You will miss these days…and you will be so grateful they’re over.

In my line of work as a Birth and Postpartum Doula, I spend my days with a lot of first-time moms, and one of the most common sentiments I see, especially these past few years, is the pressure and the guilt of attempting to enjoy every moment with your children.

Anyone who knows me or has read my previous articles knows that I’m quite open about the fact that parenting is hard work; and also the fact that it took me a few years to feel like it was something I could be open about.

Two topics that have been near and dear to my heart for quite some time are the concepts of authenticity and being good enough.

For a long time, I didn’t think they were related, but particularly since becoming a parent, I’ve realized that my struggle with not feeling good enough often popped up when I was feeling watched or judged.

Doesn’t every new mom feel nothing but bliss during those delightful first few months of finally meeting her new baby? Yeah, not so much. Considering we can all acknowledge that all moms are unique, and all children are unique, why do we seem to assume that all moms will have a similar experience with new motherhood?