9 Ways Motherhood Makes You Stronger
1.
Somehow you manage to function while creating a literal human being.
Morning sickness, well-meaning questions, strangers rubbing your belly, hormones, insomnia, etc. Life has to go on, but it's even harder when your body is in overdrive developing a baby.
2.
You surrender to the birth process, whatever it may be.
If you have a plan, you can be sure that it won’t work out. When you’re playing the waiting game, your mind can spiral into all sorts of possibilities of what will happen during labor and all you can do is fortify yourself by reminding yourself that a safe arrival is an achievable goal.
3.
You take on a high-pressure role as you recover from a life-changing event.
No matter how your baby arrived, it’s safe to say that he or she is at the top of your list of life milestones. You’re probably bruised, bruised, stitched, pricked, and completely exhausted. Now, here’s a tiny human who’s completely dependent on you.
4.
You face the pain of breastfeeding and/or weaning.
Whether you continue breastfeeding or go straight to weaning, tolerating the variety of pains, fluctuations, imminent threat of mastitis, weaning, cracked nipples and more should allow you to qualify as a CIA agent.
5.
You operate on about three hours of interrupted sleep.
Another skill that will come in handy if you pursue a career as a spy, working with sleep deprivation is a real trip. When you’re staring down the barrel of another long, lonely night, it’s sheer strength that gets you through.
6.
You remain strong in this body that you created and generated new life.
You carry battle scars, seen and unseen, and your body has changed in ways you have long since discovered, but my God, what a miracle it is. To think of what you have accomplished to create, nurture, and sustain a new life. Incredible!
7.
You master negotiating with a small child, without reason or reasoning.
Have you seen the movie Horrible Bosses ? The plot sounds true, except it replaces Jennifer Anniston with a pint-sized person who throws a tantrum about taking a shower followed by a tantrum in response to getting out of said shower. Send help!
8.
You learn to live with your heart in perpetual addiction.
That little human evokes the most thrilling emotions in you from day one and things are not going to change. Every tear, every fall you will feel too. This beautiful enigma will demand your strongest material.
9.
You create a whole new love language from scratch.
The blank canvas of communication is a constant work in progress, offering frustration, confusion, despair, hilarity, adoration, and joy. This project has no deadline, it is a marathon, not a sprint, and it will test you, but in the end, it will make you.
