What I Wish I Knew As a First Time Mom Now that I'm a Mom of Three
The most honest conversation I've ever had about motherhood.
My experience as a first time mom wasn’t at all what I imagined it would be. Did I love her more than anything and cherish those newborn snuggles? Yes. I adored her. Was it the experience I thought it would be? Not even close.
There’s no real way to fully prepare yourself for something this big. But you can have a plan in place that will make the experience better. And you can go into it knowing it will be hard. You can put a few things in place to make the experience better.
I was sure I was going to be a natural since I was so comfortable around newborns, but nothing prepared me for postpartum anxiety and not being able to soothe my own baby. Sure, there were lots of sweet moments—those newborn snuggles are the best. But nothing prepared me for how awful the nights would be, or how broken I’d feel when I couldn’t calm her.
Here’s what I wish I knew as a first time mom
I want to share what I wish I knew when I was struggling as a first time mom, and give others hope because it got so much better. This is the most honest conversation I’ve ever had and touches on postpartum anxiety.
I also want you to know that my third postpartum experience was wonderful. A big part of that was feeling more comfortable and confident, knowing how quickly it all goes by, and doing things to make the experience better for my family. And with some of those things in place, my first experience could have been so much better.
photo by Katie Kett