YO MAMA: All that parenting worry

OPINION

So, you birth the baby and you think the scariest and most stressful part of motherhood is behind you. WRONG.

It is just the beginning. From now on, you will worry about Big Things, little things, totally-meaningless-things and countless what-ifs, well into your child’s teenage years and probably forever. It’s all worth it, of course.

I was texting with some mom friends recently, sharing worries back and forth, and realized a list was forming. A list of worries that show just how much we love our little ones.

Here’s some of what we came up with.

The Worry List, From Birth to the end of Year One

1. IS THE BABY BREATHING?
2. Is milk actually leaving your body when your baby breastfeeds?
3. How many wet diapers did baby produce through the night?
4. Why is his poop that colour? 
5. What if I spontaneously drop the baby?
6. Is baby in a healthy weight percentile?
7. Does he have a normal head circumference?
8. What if we hit a bump in the road and he gets shaken baby syndrome in his stroller?
9. Am I worrying too much?
10. Is that a rash?
11. Is baby warm enough?
12. Does he need a toque?
13. Maybe a soft blanket?
14. What if he falls asleep and the blanket falls over his face and he suffocates and dies?
15. Is baby too hot?
16. Is he meeting his milestones?
17. Is that a runny nose?
18. What if he catches a horrible virus and dies?
19. Why is baby not rolling over yet?
20. Will his late nap interfere with bedtime?
21. Why is he still not sleeping through the night?
22. What if he falls down the stairs and gets permanent brain damage?
23. What if we are rear-ended in the car?
24. Now that he’s walking, what if he falls?
25. Will baby get tetanus from playing in the dirt?
26. Is he getting enough iron in his diet?
27. Is he eating enough vegetables?
28. Does he need more sunscreen?
29. Is he staying hydrated?
30. Why won’t he keep his sunhat on?!
31. Is he getting enough sleep?
32. Is it safe to put a stuffed animal in the crib?
33. Will he get sick from eating a dog kibble?
34. What are the signs of a concussion?
35. What if he pokes his eye out with a stick?
36. Why is he biting people?
37. Is he socialized enough?
38. Is he getting bad habits?
39. Is it my fault?
40. What if I screwed him up somehow?
41. How will I ever manage a second child?

— Charlotte Helston gave birth to her first child, a rambunctious little boy, in the spring of 2021. Yo Mama is her weekly reflection on the wild, exhilarating, beautiful, messy, awe-inspiring journey of parenthood.

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