8 Things Becoming A Mommy Has Taught Me

Over the years, life has taught me some very valuable lessons. I’ve learned so much about myself… who I am and who I am becoming. I have had many opportunities to grow over the years. The growth that I’ve seen in myself (especially these past few years) has been TREMENDOUS. While I have grown so much as a woman, wife, and professional I would have to say that a good amount of the growth I’ve experienced has been a result of becoming a mommy. I see things a lot differently than I used to and I’ve learned so much! I was sharing with Henry the other night different things that I have learned since becoming a mommy.  Thought I would share with you all so here we go… 🙂

1. Things don’t matter… People do.  I understood this to an extent before becoming a mommy…but now that I have a precious daughter in my life my understanding of this has deepened. Relationships are so important and critical in life. Positive relationships help shape and form you into the person you are and who you are meant to be. They can be used to encourage you but can also be used to make you better. Proverbs 27:17 describes this perfectly. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”. (NIV)  I’ve been blessed to have amazing people in my life. Each person I’ve had the privilege of knowing has helped make me the person that I am today. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been able to see how different relationships have really impacted me in different ways… Good or bad… I have been able to cultivate some really positive relationships over the years, some that I still maintain to this day. I’m so blessed to have some relationships that don’t require a lot of interaction, but when we do have that opportunity, we pick up right where we left off. Those are truly special relationships. Now that I’m a mommy, I have a greater appreciation for the relationship I have with my mom. I pray that I can have that same type of relationship with my daughters when they grow up. I love how my relationship with my mom has moved from “mother-daughter” to one of true friendship. I love you mom!! 🙂

2. I’m JUST like my mom!! Yep I said it!! I always knew that my mom and I were A LOT alike… but now that I’m a mom I see that I am JUST LIKE HER!!! I find myself doing things with Rissy that my mom did with me. Things that used to annoy me about her (sorry mom!) are now things I see myself doing. Times when I thought she was “over-protective” I now see why. I have a greater appreciation for the part she played in my life and how she protected, prayed, supported and yes even disciplined me. Thank you mom!! 🙂

3. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. There are many things I learned before becoming a mommy. I took all the prenatal classes, downloaded all the pregnancy/mommy apps, and perused Pinterest boards about labor, delivery, preparing for baby, etc. on numerous occasions. While I got some very helpful information, there were things I didn’t know that I didn’t know. Some things you can learn beforehand, but some things you can only learn through experience. For instance, I didn’t know how hard it really is to get out of the house in one piece and get to where you are going on time when you have another little person to take with you. It is definitely a challenge and requires a lot of pre-planning and preparation! Learning what I didn’t know and realizing that I didn’t know it has caused me to be more understanding and patient with others. Now that I’m wearing the same shoe, I’m walking a little differently now. 😉  That’s just one example… there are many others… perhaps that will be another post. 🙂

4. I don’t need as much sleep as I thought I did. Let me rephrase that. I’m able to function on less sleep than I thought I needed. I’ll be honest… when we first brought Rissy home, the sleep schedule was brutal!! Miraculously, I was able to function (barely) on less sleep then I was used to getting. It took a little while to get accustomed to only sleeping an hour or two at a time, but eventually I was able to do so. Now getting 5-6 hours of sleep is a luxury for me! LOL!! But I’m amazed that I’m able to work full time, be a full-time mommy, and do all that I do on so little sleep. I know that I am not able to do it in my own strength, but that the Lord is the one who strengthens me.

5. I’m stronger and braver than I realized. Before having Rissy I used to be scared of different medical procedures… I even used to be scared of needles! I think it was more the fear of the unknown rather than the actual procedures/needles themselves. LOL!! I had never had an IV, stitches, catheter, epidural, etc before, but when Rissy was born I had all of those things (plus more) AT THE SAME TIME!!! It was quite the experience! I was having a contraction as they were putting the epidural needle in my back… THE. WORST. PAIN. EVER. But since I’ve gone through those things I realize that I’m stronger and braver than I thought I was. If I can deal with all those things at the same time… I can deal with anything!! Which brings me to my next point…

6. Women can do ANYTHING!! I truly believe that women can do anything. I mean if we can carry a baby and deliver another life into this world… what can we NOT do?? We are amazing!! The way that God created us to be so loving, nurturing, kind but yet so strong is so awesome!! We are stronger than we know and that’s something to be celebrated.

7. It’s okay to ask for help. We were so blessed to have my mom stay with us for TWO WHOLE MONTHS after Rissy was born! She helped us out so much and we are so grateful for that. But after she left, we soon realized how much work being parents actually was. We had to really adjust to this new life. Thankfully we have a great support system and friends who are available and willing to help us out! Henry’s sister has been such a help to us. She has spent countless hours watching the baby so we can get some things done. She’s a blessing!! (Thank you Joanna!!) 🙂 Rissy was able to stay with a friend of ours during the day for a couple of weeks when I first went back to work until we were able to get her child care in place… It was such a blessing and knowing that she was with someone we trusted made going back to work a little easier. I’ve been able to drop her off at some of her Aunties’ houses for a few hours so that I can get caught up on life. We are so blessed to have a community of friends who have now become family that are able to help whenever we’ve needed it. (I love you guys!!!)

8. Love is deeper than I knew. I thought I understood what love was but when I had Rissy, I began to understand it at a deeper level. The love I feel for my Rissy far exceeds what I knew love to be. There are different types of love and different levels of love. I now have a better understanding of God’s love for us… The fact that He gave up His son for us… so that we could be saved… That kind of love cannot be explained or comprehended!!  I cannot claim to fully comprehend that love, but now that I’m a mommy, I understand it better. I cannot imagine giving up my child for anyone… but God did that for us. That’s deep! This has helped me have a greater revelation of God’s love for us…for me.

I’m so grateful for the experience of becoming a mom! It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done in life! I love it!! I am honored that the Lord trusted me with my Rissy. I pray that I can be the mommy she needs and that with the Lord’s help she will become the mighty woman of God that He has called her to be!

To all my mommy readers… What are some things that you’ve learned since becoming a mommy? I would love to hear them!! Please share in the comment section below.