Being A Mum Isn’t Easy

BEING A MUM ISN’T EASY

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Being a Mum isn’t easy.  When I first had my daughter in 2011, I was SO excited and happy and READY to have kids. What happened when she was born completely threw me. I struggled BIG TIME for at least the first 12 months (if not more).

I want you to know, that as a mother, this can happen:

• Sometimes you don’t fall in love with your baby straight away.
• You might miss your old life, and wish it would go back to “normal”.
• Breastfeeding can be a bitch.
• Postnatal Depression can happen.  You are not a failure for having it.
• Sleep deprivation is a first-class mindf*ck, and it’s no laughing matter.
• Your marriage or relationship may suffer, and it may take a while to get things back on track.
• You may dislike or resent your partner / husband.
• You may dislike or resent your new baby.
• It’s OK to ask for help. There is help.
• You don’t need to get back to your pre-pregnancy body.  Some (like me) will never get back there.  It’s ok not to.
• You might not feel like yourself for a really long time, but it’s ok, you will eventually.
• Every baby is different, and if yours is harder than your friend’s, it’s OK.
• If your baby is EASIER than your friends – that’s ok too.
• You might feel like you suck at this, but you don’t.
• It doesn’t necessarily get easier, but it never stays the same.

The last point is one I can’t stress enough – things change.  Your baby will grow up and change.  You will change. Nothing stays the same.  It might not seem like it at the beginning, when you can’t see the forest through the trees, but it does get better.  You will adjust.  It may not take months, it may take years, but it does happen.

And, it’s ok to cry.  It is not a sign of weakness.  It’s releasing emotion, and it’s a good thing to do.

Send this to your friends, to your sister, to your partner and to your husband.  Often, people who haven’t been a mother don’t understand what it feels like.  I found it hard to put into words what I was feeling, but every now and then I came across something which helped me to express it.

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