There are many things I’ve discovered in the first year of motherhood…..
- You and your NCT friends can stretch a Whats App conversation about poo across three days; this will include the colour, texture, amounts that got in your hair…..
- It’s entirely acceptable to nap on your drive in broad daylight when your baby has fallen asleep in the car the second you turn into your road… if you can’t beat them join them. Who gives a fuck what the neighbours think
- Topshop is no longer for me. Devo.
- Calpol and Wine…. everything will be fine
- Somedays it’s entirely acceptable to call your husband horrific things in the midst of a sleep deprived fight, over something you can’t even remember, only just to end up being in floods of tears because you realise what a bitch you’re being, then crying even more when he’s dumb enough to agree it’s your fault cause you’re a hormonal nightmare. Dick.
- the one time you leave the house with the baby, without a scrap of make up on – not even mascara – and your hair twisted up on top of your head looking like something a car regurgitated, telling yourself you won’t see anyone you know….. you will bump into EVERYONE YOU’VE EVER MET! Fucking excellent.
- Gin.
But one of the scariest and most daunting things I’ve discovered is making friends with complete strangers. This is usually done by striking up a conversation about poo, my nipples or any other inappropriate conversation starter that I wouldn’t have dreamt of (even in my worst nightmares) pre baby! This is all part of the “fun” of going to baby classes.
Previously I’ve managed to drag a fellow Mummy friend along to any of the classes we’ve gone to, so we’ve faced the fear together and had each other so we don’t look like friendless losers! But tomorrow I am having to face the prospect all on my little lonesome.
After a couple of days stuck at home thanks to a sickness bug and getting my period (fucking bitchface mother nature fuckwit) today I was joined by the delight(!) that is Mummy Guilt. Todays was over the fact that other than playing, cooking, reading and a couple of very short walks around Tesco, I am worried I’ve not given Josh much of an interesting few days. Even reading that makes me feel stupid cause we’ve actually done plenty but still, Mummy Guilt was bitching in my ear that I wasn’t doing crafts or mentally stimulating my child. Stupid cow – of course I wasn’t doing crafts; the baby isn’t even one yet – if he isn’t walking yet he’s hardly going to be capable, or interested in, gluing sequins to fairy liquid bottles (that’s what crafts equate to right…..)!
Anyway I decided to see if there was any classes near me this week that were drop in so I could take Josh tomorrow without committing to paying eighty quid for six weeks of trying to get him to appreciate sensory when he’d rather be tearing around in a manner that is somewhere between crawling and walking and stealing another kids sensory sheet of obscenely bright lace which he’d then proceed to eat. Fortunately I found a nice local baby gym that looks ideal for a baby who wants to cause as much chaos as humanly possible at the bargain cost of £4. But then it dawned on me; none of my mummy friends are around tomorrow. This would mean the dreaded “going it alone” and feeling the fear. Lets face it, some baby classes are a bit cliquey. People already know each other, they have their groups of friends; it’s not a bad thing, but when you’re a newbie it can make the prospect of going to a massive hall full of soft play toys and screaming babies and toddlers far more terrifying than it actually is.
However, as I started off by saying (I do go off on a tangent don’t I! Ranty Bitch. Blame the period) one of the things I’ve discovered since becoming a Mummy is this unspoken bravery. You’ve really got no choice; you can either strike up a conversation about pelvic floors, yellow poo or the fact that sometimes you secretly think your child is being a belligerent arsehole and refusing to nap just for the sake of it in order to see if Mummy is going to totally lose her shit, or you can spend the rest of your days housebound with said occasional arsehole child watching Loose Women whereby you will slowly lose the plot and end up relating to Janet Street Porter and having some weird crush on Mr Bloom. Nobody wants that, therefore it’s time to get chatting to those fellow Mummies.

The Amazing Hurrah for Gin sums it up perfectly, as always!
The funniest thing is, it’s kind of like the whole “first day of school” feeling; you think about it the night before and get all nervous, then as soon as you’re there it’s fine, you’re well away and you get on with it. You’re all in the same boat. Many a Mum has sat, hidden behind her iPhone (or child) at a new Mum group wondering whether to stay for another rendition of Incy Wincy in the hope it will boost her bravery to start a conversation, or to just bolt for the door. But when you see a friendly face, that encouraging smile that says “don’t worry, I get it, I had Weetabix sick in my hair the other day too” and there you have it! A new Mummy friend! You’ve formed your very own mini team of “it’s not just you”.
And the most amazing thing about all of this is that these friends, the ones you were so nervous to befriend and get chatting to, end up being the ones who know the deepest, darkest and frankly most disgusting things about you. They know you’ve eaten an entire chocolate orange to yourself in one sitting three times in one week, they know you’ve had weeks where you’ve frequently cried in Tescos car park because you forgot vinegar AGAIN and you’re just so tired you simply can’t go back in. They know the torture of sleepless night, bleeding nipples, the return of your period (BITCH), and babies that scream for no fucking reason. And above all they remind you of what a good job you’re doing. They remind you that you’re all in it together. So brave it (yes I am telling myself this), don’t pussy out at the last minute telling yourself the baby is tired when he’s not, it’s just that you’re too scared going alone, because you just don’t know what lovely friends you might make, plus there’s the added bonus that the baby will get tired at the class and nap beautifully for you (positive thinking, positive thinking) afterwards.
And if it all goes to shit, I can always blog about it 😉
Love
Fx
Love this Fi! You are 100% totally right! Good luck tomorrow, and you know, if it all goes tits up, I’ll enjoy reading the blog about it 😉 xxx
Author
Thanks chick! I’ll let you know how it goes! xxx
Ahh I love this. You know my experience with the mummy friends (although I do have some fab ones!!) so while you’re enjoying making new friends I’ll be blogging about losing old ones!! Xxx p.s Mother Nature IS a bitch!!!
Laura Dove recently posted…Jord Wooden Watches, Frankie series – review
Author
It’s such a circle isn’t it chick – people come and go from our lives and as I’ve said to you, you only want positive people around you. xxx
I’m always up to meeting new friends, mommy friends are important duringyour maternity leave, they keep you sane, break the boring routine and you can talk to someone who understands you. But make sure you have happy, positive moms around you, the ones who can inspire you and lift you up and make you smile. They are a keeper!
#bloggerclubUK
Author
Absolutely – I couldn’t agree more 🙂 x
Love this and totally agree about the confidence. I’m still not confident enough to try any more baby groups after the duck hat fiasco! Xx
Fran Back With a Bump recently posted…Let It Go!
Ahhh mummy friends…some are keepers…many seem to just disappear into thin air but I reckon it’s a game of numbers…there’s always got to be a diamond out there somewhere! Thanks for linking up to #coolmumclub lovely xx
The best thing I did on may leave was ask some mummies for coffee after baby’s swimming lesson, not just for me but the bubs get on too. It was scary, like a job interview but well worth the plunge. #coolmumclub
I’ve been working the baby group circuit for nearly 5 years now and it amazes me I can still find a new group and make a new friend almost every week! As the girls have got older, there is something to be said for letting go a little of the dependency on the core mum friends – I’ve found it best to take an approach of ‘I’m doing X on Xday, you’re welcome to join us’ as opposed to ‘Does anyone (of the 6 of you) want to do something this week’ (Cue a crazy number of messages, discussions over dates and times, and ultimately many blown out play dates!).
Someone like you will always find someone nice to chat with Fi xx
Thanks for linking up to #coolmumclub
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YAY! I think this is my favourite post of yours yet! Really made me giggle and you are so right! I’ve just started a couple of new playgroups in the last couple of weeks (I like to mix it up now and then. Check out the biscuit assortments etc). I thought that I wouldn’t fit in at all. The other mums all seemed so well groomed and their children weren’t feral at all? And then one of the yummiest mummies quietly announced under her breath that her daughter had been a total A-hole that morning and I knew I was right where I needed to be! 😉 Good luck lovely xx #coolmumclub
Author
Ha ha brilliant! Ah I’m so glad you enjoyed this post xxxx
It’s a whole new world isn’t it? Well we always have something to chat about with mummy friends. Luckily I haven’t had many bad experiences but tend to stay away from the more competitive ones. Hope you find some good ones who you can really have a good laugh with (that’s my test – if they don’t get my jokes, then I best chat to someone else ha ha) #coolmumclub
Sunita – Lucky Things blog recently posted…The golden rules…according to Big Munch aged 3
That’s the great thing about having kids for the socially awkward like me – you’ve always got something to talk about ! #fortheloveofblog
I uses to hate going to anything on my own with my daughter. It took me a while to brave the baby groups but I am glad I did as I am still friends with some of the mums 11 years later.
#fortheloveofBLOG
Ali Duke recently posted…A Kid Free Weekend
haha love this. It is so tough to make friends with strangers. At least we have something in common with other mums and can usually find something to chat about! #ForTheLoveOfBlog
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