Say goodbye to sleeping in, oh and your sanity? That goes out the window as well. Oh, oh and you will be up to your neck in diapers and spit up like 24/7.

And the cries, oh the cries will be stuck in your head forever. Oh, and teething? Yeah, have fun with that!

Yes, I heard about the sleepless nights, the teething, the horror stories of giving birth. We all have and yes, those things are all true that we are constantly reminded of when pregnant and carrying around a newborn.

Fast forward 10 months in though, and there’s so much I have figured out on my own that I just don’t think is talked about as much as it should be and I’m hoping I am not the only one who has felt these things.

No one ever told me how emotional I would be about every little thing. Hormones or not every milestone, every new thing learned, ever little smile and new tooth. Well let’s just say there are secret flood works every single time. Sure I knew becoming a mom would be nothing but emotions, but I just didn’t know it would be over everything and I mean EVERYTHING.

No one ever told me about the frustration. Your baby wakes up in the middle of the night for the 4th night in a row. Nothing you do eases that teething pain. Every time you set the baby down, the water works start. The frustration is real and I never knew how many times I would need a breather throughout the day. How many times I would have to take deep breaths so I don’t break down. How much of a zombie I would feel like just to get through the day.

No one ever told me about the guilt…Oh the guilt. Mom guilt is the worst thing in the whole entire world and it is so REAL. Every time that frustration comes, every time my baby doesn’t sleep through the night, every time I just want to have time for myself I feel consumed with guilt. Which I now know is such a normal thing, but mom guilt needs to be talked about more because it’s a terrible thing to hold inside!

No one ever told me how much I would need my husband and my tribe. You single moms doing it ALL on your own, hats off to you. Seriously you are the real MVP because I don’t think I could do it. To have someone I can just silently hand little man off to so I can grab a glass of wine at the end of the night is everything. When the frustration becomes too much or I just need alone time with my husband, to have our tribe of family and friends is EVERYTHING.

No one ever told me I would meet someone new. And no, not my baby, I am talking about myself. Sometimes I just feel like a totally different person. My views have changed since becoming a mom, my feelings are more intense. My body has changed, along with so many other parts of me. But it’s ok, I like this vesion of myself and I like the other version too when I get to be baby free for a night or two.

No one ever told me how much you can love someone. From the moment I saw “pregnant” on my pregnancy test, I instantly fell in love. I never knew how much you could love someone without even know them or seeing them yet. And when you do get the chance to peek at that little face? I can’t even describe it as I’m sure all you moms felt it too. I just never knew how much unconditional love you could give out to this tiny little person you are helping grow. It’s amazing and it needs to be shared more often.

I feel like no book could have prepared me for motherhood, you learn so much on your own because every baby is truly different.

It could never tell me how guilty and sad I would feel every time I have to leave for work or that most of the time I am honestly just winging it. It’s scary not knowing what kind of mother you will be, but just know that you are and will do your best! In the end, they just need our unconditional love and care.