The lowdown on mommy hood

I was talking to one of my parents after school today. She is the mother of 3 and her youngest cutie pie is 4 months old. I was out with Lilly the first of the week since she was still under the weather. I told her all about Lilly's rash and fever and how she just wanted to nurse and be comforted. And then this thought popped into my head... You see, before Lilly was born we always said Mike would be the one who would stay home with her on sick days. He has a crazy amount of sick time and I barely have any after maternity leave so it just made sense. It's easy to think things like this while your baby is still safe and warm all up in that belly. But then that baby is born and your whole entire life changes. Things you thought would be easy seem impossible all of a sudden. Why did I ever think I would be able to leave my sick baby? Mike is more than capable of keeping Lilly and is a darn good daddy but there is no way I could leave that sweet baby. So now I have even less sick days and a huge todo list at work but it's all worth it. My parent totally understood what I was saying too. It's like this secret mommy code.

There are other things that happen too after you hold that sweet baby for the first time. I'm like a sponge.. Constantly reading, researching, and learning new things about babies everyday! I'm obsessed! I have formed so many of my own opinions about raising a baby, where as BL (before Lilly) I just knew what I had seen or heard others do. And I never thought about doing it differently. I have learned that mommy instincts are a real thing and I follow mine all of time. If I don't feel right about something then I'm not going to do it... No matter who has done it before me. For instance, Lilly still sleeps in our room because it is what makes us feel comfortable (I might add that Mike has a good daddy instinct and we have been on the same page with these things). We are waiting until at least 6 months to start solids. We know that breastmilk should still be Lilly's #1 source of nutrition her first year of life. We feel that we should always comfort Lilly instead of letting her cry it out. This builds trust and confidence. I had no idea I would become so passionate about breastfeeding. I had no idea i would be able to breastfeed in front of my brothers (who are by the way awesome). I had no idea I wouldn't want Lilly to sleep in her own room. I had no idea it would be so hard to go back to work. I had no idea I would want to skip cereal or make our own baby food. But the second I looked into those beautiful eyes my mommy switch turned on big time and now I truly get it. Now I can fully understand all of these things. It's not just a thought anymore. It's everyday life. And boy do I have a good one.

And what's even more cool is that every mommy has the right to make their own decisions because every mommy is following their own heart, doing their own research, and forming their own opinions about what is best for their child. And that makes every mommy awesome. :-)