As a slight twist on my usual Afternoon Affirmation I thought I would share a personal letter to myself reflecting on my first year of motherhood. I hope this is an inspiration to all the new and about to be new mommas.  Be sure to also check out the video at the end that inspired me to write this post.

To Kelsey Then

From Kelsey Now:

Your due date is just 7 days away and as you expect you will still be pregnant on and well after it. In fact you will even go to Plano Balloon Festival STILL pregnant. Take a deep breath. Olivia is so worth the wait. I know you think this past year has been crazy, but hold on because it’s about to get even more crazy. Didn’t think it was possible did you? Craziest part is, it’s not even your newborn that will be the cause of your stress. No, she will be your relief, your light in the dark, the one thing you hold onto when everything else is spinning out of control. Your little girl will save your life.

Your labor will not go according to (your very vague and flexible) plan. Just trust yourself and your body and you will get through it. 1 hour after Olivia’s arrival the words “can’t even tell she just had a baby” will come out of your midwife’s mouth…hold on to that thought after the first 24 hours of labor! You will use your birth experience to inspire others and will be a beautiful mother, even with the dark circles under your eyes from lack of sleep. You will be a breastfeeding master with advice and information that shows other moms they aren’t alone. You’ll be excited and disgusted all at the same time when it comes to dirty diapers. You will learn thing you never thought possible, like how the phrase “it’s different when they’re your own” is 100% true, and even though you have a girl you still have to beware projectile pee. Your feelings of not deserving a baby and not being good enough will be wiped away and replaced with immeasurable joy.

In just 365 day you will be planning your daughters 1st birthday party. You will realize no matter how many people tell you “time speeds up when you have kids” it will still be faster than you ever imagined. When people ask you how you like being a mom, you will laugh as you tell them you didn’t even want kids until you met Thomas and now you’re a birth advocate, instructor, and doula. Talk about a complete lifestyle change! Motherhood will be the best thing that ever happened to you.

This time next year you will not be where you imagine right now. Parts will be better and parts will be worse but you will have a loving husband, a healthy baby, supportive family, and a roof over your head. So ENJOY your last few days of pregnancy and remember if God brings you to it, He’ll get you through it.

Reflections of Motherhood