It seems like nowadays, breastfeeding and pumping are consuming most of my time. Ever since I had mastitis (see older blog post), I have been religiously pumping every 3-5 hours (depending on how much my son fed from my breasts) so that I don't get too engorged and feel pain again. Between diaper changes, feeding, comforting the baby when it's fussy time, bath time and comforting him to sleep, pumping is my #1 priority for any free time I have. Here are the things I miss since giving birth to a newborn. (Bare in mind that I am a stay at home mother and my husband is at work a lot.)

10 Things that I sort of miss since becoming an exclusive breastfeeding mother

1. Being able to eat for at least 30 minutes without interruption. I don't get to do that anymore. The instant the baby is asleep for his nap, I do a kitchen raid and I gobble anything easy in sight. Sometimes his naps are only 10 minutes long so I have to make sure I satisfy my hunger so I allot 5-10 minutes for myself to eat. I'm like a T-Rex. It's not very pretty.

2. Being able to shower whenever I want. I miss that. I used to shower whenever I feel like it. I didn't have a routine and I liked the flexibility. Now, because my son's fussy times and eating schedule are so unpredictable, I shower only when I have finished my kitchen raid and my son is still in his deep sleep. When it's a green light to do so, I run to the bathroom and turn on the shower head. I don't even pick my clothes beforehand like I used to anymore. 

3. Being able to brush my teeth twice a day. I know this sounds gross but I don't brush my teeth twice a day anymore. On my priority list, brushing my teeth comes after I've eaten and showered. If he is still asleep after I've done both of those things, then I start flossing and brushing. There were times when I don't even brush my teeth. It's sad.

4. Being able to cook nice meals. I used to take my time prepping and cooking. It was a relaxing hobby for me. I am by no means, an extraordinary cook but I do like it. Now, when my husband gets home, I either ask him to do take out, he cooks something quick or we pop something in the microwave.  A couple times a week, I'll be able to pop something in the oven and bake something for dinner but that's if I have all of the ingredients at home and the baby doesn't require my attention. 

5. Writing long emails to friends. Thankfully, you can now check emails on smart phones so while I am pumping my breast milk for the baby, I use those 15 minutes to check my emails for important things I've missed. However, I don't have enough time to connect with my friends via email and ask them how I'm doing and also update them on my life as well. It's one of the simple pleasures I've always had. 

6. Calling my best friends. This is kind of similar to long emails to friends but I used to be able to do both. Right now, I owe 4 of my best friends a phone call and it's been over a week overdue. I used to be able to chat with them whenever I want and I was always really responsive. Now, this comes after I have eaten, showered and a few other things. Sometimes when it took me a long time to rock him to sleep, I'm so afraid of making too much noise that will wake him up that I just refrain from talking and just text back as a response. It's so impersonal, I know. 

7. Going to work. I miss sitting in an office every once in awhile. I like interacting with my coworkers, keeping my mind sharp and being productive. I am now still productive, in a different way by making sure my son is growing healthy and being happy. However, it was something I was used to and being a stay at home mom for a year as my goal means I have to give up office work life. 

8. Going shopping whenever I want. I love going grocery shopping and clothes shopping. I like being outdoors and driving around and not having an agenda. Now, I try to do most of my shopping when my husband is home on his days off. He works a lot so there aren't that many days. I'm starting to do more online shopping nowadays. I wish the local grocers would deliver too. Flexibility is something I have to give up but I know it's only temporary. 

9. Drinking alcohol. I don't crave it but it's nice to have a glass of wine here and there. I am breastfeeding so I am very concerned with getting it in the breast milk. Maybe I am too careful or paranoid but I rather cut it out altogether to reduce the risk. I am also afraid it will affect the safety of my child as I don't want to accidentally drop my baby because I was a little tipsy.

10. Running on a treadmill. Before I was pregnant, I ran 3-4 times a week on my treadmill. It gave me an adrenaline rush and made me feel so relaxed afterwards. It also kept me in shape and my muscles were tone. Now, even though I lost all of my pregnancy weight after 7 weeks of giving birth, my stomach is very flabby. It needs some work. 

Today, I am a 30 year old, stay at home mother and although there are things I missed that I stated above, it really doesn't beat having a newborn in your arms every day at any given hour. But to ignore and not acknowledge the change between now and before would be silly. And you're probably thinking that I'm not that busy if I have time to blog but actually blogging comes after I've pumped and eaten. Blogging is the one hobby I can still keep without getting in the way of taking care of my child. My newborn is still only a couple of months old so I am still new to all the parenthood thing. So far, so good. I'm loving motherhood.