When I used to visit babies…
When I used to visit babies and see them well dressed and sleeping soundly in their moses baskets, I would probably make a comment like, “MashaAllah, he seems like a really good baby. You’re doing so well!” Or when I saw a picture of a baby captured in one of their ‘good moments’ I would instantly think he/she was a dream baby.
But now I realise, just how deceptive outer image can be!
Did you know that the well-dressed baby you visited who smelt amazing (baby oil rocks) and was sleeping so soundly on your chest, was, just over an hour ago throwing a tantrum, pooping on the carpet, whilst spitting up milk from his feed (which he had just 20 minutes prior to the nappy change). Then had to have his entire clothes changed because of the milk that not only got onto his clothes but his mums too, which meant she had to change into a new pair of clothes (ain’t nobody got time for ironing!) Which also meant, more laundry for her which kind of sucks because she *just* put the baby’s washing load into the washing machine, if she only knew that slightly bit earlier she would have delayed the machine load by a few moments. But hey, why does it matter when she has enough non-bio fairy to wash the entire neighbourhoods clothes for a week.
Oh, and *jussst* as she thought she was ready to welcome her guests — house relatively clean, baby smelling good and sleeping, washing load on, she hears a mighty cry. Oh no, did anyone mention cluster feeding? She quickly pops out the milk supply, whilst carrying her feeding baby, simultaneously spraying the air fresher in the room to get rid of any odour of digested baby milk, burps the baby, puts him down in the moses basket, and then….
*tring*
The guest has arrived to a lavender smelling living room and sound sleeping baby (in his moses basket too!)
My point: Parenting from the outside can seem simple and easy but in reality it’s messy. And there’s no such thing as a ‘good baby!’ Babies make a mess, they cry for hours on end, they can multiple poops an hour, stay awake most of the night and sleep conveniently (or not so conveniently?) in the day, change mood (and routine) quicker that the speed of light etc etc. But that’s the beauty of it all. Because that’s why there’s so much reward and each time the mother or father sees their baby smile, satisfied and growing each day, it makes them forget all the challenging, messy moments that come along with parenting. And sabr in the tough moments are truly rewarded with the beautiful, out-of-this-world moments.
So, next time you see a dream, well-dressed, good-smelling baby, don’t forget to spare a Du’aa for their parents because who knows how their day was playing out just hours before :)
