Dear New Mom: It’s Okay

Dear New Mom,

It’s okay. It’s okay to have days where you cry for no reason. Where you don’t know what’s wrong and why you can’t control your emotions. It’s okay to feel sad and not be able to know why (or have 1,420 reasons why).

It’s okay to have days where the only thing you did was keep your child(ren) alive. That’s important, too.

It’s okay to sometimes only find time to eat something one-handed — whether that’s ice cream, your son’s puffs or peanut butter right out of the jar. There will be other days/meals/food.

It’s okay to let your child cry for just one more minute while you compose yourself. Take a deep breath, count to 10, and do what you need to do.

It’s okay to call your doctor/nurse/friend because of the rash that just appeared on your child, the one that you have no idea when it will go away and you’re sure it’s a sign of something awful. (But don’t Google it — you’ll only convince yourself that it’s something even more awful.)

It’s okay to not be in love with your body every single minute of the day. It’s changed and will take time to get used to, but know that YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.

It’s okay to have days when you’re on top of the world. You’re superwoman (you did the laundry, took a shower AND went for a walk? #ambitious) and you should not be afraid to be proud.

It’s okay to believe that your child is quite possibly the most adorable/cutest/smartest human being on the face of the planet. Look at that neck control! He’s already walking? Yes, those ARE the cutest cheeks.

It’s okay to be amazed with your body and in love with it. You GREW a human and may even be producing its only sustenance. Flaunt that!

It’s okay to finally become immune to every scrape, skinned knee, bruise, etc. Kids are strong and there are going to be a lot of booboos that need to be kissed — you need to show them you’re strong, too.

It’s okay to have days where you feel amazing and think to yourself, “hey, motherhood is amazing. I was made for this. Let’s have more!”

Whatever you’re feeling — it’s okay. Motherhood is incredible. And hard. So go ahead, cry, laugh and feel what you need to feel. You are more amazing than you’ll ever know.