Becoming A Mother Without Losing Me — Parenting Ki Nayi Parampara

During my pregnancy, I was often told “Baby hone ke baad bilkul bhi time nahi milega apne liye (You won’t get any time for yourself once the baby is born)” and somewhere deep down, I started bracing myself for the sleepless nights, missed meals, messy hair and fading reflection in the mirror. The thought of losing myself seemed overwhelming but wasn’t that an inevitable part of motherhood? 

It has taken me a few months to realize that it is not. 

Motherhood comes with a silent expectation of sacrificing everything, be it your time, your body, or your needs. It often feels less like a choice and more like a tradition, but then I asked myself, There have been new traditions too, the ones that are progressive, transformative, more human, right? As soon as my baby was born, I realized — I was no longer just me. I was mama, maa, ammi… I was responsible for a tiny little human, and my choices affected her in so many different ways. My identity had not changed; it had simply expanded. 

Motherhood, to me, is not about following the traditions and customs that people expected me to but all about embracing change, growing with my baby, while staying connected to myself.

Was it easy? Well, not always, but did it help me grow as a mother and as an individual? Absolutely! 

I have to share this with you. Just the other day, I was looking at my bedside drawer. It was once filled with skincare products like lip gloss, night cream and a rarely used jade roller, and guess what I kept looking at this time round? Now, it has a soft tube of my Baby’s Cetaphil baby lotion, diaper cream and her tiny nail clippers. My bathroom vanity too has made space for her gentle baby wash. Every time I take care of her, I am reminded to take care of myself too. 

I took out the bottle from the drawer, pumped some lotion, and began massaging it onto her tiny feet and arms. Then I paused and pumped again, this time for myself. On the lighter note, sometimes I genuinely feel her skincare routine has helped me to stick to mine too. 

This is my Parenting Ki Nayi Parampara, one that lets me embrace my new found identity as a mother without losing my own self.

Disclaimer : This content is sponsored by Cetaphil.