There’s something I learn with every pregnancy but my third pregnancy taught me the most about being strong.
With the first I Googled all.the.things and did what most typical mamas do.
With my second pregnancy I assumed I knew everything since I had been there and done that. In all honesty, I made even more mistakes because I was too busy chasing around our 1-year-old that I had already forgotten everything from the previous one.
But with the third pregnancy, I was able to appreciate it a little more. I was able to appreciate my body and all it went through; but most importantly, I was able to appreciate how strong a woman’s body truly is.
Yes, I know people always mention how strong women are but there’s something different when you really own it.
I wanted our two girls to see just how strong our bodies are as women. I kept the details of how babies are born PG rated since they recently turned three and five. But I was honest about how we carry a babe in our belly and how it could be uncomfortable but that we are strong.
When they would ask how the baby would come out I was honest with them and they would giggle or say “ewww.” And in the end when I was having intense contractions and in full-blown labor (which I was a little in denial about, I will admit), I was honest with them about how it hurt.
In those moments, I would still reassure them that women are strong. Our oldest daughter was a big help as she poured warm water over my back and belly while in the bath just three hours before we welcomed our new babe.
I will admit, labor and giving birth have always scared me.
It still does. I don’t do well with pain or at least I thought I didn’t.
It seems as though me telling our girls how strong women are made me stronger for them, or at least enough to labor at home until two hours before our newest addition was welcomed into our family. Even after Addie made her arrival I am reminded how strong our bodies are as women and how we can endure more than most.
I find it empowering that I get to show my daughters this. That we are capable of so many things.
We are capable of giving birth, taking care and feeding our wee babe, balancing a newborn as well as the crazy toddlers running around our house while I function on very little sleep, and also giving myself a whole lot of grace as we juggle this new transition as a family of five.
Like I mentioned before, our second child taught me that I messed up a lot and had forgotten everything I had learned with our first child. So this time I am using all those mistakes to do things a little differently.
This means making our toddlers have rest time so that I can take a nap with the babe. This also means that I have fully accepted leggings as my everyday pants and that it is okay if everyone stays in pajamas all day.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still learning. I made the mistake of keeping busy each day as soon as we got home from the hospital and my body yelled back at me to slow down.
I have learned to utilize the “big” kids and their helping skills to the highest of its potential as they become more independent for times when mom can’t quite help them. One of my new favorites is having all fruit & veggies pre-washed, cut as needed and easily accessible in the fridge in glass Tupperware so that they can get what they need when they need it without me. (This is something we can chat about in detail later in another post.)
The most precious thing that I have learned this third time around is just how much our children surprise me.
I am not someone who worries often but as a mama we all hope that the transition of a new family member plays a positive role for the soon-to-be older siblings.
These girls have surprised me at how much love and pride they have in their littlest sister and how they already put her before themselves. Isn’t it funny how sometimes children exceed our expectations we have for them?
Here is a reminder mama in case you need one.
As life changes and continues to adjust, remember that we are strong women. You are a strong woman. You are empowering other children and other mamas. You are capable of so much, even more than you can imagine.
Hospital photos credit: Kristen Moody Photography
