Today, exactly seven months ago, I was given one of life's greatest blessings. I became a mother and welcomed the most beautiful baby girl in my life.
I often look at my daughter and the thought that comes to mind is, "wow, I'm her mom!" It's almost like an out of body experience for me to really grasp the fact that I brought someone else into the world.
Day by day, I go through the journey of motherhood doing the best I can, though truth be told, most of the time I have no idea what I'm doing, it's all trial and error, a learning process.
Sometimes I wish there was a manual or "how to" book handed to mothers before leaving the hospital with their newborns, that way I'd have a clue of what to expect, I'd have plenty of concepts on how to handle all the unknowns... Motherhood would be a breeze!
Challenging as motherhood is, I wouldn't trade it for the world. By becoming a mother I found a purpose to live (story for another day) and a reason to strive to be the absolute best person I can be.
In honor of being a first time mom and my little princess hitting her 7 month milestone, I'm sharing what being a mother has taught me.
In honor of being a first time mom and my little princess hitting her 7 month milestone, I'm sharing what being a mother has taught me.
1. Motherhood is a blessing
I think I mentioned before that feeling your child moving while you are pregnant is one of the best feelings a woman can ever experience, it's quite surreal.
Witnessing the miracle of life as I gave birth to my baby is something that makes me realize how blessed I am, some women are not as fortunate as I am, therefore I do not take it for granted that I am a mother, I am surely highly favored and for that I am thankful.
2. My baby is a blessing
Regardless of the trials I face raising my baby and sometimes the heartaches of worrying about problems she may encounter as she grows older, I constantly remind myself that she is a blessing, she is meant to be here, she has a purpose and because God trusted me with the job of being her mom I will not fail.
Things will get easier, I hope and pray. I am grateful for Zain and I love her so much, to the moon and back.
3. It's important to be present
These past seven months have zoomed by so fast and it has made me realize the importance of savoring every precious moment, I'm so happy that I've witnessed all my daughter's firsts, her first day on earth, her first smile, her first laugh, her first word and most recently, her first crawl!!! Whoop! Whoop! Go Zain!
It feels like it was yesterday I was holding Zain for the very first time and now she's crawling and eating solids and has mastered techniques that help her get her way haha!
I'm learning to have a grateful heart everyday and enjoying the little things.
I'm learning to have a grateful heart everyday and enjoying the little things.
4. The joy is in the journey
I've never done anything so hard and yet so gratifying as being a mom. I'm honestly so proud of the person I have changed into since becoming a mother.
I'm certainly enjoying this journey. I am proud of the person it's changing me into.
5. It’s about progress, not perfection
I was pretty hung up on perfection in my early months as a mother, I was too hard on myself, I made the mistake of comparing myself with other mothers too, but I am at a better place now because I recognize when I've made improvements as a mother... Come to think of it, motherhood is just one big unfinished project free of deadlines or specific end goals. No one should ever be hard on themselves or think they are a bad mother.
I'll make mistakes on top of the ones I've made previously, but the important thing is to forgive myself and focus on being a better mother and parent.
6. The true meaning of unconditional love
Nothing prepared me to love my baby as much as I do.
Now that Zain is in the picture, it's not all about me anymore. As much as I need to take care of myself and nurture the me inside the mom, being a mom is about putting my child first.
I love my baby dearly and making sacrifices for her is totally worth it, heck! I don't mind losing myself in the process of being a mother to Zain.
7. God is with us
This is by far the most important lesson I have learned. God is always with us, He never leaves our side.
I didn't think I could make it this far with my baby, I had a difficult transition into motherhood, I was mostly stressed during my pregnancy and silently suffered postpartum depression.
I have been through hell and back, I could write a novel if I decide to... Anyway, I'm grateful to God for everything. The challenges I've faced and continue to face have brought a whole lot of good in my relationship with Him.
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As always, thanks for reading!
As always, thanks for reading!
If you're a mama, what is the greatest lesson you've learned from motherhood? Do share!
Sending love and positive energy your way. Enjoy the rest of your week!
Below are a few nice shots of Zain and I that we took last month at our family photo shoot... She has grown so big! It's unbelievable looking at these pictures :-)
Xx
