5 Things That Surprised Me Most About Motherhood

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Dreft. I was compensated for this post. Regardless, all opinions and experiences are 100% my own.

Becoming a mother was honestly the biggest life-changer for me… ever. Other life events may have molded me one way or another, but that first baby rocked my world. Some of the ways I was prepared for but, wow, there are some surprises along the way when it comes to motherhood.

5 Things That Surprised Me Most About Motherhood

Motherhood Taught Me So Much

In fact, there are (at least) 5 things that surprised me most about motherhood.

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From the birth of our oldest daughter all the way down to our youngest. With 14 years between them, even with the three in the middle, each one was different and brought new challenges to the table.

But being a mom has taught me so much about myself.

  1. Love at first sight exists — Really! It does. The moment I saw my first born I was completely, totally in love with every part of her newborn body. In fact, I don’t think I ever even realized how amazingly cute feet could be until I saw my baby’s feet for the first time. Love them! But never before had I learned to give so much of myself, with little more in return than a smile, coo or… let’s be honest… a nap.
  2. Bodily fluids — Ummm… so many different types of bodily fluids! Babies are messy without even trying to be. Who knew that so much could come from something so tiny. You know. We’ve all been there. That diaper that literally explodes all the way up the back… and the front… and down both legs. Oh.my.goodness. You learn to tolerate more than you thought you ever could.
  3. Eating is a chore — Not only does it require work to get your baby to eat sometimes, but when they do… it can be messy. That’s where Dreft Stage 2: Active Baby detergent can step in to help! Dreft Stage 2: Active Baby helps remove 99% of baby food stains. Oh how I wish I had this when my babies were beginning with solid foods! My solution was always to strip them of their clothes. Imagine how hard it was to reverse that thinking in public. Oops. At least, in the end, the refreshing Baby Fresh Scent of Dreft Stage 2: Active Baby will keep your baby smelling like, well, a baby!
  4. Everyone has a opinion. Okay, so maybe this wasn’t that surprising, but, man oh man, EVERYONE has an opinion on how you parent your child! You simply have to learn to weed through the advice. Take what you can use. Ignore the rest. (Tip: take my advice in number 3… you may just save your baby’s’ wardrobe). <-See what I did there?
  5. Each child is different. I have learned over the years, that even though I may parent each child the same, they are so incredibly different. SO DIFFERENT! The trick is to teach them the same core morals and values you want to instill in them, but to let their personalities mold and shape them as it will. Believe me, it can be a challenge. But, they are who they are and the best we can do as parents is help make them the best person they can be.

Y’all, this is really only the beginning. Motherhood is a whole new world. Even when we had number five, I felt like we were starting all over again.

1st birthday smash cake

Embrace the moments. Live in the tiny details. Soak in the unconditional love. Your reward is great, Mom.

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