Just four months ago, I became a member of the New Mom Collective. The moment my daughter entered the world, everything changed in ways I could never have anticipated.
Is that an overstatement? Perhaps.
Is it the truth? Absolutely.
When you become part of the New Mom Collective, you won’t receive a membership card or a grand welcome celebration. However, you will embark on a journey filled with incredible, frustrating, joyful, and sometimes bewildering experiences that connect you deeply with your fellow “New Mom Collective” members.
What’s it like, you ask?
New motherhood is…
- Practicing selflessness more often than not.
- Constantly questioning if you’re doing everything right.
- Welcoming more guests into your home than ever before, while realizing they’re not there just for you.
- Longing for the life you had before.
- Eventually forgetting what life was like before baby, yet knowing you wouldn’t trade this new life for anything.
- Crying when your baby cries.
- Shedding tears when you have to leave your little one for the first time.
- Getting emotional over every milestone your baby reaches.
- Crying.
- Coming to terms with the fact that all your preparation may not have mattered, but somehow, you’ll manage.
- Gaining a newfound appreciation for your own mom—seriously, call her and say “thank you.”
- Watching your partner with your child and discovering a deeper love for them.
- Finally grasping how deeply your parents loved you.
- Experiencing a lot of leaking.
- Navigating long days that somehow fly by in a blink.
- Trading the comforts of your previous freedom for a life filled with unpredictable changes.
- Cherishing a dentist appointment as your only “me” time for the week.
- Smelling stains to determine if it’s pee, spit-up, breast milk, or something else entirely.
- Reflexively reaching out to catch any unexpected liquid.
- Discussing poop at least five times a day.
- Accepting new hygiene standards (a shower every other day feels like a win).
- Adjusting to a new definition of sleep (getting four hours straight? You’re lucky!).
- Letting go of all the parenting judgments you once held before entering this world.
- Wondering if that other new mom on the street is just waiting for you to say hello and become friends (she definitely is!).
- Going back to work and fretting about not spending enough time with your baby.
- Staying home and questioning if your baby would thrive better in a more stimulating environment.
- Working from home and stressing that neither your job nor your baby is getting the attention they deserve.
- Worrying.
New motherhood is a powerful mix of challenges and joys, overwhelming yet exhilarating—and beautiful, even when you find yourself covered in various liquids.
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Summary:
Joining the New Mom Collective transforms your life in profound ways. It brings unique challenges and joys, reshaping your understanding of motherhood. From emotional highs and lows to new standards of hygiene and self-care, every experience is part of this incredible journey.