Ukrainian actors Kateryna Tyshkevych and Valentyn Tomusyak have become parents for the first time: the couple had a son named Daniel. Seven days after the baby was born, the couple posted a joint video on Instagram where they candidly shared their first impressions of parenthood. According to the Styler publication, the actors admitted that they were only partially prepared for various daily and emotional challenges, and the most difficult test for them was not the direct care of the child, but the near-total disappearance of sleep.
“We Didn't Understand It Would Disappear Completely”
When asked to evaluate their first week of parenthood, Valentyn Tomusyak replied concisely: “We survived.” Kateryna Tyshkevych commented on this phrase with a nervous laugh. The actress explained that before their son’s birth, the couple realized sleep would decrease, but the scale of the change was unexpected. “We understood there would be significantly less, but we didn't realize it would disappear completely,” Tyshkevych admitted. The first night at the maternity hospital was especially difficult: despite the presence of medical nannies and assistants, the young parents were not yet reading the newborn’s signals, and Daniel himself was adapting to life outside the womb. At one point, the actors recalled, they looked at each other and thought: “What have we signed up for? Is our whole life going to be like this now?” Fortunately, the next night went much more smoothly—the parents understood their son’s needs better, and the baby was quieter.
Who Is More Anxious: Analyzing Family Roles
In the video, the couple humorously discussed who turned out to be the more anxious parent. Valentyn claimed that Kateryna worried more. The actress initially disagreed, but her husband jokingly clarified that he was talking about an “anxious little thing.” Tyshkevych explained her position by noting that before the birth, she had imagined much worse scenarios of motherhood. “I painted such a catastrophic, anxious picture before my son's birth that I think I am actually a calm, balanced mother because I expected to be much more anxious. In general, for me, parenthood is easier now than it was in my catastrophic, anxious imagination,” the actress said. Valentyn added that while she was pregnant, his wife often watched anxious stories about parenthood on TikTok, which annoyed him: he tried to convince Kateryna that their experience would be “very light.”
Diapers, Fine Motor Skills, and C-Section
In everyday matters, the young parents also noticed differences in their approaches. For example, Valentyn handled diapers much faster than his wife. “Valik has been doing this from day one. So masterfully,” Kateryna praised her husband. He had an objective advantage: after a C-section, the actress could not stand or bend over for the first three days, so Valentyn started practicing with the baby earlier, and nannies helped him at the hospital. Tyshkevych also admitted that changing clothes is more difficult for her due to fine motor skill issues and her own reaction to the baby crying: “Fine motor skills are my weak point. And Valik changes everything so easily. All those tiny, tiny little shirts. When I start, the baby begins to cry, and I feel blood vessels pulsing in my head because he is crying. So I just give up.”
Health, Murchyk the Cat, and Gratitude to Mothers
Despite the sleep deprivation and the need to master new skills, the couple’s top priority remains their son’s health. For Kateryna, a major cause for joy was that her health did not deteriorate after giving birth. The actress has suffered from chronic headaches for many years and feared that pregnancy and childbirth would exacerbate the problem. “Also, the greatest happiness is that the birth of this boy did not worsen my health condition, because there are certain nuances. I was very worried that the intensity of the headaches would increase, that I wouldn't be able to care for him, and that I would be a bad mother. But objectively, I see that everything is okay,” she shared. In a playful manner, the couple also noted that their cat Murchyk has managed his own sleeping arrangements in his bed much better so far. In the end, the actors thanked their mothers for their support in the first days after Daniel’s birth and gave advice to those preparing to become parents: approach parenthood responsibly and do not be afraid to ask for help.
