It’s not selfish to take a break, mama

Being a mom can be exhausting.

It starts with pregnancy— still the most tiring thing I’ve ever done. Days in a hospital, in an uncomfortable bed with people poking you and checking you, is draining. Then the baby comes home and he doesn’t like the adorable bassinet you stressed about and just wants to be in your arms, which is sweet but so tiring. I couldn’t even sit up on my own because of C-sections, let alone have the endurance for all-nighters, but somehow I made it through.

Just like I’m sure you did.

I’m sure you have no clue how you stayed awake for days and nights just watching your baby breathe, but you did. No recollection of how you made a bottle at 4 am and dinner at 5 pm, but you did.

What did this marathon of newborn care teach me?

That we need to use that newfound endurance—to take care of ourselves. It might seem impossible to find the time for self-care, but just like you found the time to fit in 12 diaper changes in one day and feedings every four hours, we must find the time to take of ourselves.

Mothers deserve the same loving attention + care we give our children.

The work itself is tiring and sometimes mind-numbing, if you count being asked about Mickey Mouse 30 times in a row before you had your coffee. Or maybe your little one didn’t even sleep last night so now your days are running together. You’re so busy that you can’t imagine when you’ll be able to get a break.

That, my friends, is the best time to take a break.

I know you think that you don’t have any time. That you have to much going on to do anything for yourself but just like you made it through those newborn nights you can find a minute just for yourself, it simply has to be a new priority.

Because. . .

It isn’t selfish to take a shower.

It isn’t selfish to brush your hair.

It isn’t selfish to have dessert alone.

It isn’t selfish to sit with your coffee alone.

It isn’t selfish to call your sitter to get a nap.

It isn’t selfish to go get your nails done.

It isn’t selfish to read a book with a cup of tea.

It isn’t selfish to treat yourself.

It isn’t selfish to go on a date and have dinner with your significant other.

Lastly, it isn’t selfish to give yourself a minute of peace.

That peace will come in handy I promise you. You’ll pull from those mini breaks when your kiddos come to you for comfort. It’s our jobs to share our calm with our kiddos and not add to their chaos. But, if you haven’t had a calming moment in months it can be hard to remember how.

Moms, we can’t forget how to care for ourselves just because we are busy raising mini humans to do just that. So, at the end of the day, after you put away the diaper cream, and the millionth toy, I hope you take a minute just for you and savor it because you not only deserve it, you need it.