Mom speaks candidly about what it really feels like post-baby
If one thing’s for certain, there is a lot of mystery surrounding the “miracle” of birth.
For those of us who haven’t experienced it personally, we often hear that seeing your baby for the first time feels magical. We also hear about the amazement new moms experience witnessing what their bodies are capable of. But Bekki Pope wants to keep things real.
The new mom and blogger recently explained her own post-birth experience in a Facebook post that has since gone viral — and she made sure not to leave out any of the ugly.
Entitled “20 things to know when you’ve just pushed out a baby,” she gets down to the nitty-gritty of what it really feels like after you’ve brought a new life into the world.
“The after pains. Pain. After. Who knew? When God designed women to give birth, he well and truly screwed us over….,” she starts by saying.
She then goes into things that most people don’t really think about, like going to the bathroom for the first time or showering.
“You are not having another baby. It just feels that way. But just remember the size of the thing you pushed out of the front bit, and the prospect of pushing out what’s in the back bit won’t be quite so daunting.”
“Your first shower will be like a scene from Carrie. It’s normal. It may feel like you’ll never be right again and that you’ll walk like John Wayne forever, and you might, but you’ll feel so much better for the shower. You’re literally washing away your sins. (If the baby was born out of wedlock anyway….)”
Next, she addresses a BIG question for many new moms: what if my baby isn’t cute?
“Your baby looks weird. Like… Really weird. ‘Oh how cute/such a beautiful baby’ etc will be said at you and you’ll accept other people’s opinions, but to you it looks like a hairless slightly purple old grandad with dried blood and skin stuck to its wrinkly face.”
Pope describes your once cute baby bump as “a balloon that’s slowly deflating” and how most parts of your body are going to be pretty angry with you. For the most part, her commentary is meant to be humorous, playful and lighthearted. The truth isn’t pretty so we may as well laugh about it, right?
But she ends her post on a high note, telling new moms not to worry.
“You’re not superwoman. There is no such thing as normal, and there is no such thing as perfect. You are your baby’s normal. You are your baby’s perfect. They aren’t judging you. They are completely reliant on you and being responsible for another human being is not a piece of cake. It’s a piece of ‘oh my god I can’t do this’. You can. And everyday will get easier.”
“Breath(e) mummy.”
So far the post has been shared more than 80,000 times with more than 46,000 comments.
“This was fantastic!” said Irene Fisher. “Mine are now 33 and 28 but remember all of this too well.”
“All true and they make the most horrific crying noise in the world! Still those of us lucky enough to have gone through this wouldn’t change a thing, and we go on to have more!” said Thelma Buchanan.
Some commenters even had their own tips to share.
“They forgot number 21 – it will suddenly dawn on you your own mother is a superhero and for the next 5 years you will wonder each, and every, day how she managed it,” added Rachel Bailey.
“Please add a number 21 about how your body is never ever quite the same and you NEVER stop worrying about them. (But you wouldn’t change a thing!)” suggested Pat Hudson.
What do you think of Pope’s post-baby round-up? Let us know by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA.
