'I just had my first baby and now these 11 specific things other mums told me make sense.'

Becoming a parent is like being given a key to a world you knew existed and you thought you understood, only to open the door and realise it's bigger, harder and richer than you could ever comprehend. 

Becoming a mother is the single most life-affirming and life-changing thing that's ever happened to me. But nothing can truly prepare you for the reality of parenthood. 

During my pregnancy, the mums and dads around me were brimming with advice. It's only now, a year into my little boy's life, that I can look back and realise just how wise their warnings and musings were.

Here are 11 things other mums told me that just make sense (now I'm in the thick of it).

1. "Always have extra nappies/clothes/wipes."

Babies are like tiny little messy grenades. You never know when they're going to blow, or from what end.

I tried all the nappy brands in those early days, but I always kept coming back to Huggies. Huggies Newborn Nappies are the only nappies with a clinically proven zinc oxide enriched layer that protects baby's delicate skin against irritation and maintains skin pH. A good quality nappy made our life a lot smoother especially as first-time parents, and I found the DryTouch layer (which quickly absorbs runny poo) and wetness indicator the handiest features. 

They're the same trusted absorbency, just with better than ever skin protection. (They're also endorsed by the Australian College of Midwives, so there's another tick in my books.)

Image: Supplied.

2. "Every 'hard moment' is fleeting."

There was a time when I thought I would be contact napping every nap, forever.

Even though everyone just told me to "enjoy it while it lasted", having absolutely no time to myself during the day was taxing. I longed for my baby to be able to do at least some of his naps in the cot. Before I knew it, every nap was in the cot. Every hard moment has eventually passed.

From the horrible colic of the newborn days, to the four-month sleep regression (or progression, depending on what camp you're in), to my son refusing to take a bottle and preferring only boob.

At the time, you feel like things will never change. But babies grow so quickly, and they aren't the same month to month, let alone week to week. They grow out of stages incredibly fast, and those hard moments do quickly become problems of the past.

3. "The days are long but the years are fast."

Similarly, I have just celebrated my son's first birthday, and I can't quite believe it. It feels like only yesterday I was heading to the hospital to give birth.

Having a baby has shown me how much can change in a year and how fast one can fly by when you're busy raising a child.

An important thing to remember when you're stuck in the monotony of the day-to-day is that even though some days are hard and long, time does fly with babies because they grow so damn fast!

A year in, I keep finding myself looking back at photos from when my son was a few weeks old in disbelief that he is the same person before my eyes now.

4. "Your whole perspective changes once you have a baby."

Having a baby is life's biggest lesson. Things that worried me before don't now. I care less in the best possible way. My son is my number one priority, and everything else comes second.

It has allowed me to calmly rationalise and problem solve things that pre-baby me would have catastrophised.

My son is the perspective I didn't even realise I needed, and this saying is well known for a reason.

5. "In your child's eyes, nobody does it better than you."

My son has always preferred to sleep on me. Image: Supplied.

Everyone has opinions on the best way to raise a baby and it's easy to get wrapped up in it all. 

"Feeding to sleep creates impossible to break sleep associations." 

"Less tummy time means they'll fall behind."

Ect, ect.

Look, sometimes you've just got to get through the day, and if cuddling your kid to sleep and heading out for a walk instead of pushing your reluctant baby to stay on his tummy is how you do that — great!

At the end of the day, love and connection are the most important things. Your baby has never been a human before either and couldn't care less about the 'rules' society suggests we follow. They just want you.

6. "You can be desperately seeking a break, but not wanting to miss a single moment at the same time."

This is a hard one to explain until you feel it, but oh boy, is it real.

The tug of war this emotion does to your heart is tough, but taking that time to recharge on your own will (I promise) make you an even better parent.

It's amazing what even an hour away, getting your nails done or doing a pilates class, can do for your mental health. Your baby won't mind. Truly.

7. "It takes a village to raise a child."

We weren't meant to do this alone. It's too big.

Having support (whether that's loved ones or paid help) is probably the most important thing of all. This saying is well-entrenched for a reason, and I am so glad I listened to it and prepared my 'village' ahead of time.

My child's grandparents have been integral to my family getting through the first year. They babysat, brought meals, did washing, cleaned our house and listened to our endless questions.

If family isn't an option, let your friends in. Hire a cleaner, a night nanny, food delivery; whatever it takes to make things easier.

8. "Sleep when the baby sleeps."

I hate this saying (because a lot of the time it just isn't possible), but if your child is asleep independently in a cot and you have the choice of having a nap or doing the washing... take the nap.

Feeling rested is hard to come by in the early days, and downtime and sleep should be your priority if you ever get the chance. Sleep is a miracle cure for most things, I swear.

9. "Parenting is the hardest job you'll ever have."

Parenting a sick child who is waking up multiple times a night unwell, while you yourself are also unwell? Yeah, that's freaking hard.

If parenting had an HR department, it would be getting a stern talking-to. But the hard is always outweighed by the good.

Raising children is the biggest privilege and joy, and a million times more rewarding than any paid job I've had. (It's just nice to know you're not the only one finding it tricky.)

10. "Trust your gut." 

They say you always have a baby that struggles with something (unless you have a unicorn). If they're a feeder, they might not be a sleeper.

You might have already gathered from reading this article that sleep is our sore point, and I've read just about every opinion there is to find on the internet in my search for answers.

For a while, I got caught up in it. I felt like I was doing everything wrong and 'ruining' my kid because I wasn't following the millions of different sleep training guides on offer.

This nugget of advice from a mum has been my guiding light. A lot of what I read just didn't feel right for me and my family, so I made my own rules and trusted my gut.

Unsubscribing from a lot of the parenting 'noise' has been very helpful for both mine and my son's happiness.

I've had mum friends make the same decisions around feeding; giving up breastfeeding early because it was affecting their mental health, or persevering with different doctors because they were certain their child was allergic to regular formula.

Trust your gut, mama.

11. "Don't bother buying endless newborn and 0-3 months clothes."

Lastly, don't do it. Don't buy the itty-bitty baby shoes. I know they're cute, but your newborn will not wear them.

I wish I listened to this advice more because I get it now. My son was tall from birth and barely wore his 0-3 months clothes, let alone his 0000s.

This advice is hard to take when you're a first-time mum because everything is just so dang adorable. But save your money for when they don't grow quite so quickly, trust me.

Shop Huggies Newborn Nappies and Huggies 99% Purified Water Wipes from your local supermarket.

Feature Image: Supplied.