Ain't no hood like Motherhood

Park hangs with my mini me

So, you've had a baby....
                                        Now what?


I remember each stage so distinctly. The first phase was operation get pregnant. Once you're pregnant the energy shifts to maintaining the pregnancy and surviving nine long months growing a human... no small feat as some of us know. 

Nine months fly by and then it's operation expel baby from your body, yet another daunting milestone. 

Finally (!!) you get to meet your baby and life changes in ways you could only imagine. Your heart triples in size and you find a love so fierce it's actually terrifying. I have a whole new understanding of Elizabeth Stone's quote now: "Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body.”

Were truer words ever spoken? I think not. 

So, I have to ask. You've had a baby....?
                                                      Now what. 

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What's the next step? What shall we pour or energies into now?

​Well, the simple, and not so simple answer is in fact, motherhood. 

Becoming a mum was the single most important thing I ever wanted out of my life.

​So when I finally had my daughter, I took to motherhood like a fish to water. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I was good at it! I didn't know what I was doing half the time, and as excited as I was to check out of the hospital, I was terrified about the unknown territory of what being a mum meant.

I felt like giving birth was the easy part, and being a Mum is where the true challenge hid.

For me, being a Mum meant that I'd do anything and everything in my power to protect, love and nourish my daughter's life. I mean this in a physical, emotional and intellectual capacity. After all, we're  responsible for another human life, and that human is your contribution to world.  Think about that for a minute. Kinda blows your mind, doesn't it? 

​For this reason, I'm going to try to help her be the best girl and woman I can because she is representative of my character. She is a byproduct of myself and my husband, and a testament of our love and dedication to each other as parents and people. Therefore, we have a lot of responsibility for our little legacy, and I want her to make some damn big waves in the pool of life. 
​
Being a Mum means that I'll forever be bound to her, no matter what, till death do us part. I know that's reminiscent of a wedding vow, but the bond between mother and child is far more sacred. She is my greatest accomplishment and I honestly struggle to remember what life was like before she joined our family. After 13 years as a family of two, she was the final piece of our love story.

Being a Mum means long days and short nights, less sleep and more work. It means I might have tough days where I'm insecure, doubting my abilities or lose my patience.
Being a Mum adds years to your life and life to your years.
Being a Mum means striving to be the best version of myself, because she deserves that. 

Ain't no hood like Motherhood, that's a fact.  

​
EMK