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“The truth is, although we may imagine mothering to be an instinctual ability that we hold deep inside of us, it is still a journey of lifelong learning. There are days we question our capabilities, days we lose confidence in ourselves, days we struggle to perform effortlessly, and days we feel unfavourable emotions even when they are logically unwarranted. This is natural!”
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“Unfortunately, and I have heard this far too many times, many new moms feel extremely isolated. Now, this isn’t to say they don’t have a supportive mother, in-laws, friends, or co-workers that care deeply, but many times they don’t have people in their corner they can truly relate to. You know, someone that is actually living it, in the trenches, just as they are. Someone who’s also experiencing those sleepless nights, constantly smelling like spit-up, and leaking breast milk through their shirt just at the mere thought of their baby. Even more, to have someone that doesn’t make them feel like they are completely insane for texting a picture of a dirty diaper to ask if their infant’s poop is supposed to look exactly like Dijon mustard.”
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“Having worked on a maternity unit, more times than I can remember, new mothers would call me into their room and their baby would be crying uncontrollably. They would be holding their little nugget in their arms as tight as they could, rocking them from side to side desperate for them to stop crying. “Nurse, I don’t know what to do. My baby won’t stop crying! Help me,” they would plead. These new moms were so distraught and overwhelmed with the life they were now responsible for. More often than not, we nurses would scoop those babies up in our arms and the baby would settle down instantaneously. Is it because we maternity nurses have been given baby whisperer powers from God himself? Maybe. Or maybe there could be another explanation: babies feel our emotions.” 
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“Imposter Syndrome; the idea that you don’t deserve your achievements, you worry that someone will expose your inability, and that you are a fraud. More specifically, Imposter Mom Syndrome is the thought that we don’t feel that we know enough about mothering to be a mother, so we don’t trust ourselves. Even when there is no reason not to. There is this belief out there that we are wired to be textbook parents and that our capabilities are born alongside our child. I have to tell you a secret: all new moms feel this way and there isn’t a single mom out there that knows everything about parenthood.”
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“Throughout our daily lives, we are constantly being bombarded with influences that bring up emotions in us that may be constructive or — on the flip side — damaging to our well-being. Being in a vulnerable state, such as the transition into motherhood when you may not feel resilient as you fight through sleep deprivation, pain, trying to heal while being overwhelmed with responsibilities and hormones, what you expose yourself to can take an even greater toll on your mental health.” 
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“Write a letter to your baby. Take the time to look back on your life with them. Think of how much growing they have done. Now think back on your life before them. What’s even more amazing: how much growing you have done.”
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