Am I Ready For a Baby?
It is almost every woman’s dream to have a little baby of her own. Choosing when to have a baby is one of the most important questions in her life. When a woman decides that she wants to have a baby, from that very instant, she unconsciously joins the threads of her life to another one, a life which is solely dependent on her, for its mere existence.
Having a baby involves preparation from the prenatal stage itself. The baby would be in your womb and so you must take care of a lot of things before making a decision. A baby may be a bundle of joy but with it comes a lot of responsibility. Motherhood is a full time job and the little one would need your attention and care 24×7.
Whether you are ready to for a baby or not is totally decided by your pregnancy report. Once you read that your pregnancy is confirmed, you may experience a feeling of uncontrollable happiness with a hint of thrill or you may feel terribly scared and unsure of what is to happen. If you feel the latter, it is not a very good sign. However, if you think you are ready, here are some points that you should give a thought before you finally make a decision.
1. Talk to the would-be father
The first and the foremost thing that you should give a thought to is the baby’s father. Both the parents play an important role in the upbringing of the child. If you are married, you should take into consideration what your husband thinks of having a baby. Most men find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that they would soon become a father. But when the idea finally sinks in, they are extremely elated and become loving husbands. However, if you are planning on being a single mother, things could get a little rough. Bringing up a child single-handedly would be difficult but not impossible. However, you must be sure on how you are going to handle the child in the time to come and protect it from society. In such cases, it really pays to have someone to lean back on and you must try and identify who your support system will be.
2. Are you emotionally ready?
Being a mother requires tremendous emotional strength. You must be emotionally ready to support not just yourself but also your little one who will require your care and sympathy right from the first stage of pregnancy. Pregnancy involves a lot of mood swings, cravings, anger bouts that one has to handle maturely. There may be times that you may feel depressed or can’t handle the bouts of nausea and dizziness. All this is before the baby comes in to this world. After the baby is born, the scenario will change completely. Then, you must be emotionally ready to always place your baby before your needs and make sure that in no condition is the baby deprived of anything. All the pampering that you may have received at the time of pregnancy will go for a toss as you would have to be constantly on your toes to manage the baby. This can be emotionally dampening, unless you are strong enough to handle it.
3. Are you physically ready?
Many a times, women aren’t physically ready to have a baby. This cannot be determined by anyone other than a gynecologist. You need to check yourself at regular intervals to ensure that you are physically ready to have a baby. Your body will be the baby’s home for the next nine months and even a single deficiency or deprivation from your end may cause major problems to your child in the future. If you wish to have a baby, it would be advisable to visit a gynecologist first. This would ensure that in case of any deficiencies, you are put on dietary supplements and medication to prepare yourself for the time to come. On the other hand, if you are already pregnant, visit the gynecologist to know whether you are physically ready before making the decision.
4. Are you financially ready?
With the arrival of the baby, you will have a new set of challenges before you. You will have to be financially ready to make sure that all the basic needs of the baby are fulfilled. Pregnancy itself would require a lot of money, especially in terms of the various tests, health checkups, visits to the doctor, health supplements, medicines and not to forget the actual delivery expenses. After the baby’s birth, you will need to look after each and every need of the baby, which again, can get very expensive at times. You need to sit and analyze whether you are ready to support the little one financially or not.
5. Are you ready to compromise on your career or passion?
Every person has a passion and it is very obvious that you have one too and for most women, it is their career. You might be very career-oriented and seeking to make a mark professionally. However, pregnancy may not allow you to give in your best. If not mentally prepared in advance, it will make a room for depression in times to come. Once the baby is born, it will need your constant care and attention and in majority cases, women take a short break from work till their child is stable. You must be prepared for that too as one never knows how the child will be. Raising some babies requires more effort than raising some others. You must bear in mind that nothing can come before your child and this is applicable to your passion and career also.
