What Did You Do Before Being a Mom?

03/10/2017

March 10 Mama Blogger: Alyson Wilson

Alyson Wilson was born and raised in Regina and comes from a big, blended family. She became a mama to her beautiful baby girl in 2016 and is interested in having a happy, healthy lifestyle.  Alyson is known to have a big smile and a loud laugh and is a self-proclaimed coffee snob.

What Did You Do Before Being a Mom?

What do you do other than being a mom?

Do you ever feel like you’ve lost some of your identity after your beautiful baby arrived into the world? I think we’ve all felt it at some point. We don’t take time to ourselves, we don’t have time to do the things we love. We no longer put ourselves first, we become 2nd on a list…. maybe even 3rd or 4th.

I was at a mom’s group about a month ago and we were playing a fun game of friendship speed-dating to get to know one another. A mom that I had talked to a few times was sitting in front of me, her first question to me was other than being a mom, what do you do? My thought was well that’s an easy question, until I had to actually speak. Uh, I uh…..Nothing could come out, I couldn’t think of one thing to respond with that didn’t involve my little one.

It’s not like I don’t get out or do activities but everything involves my daughter. I has turned into WE.  WE are in aquasize, WE are in swimming lessons, WE go to mommy groups, WE get out and have a lot of fun. We’ve meet a wonderful group of moms and babies that we’ve become friends with and see quite often but what do I do for myself? What do I enjoy doing?  What did I enjoy doing before my little one was born?  By the end of the mom’s group I still couldn’t answer the question.

I came home that afternoon and really started thinking – what did I do before my little one was born 8 months ago? Why did I stop… other than the obvious reasons of having a baby, being tired and being on a maternity leave income. What did I enjoy doing?

It took awhile but I starting thinking about when I was pregnant, that’s where it all started. I was going to the gym at least 3 times a week but had to stop when I was 8 weeks pregnant due to the pregnancy.  I enjoyed reading, baking, crafting but was too tired from working all day or felt too sick that I’d rather lay in bed and watch TV. I was in an awesome splurge group with women that I enjoyed spending time with but I stopped when my little one was born because I didn’t think I could commit the time to it.

I made it my goal over the next month to do things that I enjoy that just involves me.

I went and purchased a book. I dedicated time everyday to do some reading. Sometimes I only got 10 minutes of reading in before I had to start my mommy duties again but other days I felt like I got hours (I probably didn’t, but it felt like it).

I asked a friend from the splurge group that I was in if they had a spot open the next go around if I could re-join. She let me know there would always be a spot with my name on it.

My aunt and my sister signed up for a Paint Nite with me in April, I can’t wait to put my painting skills to work or at least find my painting skills again.

Working out is becoming a part of my life again. Between working out at home and taking advantage of free classes that are offered to moms and babies, I’ve been able to squeeze some exercise back into my routine. I can’t wait for better weather so that we can spend some time outside. This activity will have to stay as a WE activity but I’m still dedicating the time to something I enjoy.

I’m still working on getting back into baking. I have a very active 8-month-old and can’t imagine trying to bake and decorate a cake with her crawling around; however, I can’t wait for when this becomes a WE activity.

The next time someone asks me what do you do other than being a mom I’ll have an answer for not only them but for myself. I paint, work out, read, bake and so much more. I may not be able to do all these as frequently as I used to or as much as I’d like to but I’ll take what I can get right now.

I started to lose some of my identity during the pregnancy, for others it happens after the birth of our peanuts but what I can guarantee is that it happens to all moms. Yes we have to alter our lifestyles but you still need to do things for you. Do me a favour and ask yourself today what do I do other than be a mom? If you don’t have an answer, search for one. Don’t forget about yourself and the things you enjoy!

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