You Don't Know Until You Know

The first thing I did when my best friend came over to meet my LO for the first time was apologise. I had no idea what she went through when she had her LO. You just don't know, you will never know until you go through postpartum and it rocks you to your core. A year later and my other best friend had her LO and she apologised to me. But as the Mum before you know it doesn't matter because - and say it with me - you don't know until you know! 

Motherhood and postpartum will break you down to nothing and build you back up to everything. The sleep deprivation, the pain - oh god the pain - your upper back, your nipples, the shrinking pains, the night sweats, the nightmares that you forgot to put your baby back in the bassinet and you wake up panicked that you don't know where they are only to find them next to you in the bassinet (no? just me having those nightmares?)

All while recovering from birth, and for me it was a long drawn out ordeal that ended with an emergency c section at 10cm dilated. Not to mention I had to be induced at 42W1D. ANYWAY... postpartum is something that you cannot prepare for, you can try and pass on your wisdom to those about to enter it, but unless they are ready to listen and learn, they will only find out once they are in the deep end and you just have to be there for them. Pass on the support, from mother to mother down the line. 

Find your village, they say it takes a village to raise a baby. Yes, it does. But it also takes a village to look after the mother. So.. Look after the mother, so they can look after their baby. Your village doesn't have to be a blood relative. Find your own village if need, one that respects and support you in the way that YOU need. 

xoxo gossip girl