Advice for new mothers, don’t worry we might fail at something and excel at something else. Don’t stress too much.
But please don’t laugh too much at my failure, I know you will. But hold it in.
I’m sure you’ve had your share of embarrassing moments, but embarrassing mommy moments I think take the cake. I think most of the times it’s something so stupid. But we end up failing somehow.
I don’t know what happened to me after I gave birth. It feels like a cloud somehow covered my eyes and brain as soon as I went into labor. I’ve never really talked about this cloud or ever heard of anyone mentioning it but it happened to me.
As soon as the doctor told me I was going to have a c-section I blanked out. Total body experience. I didn’t prepare for it, wasn’t expecting it, didn’t even cross my mind because I did NOT want one. I was and still am terrified of operations. Don’t ask me why, but I am.
I remember being wheeled out to the surgical room and everything kinda became foggy from them on, you can read all about my birth story here.
When we were home, my mother stayed with us for a little over a month and I guess it somehow put me very much at ease and I still could feel as if I was having an out of body experience. Everything was so new and difficult.
Gosh, breastfeeding was so difficult. Getting up in the middle of the night after a feeding then getting up for pump afterwards was exhausting. But my mother would let me sleep in a little longer and give my son pumped milk. But within the first week, the first doctor visit was upon us.
My mother in law was going to take us, she took the car seat out of my car and put it in hers, well tried. I got in the car (super hard after a cesarean) and she couldn’t figure out how to install the car seat.
I hadn’t done in my car, my husband did. I didn’t even see him do it. and I couldn’t exactly move well. So we gave up. Now I was crying uncontrollably in the car and I had to make the dreaded phone call to the pediatrician’s office. I spoke to the receptionist crying saying I couldn’t install my baby’s car seat and we can’t make it to the appointment.
She was nice and calmed me down saying it was okay and we could re-schedule.
I was so embarrassed! I couldn’t install a car seat? What kind of mother can’t do that?
A flood of emotions came over me, I’m not a good mom, I can’t do anything right, I can’t even take my son to his doctor’s appointment. It really was a surreal moment for me. We are so delicate after giving birth, at least I was.
We all have insecurities about our parenting but we get through it and today I find it incredibly funny that we missed his first appointment because I couldn’t get his car seat installed.
I told you ONE of my embarrassing mommy moments, what’s yours? Got any advice for new mothers struggling? Got a new mommy in your life? Share this post with her. Reassure here she’s doing great. Share your embarrassing moments in the comments below.
For more new mom advice check out this book
The New Mom’s Guide to Life with Baby (New Mom’s Guides)
♥Books I’m Reading & Recommend♥
For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards by Jen Hatmaker
The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori
Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom by Pamela Druckerman
Aww, Ellen, I have been there. When my husband went back to work after the baby was born, I was terrified that I would have NO idea what to do. Probably my most embarrassing new Mommy moment was taking my son to the grocery store at like 3 weeks old, and him yelling through the second half of the shopping trip, with no let-up. We were at checkout, and this little boy behind us just looked at me disapprovingly and said, "Is that YOUR baby?". All I could say was "Yes". I wanted to say, "You're not helping me, kid." My advice is that it all gets better.
Worrying if you are a good mom is what makes you one! Those tough times are so normal – we need to make sure to support each other during them. Here is an article I put together for new moms if you want to share it with your readers! http://childcare.about.com/od/generaladvice/fl/6-Ways-New-Moms-Can-Get-Support.htm
I cant think of anything off the top of my head.. but I know I always felt like a total mess with my first!
Oh I have lots of embarrassing mommy moments. Most recently, my daughter and I were at the Pottery painting place and they only had the 'higher chairs' left. Since she is 7, I though she would be okay but she fell getting out of the chair, hit her head, and started crying. Everyone was staring at us.
Installing the car seat can be very tricky!! Just the other day I had to switch my son's car seat to another car and I was trying to put the thing in the wrong way. It took me wayyy too long to figure out that it was in backwards. Oops! haha I'm drawing a blank on my most embarrassing mommy moment, but probably because I've had too many. I do remember opening the door to the UPS man with my nursing bra completely out. I was too tired to be embarrassed though. haha
Poor momma! It is so hard in those first few weeks, even if you thought you were ready.
There were too many moments that seemed so challenging when I was a new mom. You give great advice to new parents!
Awwwwwww this is so relatable!!!! After a c-section, EVERYTHING is hard!!! You poor, sweet (then) new momma. This is so relatable!!!
Ellen, I'm with you on this one. The car seat is a crucial thing and something I really SHOULD know how to install, but have yet to learn. That's just one of my mommy embarrassing moments. I wouldn't worry about the kind of mom you are. You're perfect for your little one and that's all that matters. We're all humans, and we're doing the best we can to raise our tiny humans as well. That's all we can do. The rest is out of our control. Thanks for such a lovely and honest post!
My husband installed our car seats, so I'd really have to think about how to do it myself too! Boy, have I been there, when something small happens and crushes me to tears! Every time we have a pee pee or poo incident, I blank out and look around to see who is going to clean up the mess! Then I remember that person is me!
Aww you were just overwhelmed!! It was just a bad day:) Glad you can laugh about it now!
Oh man! I can't count the number of embarrassing mommy moments I have had over the years! Being a new mom is terrifying, overwhelming, emotional and amazing all at the same time. I remember one day when my first was like 2 weeks old my hubby came home and i was just sitting on the couch bawling and I had been like that all day! He asked my what was wrong and I honestly had no idea! I just couldn't stop crying! He told me to go take a nap haha! The day are long but the years are short!
Aww, don't feel bad. My friend called me on her way to the pediatrician's office with her newborn for almost the same reason… she couldn't figure out how to get the infant carrier out of the base. It's hard being a new Mommy! We're all hormonal messes in the beginning (and sometimes years later!). Thanks for linking up at the Manic Mondays blog hop!
Hey, if this makes you feel any better: I am walking around with a cloud covering my eyes and brain for the past few months of my pregnancy. I try to prepare by learning how to use car seat, breast pump and other new equipment now, but I KNOW I will inevitably make mistakes. And I am preparing myself to NOT worry about it and laugh at myself as much as I can. I'm sure you are a great mom. 🙂 Take it easy!
Thanks Lynne, I'm learned to embrace my mistakes and now laugh at them. Thanks for stopping in,
Thanks Shelah, I'm glad you think so. It's definitely a challenge.
My most embarrassing mommy moment was when I was feeding my new born and was wearing a feeding cover. An uncle, a distant relative, came to see the newborn baby and the moment he entered the room with his wife, my newborn got a hell lot of energy from some where and threw open the cover – like, wide open! You have no idea how embarrassing it was for me! Or, perhaps, you have a fair idea! 😀