The Ugly Cry

Now that we are six weeks out, I can admit that week one of being a mom was not good good for me. I know I posted about how tough things were, but I cried. A lot. And in the weeks since, I've cried other times. Not nearly as much as that first week, but it was more than I've probably cried in the last 10 years combined.

So far, being a mother is absolutely the hardest thing I've ever done. Everyone said that it would be, but there just isn't anything that can prepare you for how hard it is to be a parent. No book, no advice - nothing.

In the middle of one of my very ugly cries that first week, my mother encouraged me to sign up for a new moms group. I found one through Amma Maternity, the same place where we took our childbirth classes. I signed up right away and am so glad I did. We meet once a week for two hours. There are 6 of us and all our babies are within a few weeks of each other. Though I'm only halfway through the six week session, I can't express how valuable this has been for me. Having the opportunity to talk with other moms who are going through all the same things has been more valuable than I could have imagined.

So from the depths of the ugliest of ugly cries, I know that I'm on my way to amazing myself.