even months are a blur, amazing and I couldn’t stop staring at this wonderful little miracle. I can’t even begin to describe the swelling, overwhelming and incredible love I felt for him. 

After the blur of crying, nappy changes, feeding, burping and bathing, we get onto the fun bits of having a baby, well to me anyway. When you see your baby sit up for the first time, roll over, or clap their hands, you really feel like this is the most incredible phenomenon you’ve ever seen. You will want to shout it from the roof tops and why not? Social media is fantastic for this. Post that video of their first steps, love to watch the first wave, the first tooth and it’s not long before it’s nursery and school. It all goes by so fast, so try to take it all in, try to take a step back and soak it up.

Don’t forget about you in the the first 1,000 days, your body has been through a lot and takes time to get back to feeling a bit more like you. You’ll be a little squishier, even if you are celebrity, your body does not spring back to normal. Airbrushing does not unfortunately exist in real walking, talking, everyday life. Be easy on yourself, take the time to lose the weight and tone up. Enjoy the time off with your little one, it goes very quickly.

NCT and Pampers teamed up to conduct a survey on the first 1,000 days of parenting, from pregnancy to their 2nd birthday. Their researched found that it was both challenging and rewarding. Disturbed sleep is to expected in the first year, but hopefully better in the second, however, this study shows it can still persist well into the second year, whether it’s teething, illness, etc. Interesting was that over two thirds of the dad’s felt that shared equal caring responsibility, where the mums had different ideas, that even though some were back at work, they did most if not all of the baby’s caring needs.

The research showed the ups and downs of the early days of parenthood and the importance of both parents being able to find support if they needed it. NCT are on hand to give that support and Pampers are there to support them. I think that NCT do a valuable job in support mothers from pregnancy through the first few years and are there if you need them.

Pampers is sharing this wonderful video of it’s newborn journey of firsts film. It is so sweet and quite emotional. Enjoy.

What would you say about your first 1,000 days of parenting?

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