Oh, where to start? You are entering a brave new world, whether you feel brave or not. Chances are, you don't. You are probably nervous, scared, queasy, hungry, tired, terrified, and self-concious. At least some part of you might be thrilled and excited, but you're also hormonal and trying to figure out if this pregnancy thing is actually real. Sure, you have had at least one sonogram where you got to see and hear that precious little heartbeat, but that lasted all of 30 seconds. You don't feel any different yet, there are no little fluttery kicks in your tummy and there is barely a bump to be seen (we called this the "too many burritos" tummy, possibly my least favorite stage of pregnancy).
Your job as mama has already begun. You are not a mama-to-be, you are a MAMA. You and your body are already doing a masterful job taking care of that little jellybean in your womb. And I'm going to tell you what a lot of people might forget to tell in you in all the excitement:
You are doing wonderfully.
You were chosen to be the mother of this special little being, and no one else on earth could possible do for this child what you are doing now and what you will do in the future. You are not perfect (none of us are!), and you will not always have the answer or be certain of what to do. You are, however, the perfect vehicle for this child now, and you will be its perfect mother when he or she is born. If you remember nothing else from the hoards of advice you will receive from the moment you announce your pregnancy, remember this: You're doing great.
Let that be your mantra for the next few months, because when your baby is born you will need that ingrained in your heart and mind. You are about to stumble through new parenthood, which is a little like running a marathon when all you've ever done is watch the Olympics. There will be a lot of smiles, but there will also be mistakes, guilt, panic, and moments of pure brainlessness where you absolutely do not know what to do.
It's okay. You're still doing great.
You will buy the wrong sippy cup. You will forget to put diapers in the diaper bag. You will lose pacifiers. You will cry when he gets his first shot. You will gag at spit up and poopy diapers. Bath time will have its own category of WHAT THE HELL?! and just wait until he poops IN the bath.
It's okay. You're in good company. And you're still doing great.
You will know how great you're doing the first time your baby smiles. The first time he giggles. The first time he reaches for you, specifically, from someone else's arms. The first time he calls you mama. The first time you comfort him. Every time you comfort him.
And every once in awhile you may think to yourself, "Hey, I'm not doing so bad. I haven't royally screwed him up yet...I think...."
Just call me up and I'll remind you that, hey-
You're doing great.
