“When it is time for your very first snuggle with your very own baby – savor the moment. It’s one of the most magical moments you’ll ever know and once it passes, it’s gone, never to be duplicated.
You may be weary and shaking or wired and floating as you gaze for the first time into the eyes of this tiny stranger whose heart has been beating in concert with your own for the past nine months.
Your baby knows you, your voice, your smell, and wants nothing more than to be cradled close in your arms, held snugly to your breast. Lying with your newborn, there is no pressure to perform, no words to be said, no expectations to be fufilled. For this little while, this too-brief moment, you can finally rest and alllow yourself to simply be.
The person you were, the woman who didn’t know her own strength and doubted her capacity for love is slipping away now, though it may be a while before you truly believe that she’s gone. Try to catch her eye as she leaves, and thank her for taking you this far. Everything you’d dreamed and all that you feared is behind you–and in front of you.
You’re a mommy for real now. You’re a warrior. And this is what it means to be reborn.”
-Sheri Lynch (Hello, My Name Is Mommy)
You might also want to read:
- It’s July 1st: The month I’ll be birthing my baby boy (and will no longer be pregnant)!
- 10 ways our baby has told me how much he loves me and how to tell if your baby loves you!
- A note to my child who is currently living in my wife’s pregnant belly.
- A note to Baby Tarzan regarding your movement in my belly
- 26 weeks pregnant: Ready or not only 98 days left until we meet our baby boy
= a post from Mommy Jane 
= a post from Daddy Tarzan
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Beautiful and absolutely true. It´s an incredible experience!
That gave me goosebumps…
“And this is what it means to be reborn” is the most accurate, succinct description of motherhood I’ve read. Within a month, you won’t even remember the woman you were before, because she was incomplete and she seems like a stranger. You love your baby now, but once he’s here, it’ll be a pale reflection of how you feel. It’s beautiful and awe-inspiring.
Great quote
I’m delivering my little boy later this week and everything just feels completely surreal and emotional right now…that quote definitely put me into tears. There’s so much focus on the preparation and planning, but I love the reminder to just stop and enjoy every single moment, starting with the very first one we have together. Thanks for posting this!
so beautiful!
Wow that is a tearjerker!! And sooooo true!!
Thanks for posting this. I recently discovered your blog and I am a new mommy to a (now) 2 month old. I know this is an old post, but I just love this. Being a mommy truly is the most amazing thing and this just sums it up pretty well. Thanks again (and congrats on your little Monkey).