Whether you’re in your first pregnancy juggling the first-time anxieties and questions along with a list of never-ending symptoms and an ever-changing body; or you’re in the newborn stage for the first time wondering if you’ll ever sleep again; or perhaps this isn’t your first rodeo and you’ve grown accustomed to the constant exhaustion that results from the constant outpouring of self to meet the needs of the little people around you. The point being, despite the stage of motherhood you stand in, odds are you have hard days. Days where you feel like you might just be the most incompetent and underqualified mother around. Days where you can’t possibly offer enough comfort to ease the pains of growing and teething, and your efforts to do so have left little time and attention to put towards the sink overflowing with dishes. Days where the morning sickness is so strong you couldn’t fathom attempting to eat; yet the idea of not eating leaves you feeling guilty, knowing that your body is the lifeline providing nutrients to your growing baby.
There are days where our minds have so many tabs open, the to-do list is endless and everyone needs something from you. And you’re left feeling absolutely crazy… and on a level of overstimulated you didn’t even know existed. These are the moments that can damage and derail our self-confidence as mothers, if we allow them to. If we allow these days to overcome our minds and attitudes towards our competency in motherhood, we can become so discouraged and disheartened that we’re convinced we must be crazy and incompetent.
We need to learn to regulate and assess our thoughts in regards to these times, to realize that a few hard moments do not equal a bad day; and a few hard moments do not make you a bad mom…it just means that motherhood is hard work. Despite the stage, the number of children, your age or theirs; motherhood is hard work. It is also arguably the most rewarding role, calling, and position you could be blessed with, but that doesn’t mean it’s not hard. Just as our sweet babies need a little extra love and comfort in the periods of growth and development; so do we, motherhood is a constant state of growth and development and sometimes we need extra love and comfort, to affirm that it is hard work and it’s actually supposed to be… in other words, you’re not crazy.
