It’s obvious that when you become a mother, your entire life changes. It’s a drastic new experience, full of ups and downs, learning, growth, and basically a completely new life.
For people like me, sometimes the journey there can be the hardest part (if you want to know what I’m talking about, read my infertility post here).
But no matter your journey there, motherhood changes you a lot. You start to do things differently, look at the world differently, and just become different as a person.
I know that when I first had my baby, I changed a lot.
I acted differently towards people, I was very focused on my baby, and I kind of sheltered myself from everything else that didn’t have to do with that baby.
While all mothers with experience motherhood differently in positive and negative ways, I want to talk a little bit about what you can expect to feel as a new mother. Most people online only share the happy moments and the good parts.
But there is a very real struggle along the way as well.
A big inspiration to today’s post was actually the blog, CovertNarcissism.com, as it is also a story of the face behind the mask like this one. While the blogger behind this blog, Renee, does write on different topics, it is an incredibly emotional, and inspiring blog to read about the struggles and emotional trauma of being a parent, two of which are my favorites being, Whole New Level of Exhaustion and Counter Parenting. I feel a lot of what she writes here can be related to a lot of the same dark emotions many new mothers feel along the start of their journey as well.
So without further ado, let me tell you what you should expect as a new mother.
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So How Will You Feel as a New Mom?
1 ♥ Hormonal Changes
OK… so when I talk about hormonal changes, it’s like PMS but on steroids!
Basically, you can expect yourself to be a hot mess of emotions right now.
Woot, woot! Here comes the crazy train!
After giving birth, your hormones need to calm down and read adjust to how they used to be, but it will take some time, so you might be feeling quite off. During this time, it’s important to rest as much as you can.
I know, with a newborn in the house, you’re bound to get tons of sleep, right?
So with the little sleep that you will get, ensure you at least eat healthy, and just work on getting yourself up and running again in the best ways possible. I made the mistake of not doing any of this, and it was a lot harder on my body emotionally and physically than it needed to be, so make sure you make yourself a priority in this time as well. We have written a blog post about body patience after pregnancy which is a must read. Check it out here!
2 ♥ Exhaustion After Exhaustion (It Gets Better)
You’re going to be exhausted, like, for the next 18 years (better get used to it, mama!). But in all seriousness, you just carried a little peach in your tummy for 9 months, went through excruciating pain to bring it into the world, and now you are going to deal with the irregular sleep schedule with a baby in the house.
If you even get sleep at all.
Which is going to add to the exhaustion even more.
It’s no wonder we need so much coffee now, right?
For this reason, it’s important to come up with a schedule so that you and your hubby can both rest. My husband and I like to take shifts so that while he’s watching the baby, I’m sleeping and vice versa! It’s a great way to ensure you both get a break and some time to yourself. I’ve also written a blog post about how to get more sleep as a parent here aswell as the #1 device that helped both my babies and I get to sleep quicker.
Just like Kellie from MovewithSoftness, I’m a perfectionist at heart and what I realized when becoming a mom is that I was self-sabotaging myself. By trying to have everything perfect, it was taking a toll on my energy and patience, making me even more exhausted (as I would sometimes be more exhausted from the anxiety of not completing things, instead of completing them). For a great blog post about change and how to confidently embody change for women, check out Kellie’s blog post here, Will You Change?
3 ♥ Breast Feeding Is Harder Than It Looks (No, Seriously)
As I just mention in a recent blog post of mine about Breastfeeding Pain Relief, breastfeeding can be really tough.
Whether it’s;
Learning the proper way to do it
Finding out how to get the baby to latch correctly
Sore nipples,
or just the unfamiliarity of it all – it’s tough, baby girl. But thankfully, this can be learned very quickly, and there’s lots of tips and tricks fellow moms or people on the internet can share with you to make it go easier.
If you want to know my special trick to avoid pain while breastfeeding, read my blog here all about it and see if it helps your parenting journey run a little smoother!
Also, check out this awesome blog post by Mary over at justtakeabite for more natural remedies to help breastfeeding. She has some helpful information on all things babies and toddlers!
4 ♥ You Feel Alone Or Sad
Okay, so just above I mentioned how you’ll feel a little crazy with your hormones right now, but I just wanted to mention also that it isn’t uncommon to feel alone, depressed, or sad.
This basically goes alongside with the hormonal changes you’re experiencing, and can have you feeling a bit low for a while.
But don’t feel guilty about it, it’s totally normal!
What’s the best way to combat it?
By not just sitting on it or ignoring it, rather by distracting yourself, spending time with your baby, husband, or friends, and just keeping yourself busy! This period too shall pass, ladies, but keeping yourself busy will help it go much quicker!
For more blogs that tell the story of a very real struggle with parenting and marriage, check out, OurBeautifulLies.com, as it’s a truly inspirational and informative blog to read. If you’re looking for something to help you understand a little more about this new journey, I would highly suggest you have a look!
Overall, there are a lot of different things that come along with motherhood. And while these points I shared above may seem impossible, they will pass and everything will soon become easier.
Motherhood is a gift, it’s full of struggles and hard times just as with anything in life, but it’s also going to be the best and most memorable years of your life.
No matter how hard it is now, cherish these moments, because they will not be here forever.
You can also do fun activities to keep yourself balanced, and a great place to find some delicious recipes and awesome things to do is on the blog, Vrag.in, as the author shares all kinds of interesting content that is a hoot to read!
