A Letter to New Moms

We're not going to sugar coat anything here, y'all. Being a mom is hard. Hell, being pregnant is hard! Just ask Ashley... she's pregnant with number two right now! I'd like to take a moment to address new moms.



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Dear New Mom, or Mom-to-Be,

Stop reading the books. I promise, you're not going to follow any of the advice in them. I read "What to Expect When You're Expecting" cover to cover, and let me tell y'all something: don't. Just don't read it. It will have you worrying way too much about the stupidest shit. Pardon the language, but it's true. Just because your feet are swollen to the size of watermelons that could win a prize at a state fair, doesn't mean you've got a horrible pregnancy disease! It usually means you just have to sit down and rest.

Don't swear off certain baby products. Before I had kids I was the lady to say things like "I'll never use pacifiers" or "I won't use generic brand". I lied. Both of my kids had pacifiers, and yes I use generic brand. In fact, I absolutely swear by the Wal-Mart brand parent's choice diapers. I promise you, what works for me may not work for you, so don't assume what works for your best friend's cousin twice removed will work for you either. Everyone parents differently so please don't feel pressured to use the fancy bottles because your neighbor "swore by them... OMG!", but don't swear them off either.

You don't need a million towels or washcloths. I'm sorry to burst your little bubble as you're standing in the baby aisle at target, gushing over just how cute your little one will look wrapped up in that monkey towel, but you really don't need it. Don't get me wrong, you will need a few, but when you're child is 18 months old and you realize you have 8 towels and 25 washcloths, but you only use THREE... yeah, it's too much.

Second hand stores ARE OKAY! Trust me on this one. The bedding set, the clothes, the strollers... all of these are perfectly fine to get from a thrift shop or consignment store. Hell, even a yard sale. Babies are expensive. You have diapers, wipes, etc. You don't need to spend a fortune just because the crib bumpers were featured in some fancy magazine. I do, however, suggest buying the crib and mattress new.

You will pee on yourself. It's going to happen. It might be from sneezing, laughing, throwing up, etc. Just clean yourself up and carry on.



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Don't stress if you're doing the right thing or not. I know, easier said than done. I still stress about it, but I promise you are doing the right thing. Don't feel pressure to breast feed if you don't want to.
YOU are the mommy. You get to call the shots. You are amazing, and you a wonderful. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Especially the doctors.

Also, if you're not a mom and you're reading this don't let anyone tell you that you have to have kids to be happy. My best friend Amanda said it best here.