Posts tagged first year of motherhood

My 7 Biggest Struggles as a New Mom

My 7 Biggest Struggles as a New Mom

in Mom Life on Share

That first year as a new mom is a completely life-altering experience.

Holding your baby for the first time.

Just living off of that sweet new baby scent.

Soft, quiet, blissed-out cuddles.

The first smile. That first laugh. The first word. (Seriously, “dog”? I CREATED YOU)

There is absolute joy beyond measure.

Happy Baby

I mean, come ON. Just look at that face.

But man, if it isn’t also one of the toughest years of your life.

And maybe you’re in a phase right now where it’s more tears than smiles.

Where you’re ending each day feeling like a failure and also like you stress-ate an entire cake on the couch while Googling “whatever happened to the cast of Family Matters?”  (Just an example, okay? Just an example.)

Maybe you need to read that it’s okay if you feel like you’re struggling, and HARD.

That it’s okay if you feel like you aren’t a natural at being a mother.

That it’s okay to want a break. To feel like you’re not strong enough. To count the hours until bed time. To not embrace every single moment, because holy cow, that’s a lot of moments.

For those of you currently in the trenches, let’s talk about the struggle.

Here are the seven biggest struggles that I faced as a new mom.

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15 Things I Learned in My First Year of Motherhood

15 Things I Learned in My First Year of Motherhood

in Mom Life Wise Mother Haggard on Share

Towards the end of my big, fat, long, hot, sick, swollen pregnancy, I started to finally feel that I was ready to do that whole “giving-birth-and-entering-motherhood” thing.

I had read the books.

Did the prenatal classes.

Had my weight recorded loudly by the receptionist at my OB’s office approximately 800 times. (Tell me, please, WHY would you put the scale in the always-crowded waiting room? What a cruel bit of interior design clearly not planned by a pregnant woman.)

I had studied the blogs; watched The Business of Being Born.

I knew some things.

I knew not to buy too many newborn-sized clothes or diapers because my baby might be huge and not fit into them. (I didn’t need to worry; she was 8 pounds and wore them for a month.)

I knew I didn’t want a C-section. (That’s how it works, right? You decide how you want your birth to go and you write it on your birth plan?…totally ended up with a C-section.)

I knew I would be too tired to cook, so I made three freezer meals. (Oh good…all set.)

I knew I would want to drink lots of coffee, so I bought a better coffee maker. (This was probably the one smart thing I did.)

I knew there would be no sleep, lots of diaper changes, spit up, and some crying.

I knew it would be hard. I thought I was prepared. (You just keep eating dessert with every meal and telling yourself that, dear…)

Approximately one hour after giving birth, I knew I was not prepared.

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