This is one of my favorite pictures, but I never shared it…. mainly because I’m wearing Costco Christmas pajamas in the middle of summer and my glasses are out of style. 🤣
But, I was with a group of girlfriends recently, and when I asked a new mom how life with a newborn was, she said it was good, but that “no one talks about that it’s hard.” And, she‘s right.
We all post our pretty pictures. Our smiling babies. Our letter boards. But not enough of us talk about the rest. So, here I am sharing a photo from the newborn stage, and saying IT IS HARD! This picture is one of my favorites, but it’s also of a time when I was exhausted.
And, while I love a beautiful Instagram feed as much as the next gal, here’s some real life stuff to go along with my real life picture: Nursing was really hard for me with Jack. And, pumping was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Sleepless nights made me crabby, and my hormones were out of whack. I think I had postpartum depression after my first baby, but didn’t know it at the time. And, while it almost seems like taboo to admit it, teeny tiny babies were hard on our marriage. Why does no one talk about that? It was a time when I was covered in spit up, and blowout diapers, and spilled milk that I would – for real – cry over. A time when I’d be awake at 3am searching google when the rest of the world seemingly was asleep. And, it was a time when I sometimes felt isolated… even though I now know there was a tribe of other moms out there, going through the same things.
I share this today to say to other mamas out there, you are not alone. ❤️ There is so much joy in motherhood. So much love. So much good. We all share that on Instagram all the time. But also know, in the middle of the night, when you’re holding that baby, exhausted, you are not alone. There are other mamas out there doing that exact same thing, even if their Instagram feed only shows that smiling picture in the morning. ❤️👊🏻 And, for the record, you’re doing AWESOME, mama. People don’t say that enough.
Lauren V Wesley 