She's here! She's here! 

I am so excited to share with you all that 2 weeks ago, we had our 7th baby, Phoebe Margaret! She is incredibly sweet, and so far the adjustment has been pretty amazing. The older kids have been champion helpers and my little guys adorably help in their own way (which means trying to feed their newborn sister their milk bottles and kissing her with open mouth kisses on her head, lol).

But even though I'm a mom with a fair bit of experience, let's just say the last two weeks have been filled with EVERY SINGLE EMOTION POSSIBLE. I have felt peaceful, elated, exhausted, inadequate, powerful, depleted, and on and on and on. 

And even though I have LITERALLY written a book on motherhood, and have worked hard at being self-aware, I found myself being INCREDIBLY hard on myself for things like the kitchen being messy, and then I found myself being hard on myself FOR BEING HARD ON MYSELF. LOL #thestruggleisreal 

So I created this YouTube video for all you new moms, soon-to-be moms, and new-again moms, who might need these reminders- because I need them myself! If you prefer to watch, press play below, otherwise read on below : ) 

When you are discharged from hospital after having a new baby, they have you fill out a form acknowledging that you will call your doctor for a 6-week appointment, that you have read the Caring for Baby information booklet, that you will call Public Health if you have more questions, etc etc etc. Well… that form isn't really going to help you friends once you are home and on your own. THESE ARE THE THINGS that a mom should really have to check the boxes on when she has a baby:

1. I UNDERSTAND THAT SPENDING EXCESSIVE TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA MIGHT LEAD TO ME FEELING SUPER CRAPPY ABOUT MYSELF.

2. I will not go on Pinterest for nursery decor ideas because it might make me feel crappy about how messy my house is.

3. I acknowledge, that if I spend time looking at skinny Instagram fitness models, I might feel crappy about my flabby, post-partum belly.

4. I acknowledge, there might be days I do not shower, do not brush my teeth, and all I accomplish is keepinbg my baby alive and myself alive- and I am OK with that! 

5. I WILL NOT EQUATE MY SELF-WORTH WITH HOW CLEAN MY KITCHEN IS.

6. I will not scream at my husband because I think he's not "doing" anything. (Side note, I legitimately told my husband in the middle of the night once "I wish you would grow a pair…" as in a pair of breasts LOL)

7. I acknowledge that I may want to eat an entire box of Oreos and that is OK (Nutrition experts, I am sorry. I think in the first 2 weeks a new mom has enough to worry about that they get a bit of grace when it comes to food. Healthy food is SUPER important for the record, but so is being not hard on oneself).

8. I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE WILL BE LOTS OF PEOPLE OFFERING ME ADVICE, AND I WILL ONLY LISTEN TO THE ADVICE OF PEOPLE I WOULD BE WILLING TO SWITCH PLACES WITH.

9. I acknowledge, that coming home from hospital everyone has different energy and I won't compare myself. If I feel like taking a walk, I will. If I feel like lying down all day, I will.

10. I understand that I have nothing to prove during this time. The most important thing is taking care of me, and taking care of baby. Anything else I accomplish on top of that is a bonus.

11. I acknowledge there will be things that will make me cry. Like literally, anything. And that is OK.
 

12. I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT JUST BECAUSE I HAVE BIRTHED A CHILD, ALL MY INTERESTS I HAD BEFORE HAVING A BABY HAVE NOT VANISHED.  I WILL NOT FEEL GUILTY FOR WANTING TO DO THOSE THINGS.

13. I acknowledge that I will receive unsolicited advice from strangers, and I will simply say thank you, and have a nice day. 

14. I acknowledge that this is an amazing time in my life, and I am going to try and enjoy it as much as I can be journaling, taking photos, and savouring quiet moments. 

15. I PROMISE TO NOT PUT SO MUCH PRESSURE ON MYSELF EVERY GOSH DARN DAY, AND NOT BE ANYTHING, OTHER THAN THE MOM OF THIS NEW BABY.

Was this helpful? Can you relate to any of the points? Let me know in the comments below : )