With every first time Mom it begins the same. Sleep deprivation. Is the baby eating enough? What was I thinking? Will I ever have a life again? I’m doing everything wrong!
Those feelings are natural. Remember not to focus on the mommy guilt.
My youngest sister just had her first baby. I’ve been so worried about her because even though my first baby is now 6 years old, the memories of those early days are still etched into my brain. It was not an easy time. Venturing into motherhood is an experience that sometimes is not so easy. But I found myself telling her the same thing that people have told me so often when I have struggled during the newborn days, “Don’t worry. It will get better.”
And it does.
I look back at my life just 6 months ago and how difficult it was with my own baby. We had countless issues that tested me, pushed me to my limits and made me think I would never be “normal” again. I cried on a daily basis, was so sleep deprived that I could hardly function, and felt that life as I knew it was over because we decided to add a third child to our family.
But, now, just a few months later, I look at my precious boy who is approaching his first birthday and I think, “Where did the time go?” This past Sunday my older kids were excited to watch some home movies from when they were babies. We laughed at the cute things they said and did, and I felt nostalgic at those times that are now gone. Never will my sweet girl be a baby again. Never will my 3 year old cuddle with me like he used to. And, now my almost 1 year old is trying his hardest to walk. Everyday they become more independent.
It does get better. The first few weeks are hard, but as you look back at your children, you will realize that even though they were hard, they were some of the most precious moments in your life.