An Open Letter to the New Mom

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An Open Letter to a New Mom - Columbia SC Moms BlogDear New Mom,

Let me preface this by telling you that I’m not an expert. I haven’t been at this very long, but my 14 months have given me a teeny bit of wisdom. First, you’re doing a great job, and believe me I understand this is the hardest job you’ve ever done.

Somehow, as soon as you start to figure out your life with your baby, it all changes. The second you get your sweet bundle on a good schedule, she decides that maybe she needs to stay up a little longer. Or as soon as your baby starts nursing well, it’s time to introduce a bottle. As soon as tummy time becomes bearable, your little angel learns to roll over, thus making tummy time impossible!

But let me tell you, you can do this. In the beginning it can be so frustrating, you might feel like you’re constantly floundering. You might feel like (when you finally get up the nerve to leave the house) you look like a hot mess to everyone you encounter. But I promise you, you don’t. And if you do, it doesn’t matter.

There is no other person on this earth who knows your baby as well as you do, or loves them as much as you do. I have never been a “go with the flow” person, but raising children is humbling, at the very least. It has taught me to roll with the punches and keep my expectations to an extreme minimum.

The most important job you have is to love your baby, no matter what. And some days it can be hard to love your baby and love being a mom while keeping a smile on your face. My advice to you is find the victories each day. Don’t compare your experience to someone else’s because all babies are different. Take advice; try it … if it works, great! If it doesn’t work, move on. And most importantly, cut yourself some slack! Raising children is hard!

The one thing you need to do every day is love your baby. Bask in baby snuggles, kiss those sweet fingers and toes, and blow raspberries on that toddler tummy. Let your baby know that you love them. Then you know that even if you haven’t washed your hair in who knows how long, or if your baby only napped for 30 minutes, or your toddler ate three acorns before you realized what was happening, that it’s ok. Things happen, no day is perfect. No mom is perfect. No child is perfect.

One step at a time… One nap at a time… One baby snuggle at a time… You can do this.

Sincerely,

A mom of a toddler who occasionally eats a handful of dirt before I notice.

1 COMMENT

  1. Great Post!……my 16 month old daughter loves to eat the crayons that well meaning restaurant hostess give her.

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