Indeed, as those words echo in my memory, each day is a true revelation that love can be unconditional, you can love a "stranger".
The journey of motherhood has taught me many things, and each day is a learning curb. The last couple of weeks, I have seen my daughter grow, developing her mind, her sight and sound. Each day there is something new to discover about her. The past few days she has been suffering from constipation, therefore each day I had to massage her tummy, roll her legs up and down so that she can do her business. It is funny how a mom can get excited from the sight of her child's poo. Yes, motherhood is also about getting excited about the things that can make anyone cringe.
I'm sure there are a lot of mothers out there that can identify with the fact that your life is never the same again once you have a little one at home. I can never forget the day of giving birth to my little one, and the moment I laid eyes on her, I imprinted in her. When she came out of me, and I got the chance to hold her, her body was the right temperature. I will never forget how her eyes locked into mine and her cute hands slightly covering her face. That day when I brought her home, our lives changed. You truly learn the meaning of what it is like to live for someone else. I think a lot of mom's can agree that motherhood change 3 different things about your life.
1. Sleep is never the same again! Yes, the funny thing is I thought I would be so exhausted, that I wouldn't be able to dedicate my time towards other things. However, a baby just changes your lazy ass to being an-alert-on-the-clock-ass. I religiously wake up at 3 am and 5 am with no sweat. The idea of being in a deep sleep doesn't exist either. Any slight "sigh", "mm", cry or a whim makes me run out of bed to check on my little one.
2. It is not about you anymore. A lot of women might think that after pregnancy, they can finally go back to what things used to be..especially with the body. Not so much. After pregnancy and birth, you will need to feed the new person in your life. If you want to breastfeed, you will need to eat a lot and forget about the superficial elements we embrace. I am one of those unfortunate ones that weren't blessed with a high inventory of breast milk. So it is my job to eat as much as I can, drink as much as I can in order to keep that milk supply up. What does that mean for the figure?? Well, my body is on hold until 6 months,, for now it is about the love of my life growing healthy. Your time and energy is not about you anymore. My baby's life doesn't revolve around my schedule, instead, my life (if any left) revolves around her. I never thought that going to a restaurant can be such a big planning ordeal. Feed her before hand, burp her, change diaper, rock her to sleep......deep sleep and then go to the restaurant.
3. Motherhood is very different from fatherhood. A lot of women get frustrated with their partners during pregnancy, because they can't identify with anything they are going through. Men can't help it. They aren't as emotional, they don't have to carry someone for 9 months and at the same time going through that journey. So, by the time birth hits and you are hoping that he will finally understand, but no, they don't. Or let me not be cruel... maybe they do, but we expect them to feel the same way we do. My husband is totally in love with our daughter, really loves her so much. However, like during pregnancy, their attachment to the actual situation is very different, which can be frustrating at times. I discovered that it is frustrating for me, because I am expecting him to be all motherly, which is impossible.
One thing that I learned about motherhood is love for all children. Loving ones own only expands the love for others as well. Children are precious and should be loved and protected by us all. When I see a child going through some kind of grief, I can't help myself wanting to help or even feeling some kind of sadness.
Motherhood is a gift and not a burden. It is an honor and not a punishment. The more we can try and see life through a mother's eyes, the better we can understand each other and treat each other with unconditional love and kindness.
