Approaching my first New Years Eve as a mum, it’s fair to say I’m having very mixed emotions as to how I want to celebrate the year that was this party season. It’s no longer a case of the ol’ attitude of, “I’ll be right…I’ll sleep-in til the afternoon,” or “I’ll just pull a sickie on Monday!”
I have a not-so-little baby who will greet me with his grunting first thing on New Year’s Day morning, which translates to, “Mum, I’m awake, feeeeeed meeee. Give me every inch of attention physically possible.”
So – in true holiday season spirit – I’m here to give my top 5 reasons why having a hangover with a baby is simply not worth it for me!
1. Instant regret sucks
Fast-forward after a night of drinking and freedom. I crawl into bed. My breath stinks and my teeth are furry. Dammit, I already struggle to find time to shower on a good day, so tomorrow I will smell. Bang. Regret.
My head is spinning and I watch the roof do circles above me. I envisage the challenges that lie before me in the morning when my baby wakes… which is now in three hours to be exact. Bang. Regret.
2. I care about my baby, but he doesn’t care about me.
The same baby who will shout for me at 7am for his breakfast is also the same baby who will want to climb, scratch, bounce and bite my poor, throbbing head all day. He will also want to squeal – because that’s his new thing – all day, and pierce my extra-sensitive, hungover eardrums.
3. The morning poo is crap.
Nappy changing does not pair well with a hangover, but what’s worse than going to greet your baby who has an explosive morning poo? Going in vulnerable. You’re hung-over and you’re tired. There’s room for serious error. One slip of the hand and… need I say more?
You need to think long and hard about whether it’s really worth it.
(Image: Getty)4. Peppa Pig just doesn’t cut it
A movie ‘recovery’ day may work perfectly well when I have a 5-year-old, but unfortunately that whole idea doesn’t work with a crawling baby. Unfortunately, lazy parenting is not an option when dealing with a hangover with a bub. No iPad, no pay TV, no games involving “let’s see who talks least” or “bet you can’t fall asleep first” will work. It’s full steam ahead from the get-go with a baby.
5. There’s no time for the breaky feast.
When the old me would party with friends the hardest decision I had to make was what I was going to go feast on the next day. A traditional McDonald’s binge of hot, salty chips and cheeseburgers? Bacon and eggs accompanied by two hash browns. A green smoothie (who am I kidding)?
Nope. Now the only food on top of my priority list that is all for my baby. Unless, of course, I strategically plan my Macca’s run for the 45 minutes between his bottle and his Weetbix… but then again we all know getting out of the house on a normal day with a baby is a huge pain in the backside, so when Mumma’s feeling a bit seedy… it looks like my only hangover cure would be Weetbix and berries with the baby.
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