10 Things I Can’t Believe I Was Worried About As A Mom

I have become a pro mom now, or at least I would like to think that. Anyways, I don’t qualify of being a new mum; it’s been 2.5 years and I, like all mums did learn the hard way. Now when I look at my Mommy journey so far, there are moments which make me feel so stupid. There were silly things which gave me sleepless night.

Below I present my top 10 Things I can’t believe I was worried about as a Mom –

1. Newborn Zoe was really small, when she was born and weighed a little less than the minimum weight required, the doctor said there is not a problem, but I cried, cried and cried. I had major postpartum depression and I was scared to hold my baby as well. Now when I see Little Miss Z running around I get all dew-eyed. And the same time I feel I did overreact.
2. When Zoe was a little baby I brought her home… Fizz and I took care of baby Z alone, though we could have got help. When Z was a baby, she used to get these bouts of hiccups which made me turn into a wreck. I looked for help on net, consulted Dr. Spoc but nothing worked. Till one day these bouts just stopped like a magic.
3. What food should I introduce and if at all I give her packed baby food, is Cerelac better or Gerber? I’m a lousy cook and cooking for Z, preparing her menu, made me tensed because I wanted to make sure I was doing it all right. Zoe did not have Ragi in any form and I heard great things about Ragi, but Z just didn’t have it. I became tensed and depressed, till I realised it was OK, like we have food preferences even kids have them. When I gave Cerelac to Zoe for the first time, I was scared and I kept an eye on Zoe for at least a day after she was fed. My baby was in love with Rice Cerelac and that made me nervous AGAIN.
4. Is my Pediatrician right for my baby? The pediatrician who was there when Zoe was born was the greatest I could have asked for. Then we shifted to Bangalore. Then began my hunt for a new pediatrician and I had visited 3 doctors here already. I was so worried whether Z’s pediatrician is the best we could have asked for… Now I know I would only be happy and satisfied if I convince my pediatrician from Delhi to come over to Bangalore. Now when I see my current ped, I feel she is good and we’re in safe hands.
5. Zoe started cruising at 8.5 months and she became a pro at cruising but she walked only at 14 months. I read everything, ate my pediatrician’s head up and checked with other moms if I was doing anything wrong. Then one magical moment arrived and it just happened.
6. Now Zoe has been a picky eater for almost a year and things are just getting worse. She does not eat anything at times and there are days when she eats everything nicely. I tried making every toddler food and tried everything under the sun… but nothing worked… NOTHING. It’s only now that I realise, if she wants to eat she will eat the basic Dal Chawal or Paratha also. But if she does not want to eat, you give her anything Mac & Cheese, Fries, Pancake or anything, she will not take even a bite.
7. Potty Training… aah potty training, I was scared and did not know how to do it and what to do. Zoe at 32 months is completely pee trained and we never ‘train-train’ her in the real sense of the word. We waited till she was ready, and voila… I guess that was the right thing to do.
8. What’s the right age to start school? In our times it was easy, 3+ was the age to start school. Now it’s never too soon… This was followed by a series of research till I came to know about Montessori mode of education and I fell in love with it. 2.5 years it was, and that is when Zoe started school. Now people do tell us, would it be easy to get admission in Std. 1 and I just say I have complete faith in the foundation she is getting at a Montessori.
9. Once school was picked and Zoe got admitted I started dreading about her 1st day at school. Now when I see Z settle down and talking about her friends/school/teachers all day long I just smile and say to myself, “Why Oh! Why was I worried?”
10. I always am worried (this has been my longest concern till date) whether I’m a good mum or not because Z is turning into daddy’s girl with each passing day. That has also been tackled to a certain extent and here is what makes me happy.

I have still not stopped worrying about many stupid things, but I don’t become a nervous wreck now. Guess that is a good thing. What say?

A story-teller, a Communication Trainer, a Parenting Blogger, a wife to her best friend and mum to the most adorable 2-year-old – Zoe. Falak Randerian, plays many roles, her favorite Being Zoe’s Mom. She runs story telling & communication workshop for kids My Little Chatterbox. You can read her personal blog Being Zoe’s Mom and her parenting website which she runs along with her elder sister www.momsters.in .