Step 1 – Mums have feelings too

I can’t believe it has only been 5 months! I have been a mum for 5 entire months. And these 5 months have been a whirlwind of new experiences and discovering strength I never knew I had.  

People always ask me ‘How does it feel to be a mum? What is it like?’ And if I am being openly honest, I do not feel any different. It is like when someone asks you on your birthday if you feel older and you do not have a response. I do not feel any different – there was no Cinderella moment when my son was born, where I transformed from a young, carefree women instantaneously into super Instagram mum.

And for some my response of not feeling any different is unsettling. These individuals go on to tell me about how when they became a mother it was a life changing event, miraculous even, that they became a whole new person and that I should feel this way too. This has been somewhat frustrating and I internalize a sense of guilt – ‘Am I not a good mum because I did not feel this way?’

Of course this is ridiculous and I eventually reassure myself that how I feel as a mum does not define what kind of mother I am. It is interesting how sensitive I have become to people’s opinions of me as a mum. When in all truth there are so many emotions happening at once and there is no ‘right’ emotion you should feel at any particular moment or milestone as a mum or in life in general.

So whether you feel like a fully transformed instagram mama and having a child redefined you as a person, or if you’re like me and you don’t feel any different or everywhere in between and around – you are a mum and you get to share in all the ups and downs it brings, not only for you but with your little one too! And at the end of the day that’s what it is really about!

Would love to learn how other mamas feel about this topic?

Find Toronto.mum on Instagram @toronto.mum

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