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I Wish We Would Be More Honest About the Struggles of Motherhood

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By Tiffany Yoder

Mom holding baby — Nastyaofly/Shutterstock.com

I wish I would have known about all the pressures of motherhood. The ones placed on me by society and the ones I would place on myself.

I wish I would have known the mom guilt would be present whether I was a stay-at-home mom or a working mom.

I wish I would have known how lonely being a new mom can be, even with a permanent new sidekick with you at all times.

RELATED: When Mama is Lonely

I wish I would have known how foreign your body can feel after birth. You are no longer pregnant, and yet you do not truly feel yourself either.

I wish I would have known that the healing process extends well beyond the 6-week postpartum visit.

I wish I would have known about mom guilt—it was something I had heard of but did not fully understand its depths.

I wish I would have known it was not only OK but normal not to be able to fit into my pre-maternity clothes for months after giving birth.

I wish I would have known that even though I read so many books on parenting while I was pregnant, I still needed on-the-job training before I would feel like I remotely knew what I was doing.

I wish I would have known that no one knows everything about parenting right off the bat.

It takes time and practice, trial, and error before you start to feel comfortable in your new role.

I wish I would have known there isn’t one right way to do this parenting thing—that together, my little and I would figure out what worked and what didn’t.

I wish I would have known that admitting there are parts of being a mom that are really freaking hard doesn’t make me any less of a mother.

I love being a mommy. I love my daughters more than life itself.

But I wish we would be more real with each other about the struggles.

That we would lose the facade that every aspect of motherhood is beautiful and perfect. I wish I would have known about the messy, difficult, and downright ugly parts of it—the ones no one seems to talk about. It would have normalized it for me, made me feel less guilty, less alone. This is everything I wish I would have known.

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Tiffany Yoder

Tiffany Yoder has been a Registered Nurse for over 10 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner since 2013. Her blog was originally created to inspire positive changes in health, wellness and happiness. However, she found that she has a lot to say about all the things she is passionate about including motherhood, marriage, faith and military life. Tiffany has been married to her college sweetheart for over a decade. She is blessed with two little girls with great leadership skills. She is a self-proclaimed foodie and insists that it is in fact her true love language. She enjoys day dates with her husband (now that they have a hard time staying up past 10pm) and a good cup of coffee. Read more of her content at www.simplelittlechange.com.

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I Wish We Would Be More Honest About the Struggles of Motherhood

I wish I would have known that the healing process extends well beyond the 6-week postpartum visit.

It takes time and practice, trial, and error before you start to feel comfortable in your new role.

But I wish we would be more real with each other about the struggles.

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

Tiffany Yoder

Your Worth As a Mother Is Not Defined By How You Feed Your Baby

I May Let Go of the Baby Things, but I’ll Hold the Memories Forever

I Didn’t Know You Were My Last Baby When I Had You

To My Angel Babies

Having a Holiday Baby Is Extra Special

I’d Given Up on Getting Pregnant‚ But Hope Had Other Plans

It’s a Good Day To Celebrate Your Rainbow Baby

What Comes after the NICU? Sometimes It’s the Struggle No One Sees.

Surprise! I’m 42 and Pregnant.

To the Moms of COVID Babies Turning Five

Get It Now

So God Made a Mother

I Wish We Would Be More Honest About the Struggles of Motherhood

I wish I would have known that the healing process extends well beyond the 6-week postpartum visit.

It takes time and practice, trial, and error before you start to feel comfortable in your new role.

But I wish we would be more real with each other about the struggles.

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

Your Worth As a Mother Is Not Defined By How You Feed Your Baby

I May Let Go of the Baby Things, but I’ll Hold the Memories Forever

I Didn’t Know You Were My Last Baby When I Had You

To My Angel Babies

Having a Holiday Baby Is Extra Special

I’d Given Up on Getting Pregnant‚ But Hope Had Other Plans

It’s a Good Day To Celebrate Your Rainbow Baby

What Comes after the NICU? Sometimes It’s the Struggle No One Sees.

Surprise! I’m 42 and Pregnant.

To the Moms of COVID Babies Turning Five

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