‘We have our stomachs cut open before us. We spend weeks recovering while still caring for a totally dependent new life, bringing joy to the world.’: Mom says you are ‘powerful, strong, and brave’

“We are powerful, strong, and brave.

We can grow another human inside our bodies and create life.

We are able to endure labor pains, an indescribable physical and mental suffering, while somehow managing to push life into this world.

We have our stomachs cut open before us, after which we spend weeks recovering while still caring for a totally dependent new life, bringing joy to the world.

We experience the literal loss of a child—miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, molar pregnancies, infertility—and the figurative loss as they leave the nest to begin their own life and family. All the while, we bear the grief of it all, somehow persevering.

We foster and adopt children that we instantly fall in love with, quickly becoming their mother without another thought. They are ours, they are what we have been waiting for, they are our babies.

Our bodies make the purest and most perfect food to sustain the life of another—food that is living and breathing, that changes daily to meet our child’s particular needs. It contains an average of 20,000 white blood cells per teaspoon, plus antibodies and immunities. It’s is medicine, comfort, love.

We somehow survive on minimal sleep, and just when we reach the point where we think we can’t give any more, we do. We are teachers, healers, therapists, safe places, comforters, givers, lovers, and friends.

We always sacrifice, push forward, and love. Always.

We are mothers.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Melissa Ostroth of Milkitivity. You can follow her journey on Facebook and Instagram. Submit your own story here, and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories.

Read more stories from Melissa here: 

‘I promise you, mama, you will sleep again. You’re not alone. There are many mamas up at 3 a.m. yawning just like you.’: Mom says you are not alone in your breastfeeding struggles

‘You can’t drink that glass of wine while breastfeeding. And please don’t breastfeed without a cover.’: Mom’s hilarious guide to navigating breastfeeding comments during the holiday season

‘You just need to go back to work, you can’t handle this.’ I was fearful to break down in front of my husband. I’m a stay-at-home mom.’: Mom says ‘You can breakdown and you need to.’

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