Dear pregnant me...let's talk about maternal instinct

Ever wanted to go back in time to tell your ‘pregnant self’ a thing or two about being a new parent? In a series of posts, Laura does just that…taking some of the most common things pregnant women and new mothers experience and giving herself (and others) a quick pep talk! However you’re feeling, you’re most definitely not alone, take it from us!

Remember those 3 minutes that felt more like three years, when you stood staring at a urine-soaked stick, waiting to see what was about to pop up in the little window? Remember seeing that positive result and instantly feeling a whole host of emotions along with love for this little, poppy seed sized being that you now knew you were growing?

Now, you've heard people talk about the instant 'rush' they felt when they held their baby for the first time, and you've also heard people talk about that 'rush' just not being there and it taking a bit of time to come, but actually you might just find that your reality doesn't quite fit either of these scenarios.

In the moments after childbirth, you are going to feel so overwhelmed with everything going on around you. You've just run a metaphorical marathon but instead of now being able to rest and recuperate, you're gearing up for the toughest gig of your life. When you look at that wrinkly little bundle, you know you love them, and you know that you'd die for them, but there is so much other background noise going on for you right now that it is all just bundled up into one big mass of sensory overload that you're mentally trying to untangle.

As the first eager visitors arrive to see you and your baby in the hospital you will smile and say you're 'feeling really good!' as you try to look like you've got it all together for fear of people rumbling you and figuring out that you barely know what way is up right now, let alone how to be a mummy. For you it will be in a few days time that your breath will catch in your throat as you get hit with the full force of just how strong and all consuming this love for your little one is. It's always been there, which you've known, but be kind to yourself whilst everything calms down enough for you to really hear that voice roaring in your ears.

A little bit about Laura...

Laura lives in Hertfordshire with 17 month old Harry, and when she can, enjoys meeting up with friends for lunch, seeing family, and watching too many episodes of Friends on Comedy Central! She was motivated to write about her experience because…

“As a new mum, with all the raging hormones and uncertainty that involves, it was just nice to hear from people who were going through the same thing from time to time, to reassure myself I wasn't losing the plot completely! So if I can give that same reassurance back to another new mum, that's definitely something I would want to do.”