I've been a parent for 10 years now (30 if you count my lifetime obsession with cats), and as a "seasoned" mom, there are things I want new moms to know. I've learned quite a bit about motherhood and what truly matters and what, in the end and even thought they can feel monumental in the moment, really don't matter much at all.
I remember arriving home from the hospital with our little bundle of joy, asking myself, "Now what?" Sometimes it feels like I was a scared, clueless new mom just yesterday and, well, sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago. While the time really does fly, in retrospect I've realized that since becoming a mom I've spent a lot of unnecessary time worrying and wondering about things I didn't have to. As a parent I thought, "Well, that's what you do. You worry!" However, even between my first child and my second, I've realized what's truly a priority (not much) and what I could set aside for another time (most things).
Throughout pregnancy, I journaled and contemplated various scenarios and questions the kind of mother I wanted to be. However, once we brought our daughter home, I forgot all of my planning and journalling (foreshadowing of what parenting is actually like, perhaps?). In the end I learned through living it and you, dear reader and new mom, probably will, too. However, if you're looking to ease some of the fear and uneasiness, here are a few things every seasoned mom wants (and needs) a new mom to know. I've got your back, dear friend.