We’re in this together, moms. If I have learned anything since I entered the uncharted territory of motherhood, I have learned that moms will come together for the common good and interest of their children but also for the wellness of other moms. The words that describe the feelings that we share are exhaustion…aches….fuzzy to-do lists that we forgot to write down…wishing we had time to wash our hair some mornings… injuries from midnight stumbling into things to make impromptu feedings (my knee is still bruised from the coffee table catching it just right), and the incessant, growing list we maintain and develop throughout the day to ensure our order of operations and routine and that of our family stays on track. I put my daughter to bed, check on her sleeping peacefully in her crib, and in that moment, everything I stressed over for the week is put to rest and I am reminded why it was worth it.
This week, though? It has been a long one. Whether it was visits to the pediatrician over my daughter’s recurring ear infection, a broken car seat clip leaving school and the stress of driving with a semi-protected baby just to make sure we get home, a heavy workload at the office, weekend plans, expectations, and travel preparations, a mountain of laundry taunting me from the laundry room, or figuring out what to make for dinner each night – all blanketed under half-sleeping and early morning feedings – it can be overwhelming. Sometimes you still hear your baby, wake up, and have a hard time going back to sleep even when you are not the one doing the feeding. Between laundry and cleaning bottles and preparing for the next work/school day, I go to bed late. I wake up today and the cycle then begins all over again – make sure clothes are in order, that my daughter’s bag is packed for the day, bottles are made and baby food is ready, lunch is packed and finally, ensure that I look somewhat presentable and less like the corpse I feel I am. To top it off, last night, I dropped a Mother’s Day gift for my mom that shattered all over floor.
I could have cried. The option is always there to bury myself under the stress and stir up such anxiety around the routine and planning to the point that I no longer enjoy each day and what it has to offer. We do this a lot, moms. We find ourselves bogged down in the immediate moment of duress in which we live from day to day and in turn, we are prohibiting not only our own joy, but also our ability to live and breathe and embrace each moment as delightful and meaningful quality time with our family. We rob ourselves of God’s grace and are basically telling Him that our hopelessness is all-consuming, rather than meeting the sacrifice of Jesus.
This is not to say that we should never feel this way… we all get overwhelmed, that is inevitable, but we don’t have to live in it…to swim around in it and cloak ourselves so deep in it that we are unable or unsure of how to climb out. Isaiah 40:31 says, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” What a great verse, isn’t it? “They will renew their strength,” . . . “and not grow weary.” Somewhere we find the strength to do what we thought we couldn’t, don’t we moms? That’s God reminding us that we can. “If I could just get one more hour of sleep”. . . but you hear your little one, and decide 4:00 a.m. will have to begin your day, and you do it. Sometimes it’s also easy to feel like we’re not doing so great of a parenting job, and it can be a certain struggle.
Recently, my daughter had her first ear infection. I had no idea what those looked like, only the few symptoms that coincided with those of teething. She never ran a fever, fussed when sleeping at night, or pulled on her ear. In fact, the only way I knew something was going on with her was because her teacher called me and said there was drainage in her left ear. I knew this was a bad sign. I took her back to the pediatrician to find out that she had been suffering an ear infection and it ultimately ruptured her ear drum. I could have sank down in my chair when she told me this news. I just hugged my little girl, and felt that if I had done something sooner, if I had known, she never would have had to suffer this. Did I miss the signs? Did I get so tired and busy that I just didn’t notice? It’s up to me to look out for her and I could have prevented this, right? I battled these feelings a few days until I realized. . . you know what? We all feel like sometimes we’re not doing it right. Sometimes, you see the mom on Facebook of 4 children with 20 cooked meals in the freezer and the expertise in how to save and use coupons – even she gets discouraged sometimes.
It’s easier to tell ourselves what we are doing wrong than praise ourselves for doing it right. But you are doing it right. You’re doing a great a job, and you may not feel that your late night feedings or last minute planning or exhaustion from having laundry and bags packed isn’t paying off, but it certainly is to your family. You are building trust with your babies that you will be there….those little angels who call you “mom” or at least know you to be “mom” if they aren’t saying it yet – they rely on you and have faith in you. You will always have one of the most important and influential presences in their lives, and they will come to you for comfort, advice, help, praise, truth, wisdom, and unconditional love. So keep your head up the next time you’re up at 3 a.m. wondering if you will ever sleep again. You’re awesome, mom, so keep up the good work and put your hope in God.
“We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
Romans 5:2-5
God Bless,
Megan
Blue Withens 