Of course, the one thing that will get you through every day is your baby.
Those tiny little toes, that velvety bottom, the pips and squeaks, the clenched-up fists. Even in the hardest moments, mothers have the ability to pull from a reserve of strength that drives them to do everything they can to protect their babies.
Being a new mum makes you understand that animalistic mother’s instinct for the first time. Often, before you even feel love, you’ll feel the urge to protect. Taking care of your baby is something you do even when you don’t know what else to do. Your baby’s needs now come before your own. Every time. You could be exhausted, emotional, irrational and cranky, but when that baby cries, you will get up and go to her, because you are a mother, and mothers DO.
That tiny little body resting on your chest will awaken a part of your soul you didn’t know was sleeping. Your body will feel empty and lost when that tiny babe isn’t in your arms, like you’ve grown a new limb and being without it puts you off balance.
It’s a heady mix of feeling needed, feeling vital, and feeling whole—all at the same time.
It’s corny and clichéd and we try not to say it out loud because it would make everyone’s eyes roll back down their throats. But … having a baby makes you feel like you have a new purpose. Maybe not straightaway. Maybe not for a few months. But one day you’ll look down at that tiny person and think, ‘Oh, so this is the meaning of life, then? You are why I’m here. All this time … I’ve been waiting for you.’