The Kind of Mother I Thought I Would Be

Before I ever got pregnant with my son, I decided I wanted to try for a completely natural, drug-free birth. I did my research and felt that this was the best decision for me and my future child. Spoiler alert, I ended up having a c-section after 100 hours in labor and 3 hours of pushing. Immediately, before motherhood even officially began, I was not the mother I had pictured. Here are all the things I thought I would be, but I am not…

A MOM WITH AN “EBF” BABY

I planned to exclusively breastfeed for the first year of my child’s life. I would never need formula because I have free milk inside my body! Who would pay for something they could get for free?! // My son is nine months old and I am still breastfeeding, but he takes formula too. He sleeps better at night when he gets a bottle and it helps to have that option instead of always having to pump!

A BABY LED WEANING MOM

Of course I would follow the strict guidelines of baby led weaning to set my child up for eating all the foods and being less picky! He wouldn’t eat any solids until six months old just as the BLW guide recommends. // My kid gets oatmeal for breakfast and baby food for lunch and dinner. He started solids at four months old beginning with the all too familiar rice cereal gig. He was primarily spoonfed for months. 

A FLEXIBLE MOM

I would go to the park, eat with friends, have playdates and my baby would just have to nap in the car and on the go. I wouldn’t be the kind of mom who lets her baby dictate how she spends her time. // My kid needs his two naps every. day. Or else. He MUST nap at 10am and 2pm. He goes to bed precisely at 7pm and we almost never deviate from that. That means I hangout with my friends before 10am, we run errands around lunchtime and usually stay home in the afternoons. I am not a very flexible mom.

S U P E R M O M

When I became a mom, I would get all the things done. I would prep meals on Sunday afternoons, have the coffee pot ready to go for Monday morning, always have our laundry done, keep my kitchen clean, never have an empty pantry or refrigerator, go out of my way to iron my husband’s work clothes, always be patient with my sweet baby, I would never forget anything… // Okay, this one is INSANE. Why did I think I could be super mom? I can’t. I’m not. And neither are you, mama. And that’s okay. We are mothers, we love hard and we pour ourselves out for our families! And we won’t get it all done. We will ask our husbands for their help, we will go to bed with messy kitchens and dirty clothes, and we will have to surrender to something bigger. We won’t be supermom, but our babies will be loved and cared for and that’s what truly matters!