The Journey from a carefree girl to preparing myself to embrace Motherhood

The unexpected bliss

All good things come unexpected and so is my journey. Unaware of the blessing coming my way I was engrossed in my work running around meeting deadlines, battling fever, feeling weak and low at the same time while my body was giving me signals to pause and relax. One day my body started to retaliate and that is when I realized I cannot ignore it anymore, I tried to figure out the reason and eventually found out that a blessing is on its way and I am going to become a mother.

The overwhelming emotions

Doctor visits took place followed by some complications and I was put to bed rest for the remaining first trimester. My body experienced some vast changes during the first trimester and the plethora of emotions were overwhelming for me. I was unable to feel happy but I wanted to be happy and excited. The constant changes in my body and a sudden change in my life with a pause in my career and realizing that in a day everything has changed for me, I was unable to process it all and the biological changes and mood swings acted as a catalyst to make me feel even worse.

I used to cry and get irritated over small things avoiding meeting and talking to anyone. In the midst of blaming myself for not being able to feel happy and excited I started to read about the change in emotions during pregnancy and learnt that it is normal for a human body to feel this way with the changes one is going through. The one thing I felt during this time was that it is something which is not talked about openly even though many girls go through this feeling in the beginning and not everyone is able to take it as it comes.

I became my own mental coach

I used to feel I cannot talk to anyone about it as they might judge me for having this kind of feeling in my mind. During that time, I became my own mental coach, explained myself that embracing the change is a part of life and started thinking more about focusing on the present.

The moment that made my mental struggle worthwhile

Then came the day when I went for the scan where I first heard the heartbeat of my baby and that was the moment which made me realize that this is huge and I was able to connect to what was happening inside me.

Gradually my mind and body started to coordinate and so my emotions which were all over the place beginning to appreciate what was happening inside me.

When I chanced into Momly

Soon after all this one day while scrolling through my Instagram I came across Momly account and decided to follow it and started to read and explore what is it about. I read and found that it is for mothers-to-be and mothers and is a platform where you can connect to like-minded people and learn from them.

Momly Social in Lucknow changed the way I saw motherhood

Luckily around that time a Momly meet-up was happening in Lucknow and I decided to be a part of it where I saw every mother new or experienced is discovering themselves, seeking help and enjoying motherhood at the same time and that gave me even more confidence to see so many women embracing motherhood beautifully.

My motherhood mantra – Ignore the naysayers and take one day at a time

Eventually I started taking one day at a time without worrying about the long-term future and started to enjoy every moment in my pregnancy journey. There are some people who at times comment on my body weight increasing or try to scare me that my life will change or will finish once the baby arrives and suggest me to enjoy till I am pregnant but I have learnt to ignore these comments and I believe that life teaches you everything when it comes your way.

My family is my pillar of support

Now as I am nearing my delivery date, I am excited to meet my baby and at the same time nervous for the huge responsibility and learning everything new hoping and praying that I am able to give my 100% to my baby. Nevertheless, I am grateful for the supportive family I have who keep encouraging me and comforting me that they all are there to help me and guide me.

We are all learning and growing

I have understood the fact that every mother is learning and so will I, as it is said when a child is born so is a mother and as the baby grows so does a mother, so at this point of time I am thinking only positive and keeping myself calm.

Community of nurturing mothers

Also, when I see fellow mothers posting on the Momly Plus WhatsApp group with their queries and suggestions I feel I have a whole community to help me out with their real-world experiences which makes me feel that I am not alone in this.

(As written by Satjyot Chawla Dang)