Being a new parent isn't easy, but it sounds like Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin have already gotten into the groove. The newly engaged couple welcomed their first child together, a son named Dakota, in April 2021. Now Brenda is opening up about what's she's learned about being a mom.
Brenda got real about motherhood during a recent interview
The actress talked to The Cut about what she's learned during her first nine months of motherhood. "People tell you a lot about labor and pregnancy, but not about the fourth trimester," she explained. (The fourth trimester refers to the first few months after a baby's arrival.)
"To my girlfriends who are pregnant I say, 'Make sure you have help. Because your instinct is to want to do it all, and you physically can't.'"
Fortunately, Brenda and Macaulay don't have to do it all alone
According to Brenda, she and Macaulay are very "hands-on" when it comes to taking care of their son. "We don't have a nanny, but my mom has been here with us since my son was born. When I was working, my mom would bring [my son] to set so I could breastfeed and see him during the day," the Dollface star shared.
We're sure that was a huge help for Brenda, since we know actors can log a lot of hours each day when they are filming a new project.
That doesn't mean everything has been easy for the new parents
Even though the newly engaged couple has had some extra help during the past nine months, it doesn't mean they've escaped some of the common stressors that new parents face. "I think when you and your partner have kids, especially the first few months, you don't have the patience to be polite with each other," she explained.
Tired parents everywhere can probably relate to Brenda's words (we know we can).
It sounds like Brenda and Macaulay have found a way to make sure the baby duties are evenly shared
A common reason many frazzled parents say they fight with their partners in those early days is because they feel like they're carrying the load when it comes to childcare. However, Brenda and Macaulay seem to have found a way to avoid having one person do the lion's share of the work.
"Instead of having set duties, we just feel each other out," she explained. "I'll be putting my son down, and my partner is like, 'Let me feed the animals and get dinner ready.'"
Things are about to get a lot busier for the couple
While Brenda and Macaulay have been together since meeting on set of their film Changeland in 2017, they only just recently decided to take their relationship to the next level. At the end of January, the pair got engaged, which means they're likely going to have to add wedding planning to their list of responsibilities soon.
Hopefully they take the same load-sharing approach to planning their nuptials too. It seems to be working really well for them as parents!
