In the madness of motherhood, it’s easy for mums to get lost.
But it’s time to change this. Here’s the powerful message that proves it.
Yes, being a mum is amazing – the best thing in the world, really. But it’s also incredibly overwhelming. We are no longer just us. We are someone’s mum.
In the process of pushing out a baby, the world’s perspective of us changes. And often, as the focus switches to the baby, we mums miss out on the care and attention we need and deserve.
Yes, we’re mothers. But we need someone to make sure we’re okay too.
Anneliese Lawton from Grown Up Glamour has written an incredibly raw and poignant Facebook post that reflects this exact notion. 43,000 shares later, the message still hits home.
Take two minutes to read it, reflect on it and remember it, especially on those days when you feel rundown, worthless and like no one gives a flying f*ck.
We can’t put mothers last.
After my boys were born, there were appointments. To check their latch, their weight, their hearing. To check the colour of their skin for signs of jaundice. There were regular pokes and prods. Their well-being was front and centre.
Then there was me. A first-time mom without a clue.
Engorged, bleeding, and stitched up. Sent home with some painkillers and stool softeners.
Thrown into motherhood with the expectation my instincts would kick in.
That I would know how to handle colic and late night feedings. Or that breastfeeding would come as nature intended. That my husband would sense my spiral into depression. That I would know how to live in my new and very foreign body. And that this stomach wouldn’t make me feel hideous.
No one poked me, no one prodded. No one checked my stitches, my healing, or my sanity until eight weeks postpartum. And even then, it was a pat on the back and I was sent on my way.
We can’t forgets about mothers.
We slip through the cracks, we become background noise. And in that, we learn our role… our place in our family unit… to always come last.
Folks, we can’t put mothers last.
Our babies need us to be healthy, to know that we are worthy, to know that Motherhood, while natural, can sometimes feel like the least natural role in our life.
Mothers deserve attention.
We need our world to fuss over us the way they fuss over ten fresh fingers and ten fresh toes.
We need to be seen. To be heard. We need someone to not only ask if we’re okay but to check time and time again, just to be sure.
We’re not just a uterus.
We’re not just a lifeline to a new and precious soul. No. We’re mothers. And we need someone to make sure we’re ok, too.
Honestly, mums, we cannot stress how important this reminder is. #allthefeels #whoischoppingonions.
If we don’t take care of ourselves, we cannot possibly do the best for our kids. Never ever forget your worth. Thank you Anneliese, for sharing this crucial message and hopefully helping us mums remember that we matter too.
Looking for more words of wisdom on motherhood? Check out our No BS advice to raising kids in 2018.
