Before I became a mom, I had opinions.
A lot of opinions.
I knew what I would do, what I wouldn’t do, and—most importantly—what other people were doing that I was absolutely sure would never be my thing.
And then I became a mom.
Funny how quickly motherhood can humble you. 😂
Some of the things I was so sure about changed completely once I actually had a baby in my arms. Other things happened simply because real life looked very different from what I had imagined.
Looking back, I think that’s one of the most surprising parts of becoming a mother: you don’t just change your routines. Sometimes you change your mind about the person you thought you would be.
Here are 8 things I once said I would NEVER do before becoming a mom.
1. I would NEVER get married while pregnant
This one is especially funny because I was very sure about it.
I never wanted to get married while pregnant. In my head, that was something I simply wouldn’t do. If I was ever going to get married, I wanted it to happen under different circumstances.
And then… life had other plans.
I ended up getting married while pregnant.
It wasn’t how I had imagined it, and yes, I would have preferred it differently. But sometimes life doesn’t follow the timeline you carefully pictured in your head.
And honestly? I’m glad I didn’t let one changed circumstance make the whole thing feel wrong.
Motherhood has taught me that not everything has to happen in the order you imagined for it to still be beautiful.
2. I would NEVER have a natural birth
Before having children, I had a pretty clear idea of how I wanted birth to go.
And a natural birth?
Absolutely not.
It sounded scary. And after experiencing it, I can confirm that it was scary and extremely painful for me.
But I also know now that something being difficult doesn’t automatically mean you wish you hadn’t done it.
I ended up having both of my children naturally.
Would I describe the experience as easy? Definitely not.
Would I do it again?
Well… I did. Twice. 😂
I’m genuinely glad I got to experience the births of both of my children this way, even though it was very different from what I had originally imagined for myself.
Sometimes motherhood teaches you that you are capable of much more than you thought you were.
3. I would NEVER breastfeed my child
This is another one that changed very quickly.
Before becoming a mom, I couldn’t imagine myself breastfeeding for a long time. It simply wasn’t something I had pictured myself doing.
Then I had my first baby.
And once I saw how easy and natural it was for us, my whole perspective changed.
I ended up breastfeeding both of my children for a very long time.
It wasn’t something I forced myself into because I had decided I should do it. It was simply something that worked beautifully for us, so I kept going.
Looking back, I’m actually glad I didn’t hold on too tightly to the opinion I had before becoming a mom.
Because sometimes you don’t know what will feel right for you until you’re actually living it.
4. I would NEVER co-sleep
I used to think co-sleeping sounded like something I would never do.
I wanted my own bed. I wanted my baby to sleep in their own space. And, honestly, I really didn’t want to get up several times every night.
Then I had my first baby.
And suddenly, the idea of getting up over and over again during the night sounded much less appealing.
Co-sleeping became a very easy decision after that first birth.
It wasn’t something I had planned before becoming a mom. It was simply one of those decisions that made sense for our family once we were actually in the middle of newborn life.
And that’s something I’ve learned again and again:
Motherhood is very different when you’re making decisions for a real baby instead of an imaginary one.
5. I would NEVER put my child into daycare
This one probably changed my perspective the most.
Before becoming a mom, I didn’t think much about daycare. I certainly never expected my own experience with it to influence such a big parenting decision.
At the time, I worked in HR for a daycare.
I wasn’t working directly with the children, but being on the HR side meant I got to experience and see a lot of what was happening behind the scenes. I had a much closer look at daycare life than most people would normally have.
And during my pregnancy, that experience changed my mind.
I had seen enough to know that daycare wasn’t what I wanted for my own children.
That doesn’t mean I think daycare is automatically wrong for every family. Families have different circumstances, different needs, and different choices to make.
But for our family, it became very clear to me that I wanted to be the one spending those early years with my children.
Sometimes a decision isn’t based on one dramatic moment.
Sometimes it’s simply the accumulation of everything you’ve seen, experienced, and thought about until you realize:
“This isn’t what I want for my family.”
6. I would NEVER homeschool my children
This one makes me laugh a little because homeschooling was definitely not something I pictured myself doing before becoming a mom.
And now?
I’m homeschooling my children.
One of the biggest reasons is simply that I spend so much time with my kids.
When you are with your children day after day, you get to know them in a completely different way. You see what makes them curious. You notice how they learn. You see the questions they ask, the things they remember, the skills they pick up seemingly out of nowhere.
And I started seeing just how capable they are of learning.
Not every child learns in exactly the same way. Not every family needs the same educational setup.
But for us, homeschooling became something that made sense.
It gives me the opportunity to be there for so much of their learning—not just the academic part, but the everyday moments where they discover something, ask a question, make a connection, or become interested in something completely unexpected.
It’s one of those things I never would have predicted for myself.
And yet, now I can’t imagine our life any other way.
7. I would NEVER wear mostly flat shoes
Okay, let’s lighten things up a little. 😂
Before becoming a mom, I definitely didn’t imagine myself wearing mostly flat shoes.
I liked dressing up. I liked shoes that made an outfit feel a little more polished.
And then I became a mom.
Suddenly, I was running around after children, carrying things, bending down approximately 47 times a day, and generally needing to be able to move quickly.
Flat shoes won.
These days, I’m actually looking forward to dressing up again and wearing something other than the shoes I can comfortably chase my children in.
But for now?
I’m okay with it.
Because motherhood has a way of making you realize that comfort is sometimes a lot more important than you thought it was.
8. I would NEVER play football with my kids
And finally… football.
I still wouldn’t call it my favorite occupation. 😂
But sometimes, when you have energetic children who need to burn off some energy, you do what you have to do.
So yes, I play football with my kids.
Not because I suddenly discovered a hidden passion for the sport.
Not because I’m secretly hoping to become a professional football player.
But because sometimes it’s the easiest way to get them tired.
And honestly, there is something really sweet about realizing that your children don’t care whether you’re good at something.
They just want you to play with them.
They don’t care if you know the rules.
They don’t care if you’re terrible at kicking the ball.
They just want you.
And that’s a pretty good reminder.
Motherhood changed more than my routines
When I look at this list now, I realize that most of these things aren’t really about the individual decisions.
They’re about how much motherhood changed me.
Before children, it was easy to have strong opinions about how I would parent. I had never experienced the exhaustion, the love, the responsibility, the uncertainty, or the tiny person standing in front of me who suddenly mattered more than almost anything else.
I thought I knew what I would do.
Then I became a mom and realized that real life is much more complicated—and much more beautiful—than the plans you make beforehand.
Some things I changed my mind about because my circumstances changed.
Some because I experienced something that made me see things differently.
And some simply because I became a different person.
I think that’s okay.
We don’t have to be embarrassed about changing our minds.
We don’t have to stick to an opinion simply because we once said it out loud.
And we definitely don’t have to become the mom we thought we would be before we actually had children.
Motherhood is allowed to change you.
Maybe that’s one of the best things about it.
Because sometimes the things we said we’d never do end up becoming some of the most meaningful parts of our lives.
And sometimes they just end up being the things that make us laugh at our pre-mom selves. 😂
What about you?
What did you swear you would NEVER do before becoming a mom—and then ended up doing anyway?
I’d love to hear yours in the comments. Because I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one whose pre-mom list didn’t exactly survive motherhood.
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Meta description: These are 8 things I swore I’d never do before becoming a mom—from natural birth and breastfeeding to co-sleeping, homeschooling, daycare, and more. Motherhood changed my mind in surprising ways.
