Okay, so I’m not gonna sleep – I know! But how bad can it be right? I’ve spent many a night out, not sleeping, and functioned the next day at work! And I’m not gonna be one of those mum’s who changes, I’ll still be the same person! I’ve read all the books – I know what’s coming!

Oh, if only my pre-kid self actually knew what was about to happen! You honestly cannot understand until you become a mum…

It will change you, forever

You will never again be the same person you were before motherhood. Both mental and physically, so say goodbye to your pre-kid self. All those little problems you thought you had, will never compare to those of a mother!

You’ll become an animal

You will develop a primal protective instinct over your young that will engage with no warning.

Sleep deprivation is torture

There is a reason why depriving someone of sleep is actually used as a form of torture. It will send you absolutely crazy, it will hurt you in your bones, it will feel like it will never end and you’ll wonder how you’re even functioning.

You’ve never known guilt till now

It doesn’t matter what you do as a mum, you will always feel guilty for something. Bottle feeding, child care, screen time, messy house!

People without kids just don’t get it

I know that mostly it’s not intentional and it’s just from a lake of perspective – but people with kids really don’t understand. They get annoyed when you don’t answer calls or reply to texts, they overstay their welcome at your house and they give you advice on things they know absolutely nothing about – sorry guys, but it’s true!

You’ve joined a sisterhood

You will connect and bond with other mothers in your sleep-deprived haze. You will confide in them, cry to them, laugh with them and rely on them – some you’ve never even met in person (thank you interwebz). #mumsquad

No book can tell you how to be a mother

This really is a multi-billion-dollar industry that is just playing on the emotions of sleep deprived and desperate mothers! Every child is different, every mother is different, every experience is different – what works for some will not work for others, no book can prepare you for that rollercoaster that is motherhood!

You will truly learn what love is

For the first time ever in your life, you will know what it’s like to love someone so much that it hurts, both physically and emotionally pains you! No other love compares!