I didn’t know birth stories might include worn-off epidurals, pooping yourself or several degrees of tearing.
I didn’t know about the hemorrhoid cream or the varicose veins or shopping for compression socks in your 30s.
No one told me about tongue-ties or clogged milk ducts or sitting at the kitchen table soaking a swollen breast over a mug of hot salt water.
And then all the tears and all the uncertainty and the ability to feel joy and doom all at once.
All the hard things mothers push through.
What kind of foods to eat when they told you baby was allergic to your milk?
What kind of formula to buy when he got constipated and no one in the house could sleep?
And the cradle cap and the oils and trying to soothe irritated skin.
And the saline drops and heavy breaths and sucking out as much snot as you can.
Still, mothers push through. And do the hard things.
The ankle pricks and yellow skin and searching the house for the best spot to soak up the sunlight.
The itty-bitty mittens and scratched faces and the hour it took to carefully file those teeny fingernails down.
The thermometer, the doctor calls, the hand sanitizer and monitoring each cough.
That first time they mentioned surgery, the prayers in the lobby, letting out all the tears after they wheeled him back.
That first nursery drop off, first day of school, first time a storm meant finding a safe place and huddling close.
And those times we yelled and beat up ourselves and reached up for the strength only God can provide.
To push through. All the hard things.
So take hold of this reminder as you face whatever today throws your way and remember you’re not alone. You’ve endured much, accomplished a lot, and when you are weak, God is faithful to make you strong.
To keep pushing on. Especially when there are hard things.
You may also like:
Mamas, You Were Created To Do Hard Things
God is in the Midst of Messy Motherhood