New mommy Stephanie Ndlovu shared the misconceptions she had when it came to motherhood and how she got a wake up call when her bundle of joy arrived. The actress and her actor husband Hungani Ndlovu recently welcomed their daughter Rhulani Iynana Ndlovu and had the most breathtaking baby shower.
Sharing the expectations or rather misconceptions she had as a childless woman, Stephanie posted a lengthy Instagram post highlighting them one by one.
Stephanie revealed that she is the last woman in her friendship circle and family to become a mother. She said during her days as an aunt she had an idea of what she would be like as a mother.
As a side note she said, "Amazing how those who don’t even have kids have the most fascinating ideas about motherhood," she laughed.
In the list, Stephanie said she had this idea of snapping back to her normal body 6 weeks after giving birth. That's when she would start the process.
"Nobody must come for me with ‘be patient, love your beautiful body that carried an entire human’ being 15kg+ heavier is not my portion," she revealed.
The actress thought she would be ready to go back to work just 3 months postpartum, "I will be back at work before 3 months because all my life I’ve worked & ‘just’ sitting at home changing nappies and feeding a baby-also not my portion."
Thirdly, a consistent sleep schedule was what she had in mind, "My baby will have strict sleep routines, schedules & consistency because really, I’m not going to suffer with a ‘spoilt’ child."
Next misconception was that she thought she would not suffer from depression. And lastly having a baby would not change a woman saying if you do change, that would've been by choice.
However, the joke was on her! Stephanie revealed she is experiencing the opposite of all this. For one, she had not snapped back or even started the process because she feels heavier than she actually was when she was pregnant.
One major decision she made, among the many others, was to not accept an acting role because she was not ready to return to work.
"I turned down an AMAZING role at 8weeks postpartum because I was just not mentally or emotionally ready to work."
On her daughter's sleep schedule, she let's her do what she wants which includes allowing her to sleep in her arms.
Being a new mother can create new emotions and for Stephanie she admitted to crying non stop.
"Baby blues never cried as much as I did in the first 4 weeks of being a new mother. I cried everyday, everywhere."
Despite the changes, Stephanie says she feels so much love from her daughter.
"I am so not the same person, how can I be? I have never known this kind of love that consumes my entire being, that this little soul is all I think about 24/7, that she holds my whole heart in her tiny hands and I often just stare at her and become completely overwhelmed by how much I love her. That love changes you 100%."
The actress is taking it one step at a time because here really is no manual on how to parent.
Image credit: Instagram