06/05/2023
Mommas of 0-12m olds, write this down:
My goals for today:
1. Keep the baby alive
2. Take care of myself
You don't have to have it all figured out. You aren't going to know everything. And most of the time "everything" is irrelevant.
Newborns are about cuddles, diapers, love, keep them warm, and cuddle them again. It's not about which bottle is rated the best or organic, hand spun swaddles made from fair trade farms in Africa.
Read that again.
Let it sink in.
Because, darn it, you didn't get to make dinner tonight and you're ordering pizza for the second time this week? Look at your list again: Did you take care of the baby? Yes. Did you take of yourself? Also, yes. Man, you're crushing this new-mom business then. Call the pizza delivery and give yourself a pat on the back.
Feeling overwhelmed and sad because Suzy's baby is a mutant (! Haha) and sleeping through the night and you are still communing with the moon more than the sun? Check out your handy-dandy to-do list with exactly 2 items on it. Is the baby still alive? Yup. Are you still breathing in and out and functioning due to the miracles of running hot water and dry shampoo? Awesome. Sounds like you're rocking this mom life. Keep on going.
We all feel like a failure from time to time. Heck, I blabbed about one of my biggest mom fears just a few posts ago on Insta. A fellow mom, whom I've never met but she follows me on Insta, DM'd me with this: you can't fail at a job you were created to do.
That rocked me.
I'm still ruminating on it.
Sure, the cynics will say there are moms out there who fail hard everyday. Like felony, abuse and drugs fails. I'm pretty sure those aren't the moms she was referring to. She's meant that note for me and for us - moms who are trying, feel overwhelmed with what’s right when there are so many dang wrongs, and sometimes wanna throw in the towel.
For now, post the two item check list on your mirror, stamp it on your hand, write it on the top of the formula can, and keep it at the forefront. And remember, you aren't failing. You can do this motherhood thing. Everyone's journey looks a bit different. Give yourself grace and refer to the checklist