Being a Mom – an entire new “ball game”.
I have always been the “organised” , “planner” or simply the OCD type and while I was pregnant I thought that I had this child thing waxed. I thought I knew what to expect and I was sure that once baby arrived – life would go on as baby would just sleep , eat and occasionally need a nappy change….
Well on the 18th March this year – our gorgeous Mackenzie arrived screaming from the very second we saw her. We should have known then that life was about to change as we knew itJ Life changed from quiet, tranquil surroundings at home to the constant hum drum of a screaming baby. Sleep became a very distant memory while I tried to figure out how a baby could cry so much and how many laps around the house I could do rocking my baby. Days just seemed to be a blur and one day merged into the next while I switched into survival mode and realised that my idea of peaceful maternity leave sipping coffee while my baby slept and hitting the gym for four hours a day getting back into shape and getting fit again was insane and so far from reality. JJ
I take my hat off to any new mother especially those that strive to keep fit and healthy and get back into any sport. Life becomes a complete balancing act and you spend your days and nights wondering how you are going to split yourself so that you can manage cooking for your husband, training to lose baby weight and get back into racing shape , spend quality time with your new baby , have a career, travel away from your family due to work requirements and .. stay saneJ This has been my hardest task and to date- I still haven’t quite nailed it. Days start at 4am as Mackenzie opens her eyes and I am in bed by 7am to trying recover for the next dayJ
Trav and I have alternate days where we allow each other to train. I have an allocation of 3 days and Trav has the remaining 4J(It is a Man’s worldJ) While this will not get me into any serious racing shape or to any amazing fitness level – I have accepted that this is the balance I need and all that our family can manage at this point. The biggest realisation is that life isn’t about me anymore but about Mackenzie and what she needs – everything else comes second. Bearing this in mind – Mackenzie has just turned 7 months and while the first 3 months were an absolute blur , I was able to do my first triathlon post pregnancy this last weekend at the 11 Global Sun City. I was only able to do the sprint on the Saturday as my fitness levels would not allow for more but I cannot tell you how exhilarating it felt to actually get to this point.
Racing as a Mom just feels different. I am not out there to win but the amount of pride and satisfaction I felt to be at the start line was amazing. Knowing that my child is present and waiting for me at the end just gave me so much motivation to do it. Every stroke, pedal and step was an achievement and the last 7 months of learning to be a mom just seemed so worth it.
So to all those new parents out there that battle to see any light at the end of the tunnel – I can assure you – it is there. Keep pushing through the tough days and sleepless nights and one day you will wake up and realise that your life is coming back slowly – bit by bit. I have also learnt that it is okay to change your priorities and make sacrifices as and when you need to. I have realised that training is key as it gives me a very important outlet and time for myself that I don’t get too often as a new mom. While the balance remains tough and my gut makes me want to spend every second with Mackenzie – I force myself to get out there and every day gets easier. I have my training and racing goals for the next year and I know that we will reach them and each goal ticked will be so much sweeter when I get to share it with my family of three as it is not just about me anymore.
Cheers to all those new Moms out there…. Keep trucking on. You will see that training and racing as a mom just feels so different and the achievement just feels so much bigger and better. There have been many days that I long for the freedom and hours to train as I used to but then I just look at Mackenzie and realise that I am one lucky lady to share my time with one beautiful soul and one day time will be mine again and I will long for these cuddles and hours spent with her so I am going to enjoy and embrace every darn second.
From One Honest New Mom
Stace
xx
