Parenting is a struggle, and not for the reasons you might think. It’s not our children; it’s other parents, mothers to be exact. We, mothers, are killing ourselves. And trust me, since gestation, I’ve been trying to find our cult leader, but she’s almost as elusive as the Great OZ. From the moment I announced my pregnancy, I was bombarded with motherly advice on everything from breastfeeding, education, psychology, sports, and diet. Come on, after my eldest son was born my main concern center around how to get him to sleep. Yes, as a rookie, I tried “Babywise,” cereal, pleading, crying and I even went back to my OB-GYN and asked her to put him back until he could walk out. None of these worked. And here’s where the revelation came in, I felt pressure from other moms. I was exhausted and hormonal. My friends, family, and the media wanted to tell me how to solve my problems. I remember panicking over the fact that I was a horrible mother for not reading to my six-week-old. And breastfeeding! I had a lactation nurse tell me I did not have my priorities straight as a mother. Really? This is what we say to a new mother? Her priorities are not straight. I even had a “friend” offer to be my wet nurse. Gross. This is not 1730. But here’s the funny thing, that nurse did not do her job. She didn’t ask me about medications. Medications I need to breathe. Sadly, it wasn’t until my second child, and my hubby grabbed the hospital strength breast pump and said, I can’t watch you do this, get me a bottle. A couple of weeks later, minus some hormones and a trip to the doctor I realized my inability to breastfeed had nothing to do with me, but my asthma medication. I tortured myself because a baby fed on formula will grow up to be fat and stupid. Thank God I didn’t breastfeed; I can barely outsmart them now. My advice to new mothers, trust your instincts and do what’s best for you and your baby. Bottom line, this is your family, and if you’re freaking out about the same things as I did, I’m confident you’ll be a great mom. Soon enough you’ll learn these are some of the easiest days in parenting, but I don’t want to ruin in for you.
