milestones

I've Made It 10 Years As A Mom. Here's What I Know.

Along with celebrating the person he’s becoming, I’m celebrating my own anniversary.

by Lauren Davidson

21 hours ago

Ariela Basson/Scary Mommy; Getty Images, Shutterstock, Target

I so vividly remember my best friend coming over 10 years ago to support me right after I had my first baby.

I was holding him while he napped, surrounded by diapers and burp cloths, desperately in need of some sleep and a hot meal. But when my friend asked me what she could do to help, I started to cry. I didn’t know where to start. I had a fussy baby I had no idea how to comfort, I had a filthy house I had no energy to clean, and I was in a massive amount of pain from pushing a nine-pound baby out of me. (No one told me that with the miracle of life comes stitches.)

All I knew was that three days ago I had walked into the hospital excited to meet my baby and return to my normal size, and instead I came home nowhere near my normal size with a baby I was having trouble connecting to.

My friend helped me put away some baby clothes, set up the baby monitor, gave me a hug and left. And I cried some more.