5 Ways Your Life Changes After Having a Baby

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of COUNTRY Financial®. All opinions are 100% my own.

Lately I feel like I’ve been really hit by baby fever!

It seems like most of my friends are either pregnant, have a newborn, or want to be pregnant. And it’s got me lusting a bit to be pregnant again too!

As I talk to my friends who are about to become moms for the first time, it’s allowed me the opportunity to reflect on all of the various ways your life changes after having a baby.

People will tell you that life is never the same once you have kids, but until you experience it yourself…you really can’t understand. It’s an all-consuming kind of change that shows you you’ll never be that same person you once were before your kids came along.

In hopes of helping out a few of my dear friends who are about to become first-time Mamas, I wanted to share some of the ways your life changes after having a baby.

Parents out there – I’ll bet you will be able to relate to these!

5 ways your life changes after having a baby:

1. You view the world in a different way

Babies force you to slow down and appreciate the little joys in life, like when they discover their hands or find great joy in playing with tupperware.

They force you to slow down in everything you do and as a result, you see and experience things that you normally wouldn’t.

2. You don’t sweat the small stuff anymore

I used to be someone who really stressed over little things that truly weren’t that big of a deal. I would get all bent out of shape about something not going as planned, or if something was taking a lot longer than I wanted it to.

Now that I’m a mom, I realize that these little bumps along the way are truly not that big of a deal. If my child is healthy and happy, that’s really all that matters in my book these days and I don’t waste time or energy worrying about the small stuff that I have no control over.

3. You become more patient

Before becoming a parent myself, I spent many years babysitting, teaching, and coaching children of various ages. I thought I couldn’t possibly become any more patient with kids than I already was….and then I became a mom.

Becoming a parent requires a whole lot more patience than you feel like you can muster on the tougher of days, but you learn to get through those moments and you come out the other end a heck of a lot more patient.

I find myself being a lot more calm and and patient in every area of my life now, and I feel a lot happier as a result!

4. You gain more confidence

Having kids makes you a more confident person in general. Although your body may not look like it once did, or you question your ability to be a good parent from time to time, there is still a great sense of confidence that takes over you once you’ve had a baby.

Growing a human inside of you and giving life to this new little person you are now holding in your arms is an extremely empowering experience that makes you feel like there is nothing you can’t do if you set your mind to it.

5. You become more concerned than ever about your finances

As soon as my husband and I decided that we wanted to start a family, we both went into panic mode over making sure we had enough in savings before our first child’s arrival.

It always amazes me how expensive such a tiny little person can be. I haven’t added up all of the costs of diapers, wipes, clothing, and baby gear that we have shelled out since Little Miss was born, but I’m sure I would be horrified if I did.

One of my favorite sites to shop for baby items to prepare for Little Miss’s arrival was diapers.com, so I was super excited when COUNTRY Financial^® reached out to me to extend an invite for you all to participate in their sweepstakes for a chance to win a $1,000 gift card to use at diapers.com! How awesome is that?!

COUNTRY Financial^® is a group of US insurance and financial services company and they offer a full suite of products and can help as you start your new family through all your future life stages. Not only do they have very strong values and have been serving families for over 90 years, but they are financially strong and highly rated by independent insurance rating agencies.

If you are a new/expecting parent yourself or would like to give the gift card to someone you know who is, be sure to enter to win the sweepstakes.

Sweepstakes Disclaimer: To qualify as a winner, you must reside in the following states – Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, Wisconsin

Are you a parent? If so, would you agree that your life has changed in any of these ways? If you’re an expecting parent – what are your biggest concerns about your life after having a baby?