10 ways motherhood will change you into a better woman

I still remember vividly the moment I was waiting in the labor room, anxiously waiting for my baby’s arrival to this world. At that moment, a lot was playing in my mind. Then, he arrived. And everything changes the moment he arrives. Suddenly, everything else doesn’t matter anymore. Because I became a mother. All sorts of doubts and uncertainty vanished instantly. The moment I carried him in my arm, my heart swelled with so much pride as my husband shed tears of joy. We did it, we brought a new life to this world. And that’s the first thing in how motherhood changes you into a better woman….

The ability to love unconditionally

There is no love like a mother’s love for her child, I’ve been hearing that a lot. But now that I’m a mother, I can relate to this. I was opting for natural birth but unfortunately I had some minor complications so in the end we had to do an emergency Caesarean section. I still remember the pain I was having in my wound after the anesthetic wears off. But trust me,when you hear your baby cry, you will somehow gather enough strength to get out of the bed by yourself to go cradle your baby. No time wasted to press the bell and ask for nurse’s assistance to get out of the bed. Miraculously, you won’t feel the pain when you’re cradling your baby.

And it’s because of the unconditional love you have for your baby. Doesn’t matter if you are having a tough day, in pain or feeling down you will gather the courage and put on a smile in front of your baby. You’re a better woman now because you can love unconditionally.

Unknowingly you became stronger than ever

You never knew you could carry up to 10kg for hours. It may not seem like much, but try carrying a sack of rice for hours. Without toilet break. Or sometimes, without moving. You never knew you actually had the courage to catch the insect with your bare hand before your toddler put them in his mouth. During the first year, there’s reflux, there’s colic, there’s sleep regression, there’s teething, and many challenges waiting for you. It takes a strong mind to remain loving when you are so sleep deprived. Newborns wake up every two hours on average to feed or change, so you won’t have a good night’s sleep for a while. That paired with recovering from labor pain. Now, you are physically and psychologically stronger now after becoming a mother.

You will be a much more responsible person

You will quickly learn that motherhood is a big responsibility. It’s a 24/7 and 365 days job. You don’t get to apply for sick leave or annual leave. Everything about the baby from A-Z will be your responsibility. Your helpless baby will rely on you for everything. From taking care of basic needs like eating or changing baby’s diaper to teaching the baby new skills and knowledge. All that plus managing the home and not forgetting husband’s needs too. Your family’s well being will be your top priority. With time, you will learn to multitask and manage your time so that nobody gets left behind. Again, I would like to stress now you are a better woman than before.

Your anger management is top of the game

You will learn to control your anger. No matter what angers you, you will try to control your anger around your baby. You will hardly raise your voice. Because your baby will mirror your behavior. He/she will be able to sense it when you’re upset or happy and it will affect him emotionally. Now you will be a better woman because you learn how to stay calm and control your anger.

Suddenly, you stop cussing and became more polite

I don’t need to even elaborate on this. You stop cursing, you made your husband stop cursing. You became an advocate of good mannerism. When someone around you curses, you even tell them off. On top of that, you will often say please and thank you. The reason is just because you want your baby to follow you as a role model. There, you are a better woman with good manners.

You put your loved ones before you and became less self centered

Instead of spending time to groom yourself before going out, baby comes first. You will be busy changing your baby, putting sunscreen on him, putting mosquitoes repellent on him, and then packing the diaper bag and ensuring you have everything your baby may need before heading out. When your baby starts eating solid, you will give all the good parts of the food to your baby. You are going to be eating leftovers, yet you will be very happy with that when you see your baby is eating well. Now, you put your loved ones before you. You are a better woman now because you aren’t selfish.

You will act like a role model because you want to be one

Motherhood will change the way you think, behave, act and speak. Because you know now someone is looking up to you and mimicking whatever you do. Good or bad. It’s ironic, but I supposed you somehow have no choice but to be a better woman. Even the way you treat your own parents will change, because you want to show your child how you want to be treated in future. Not only you will be a better woman, you will be a better daughter.

Your life will feel more complete

I think you will not realize that your life has a missing piece until the day you became a mother. Then you realize, your baby completes you. The joy you felt when your baby is calling you mama for the first time, or when he/she walks towards your arm for the first time. The many antics that they will do on a daily basis. You will realize how a little baby can be such a comedian and bring so much laughter to your life. Not only yours, but your family and friends as well. Now that your life is more complete, you will be a better woman. You will look at life differently.

You learn to value yourself more and your loved ones too

Self love. Perhaps you have been reckless when you are single. Even after you’re married, you may still do things that are reckless. But, now that you’re a mother, before putting yourself in risk you will probably rethink about it. Think about the consequences of your action towards your own self and your loved ones. You will also take better care of your own health. Just because of these thoughts. What if something bad happened to me? Who will take care of my child? The moment you learn to value yourself more, that makes you a better woman.

You empathize more

You become a better woman the moment you empathize more. For instance, when you hear a baby cry in the airplane, instead of being annoyed by it you will feel sorry for the parent. You will also be worried about the baby, wondering if the baby is not feeling well. Is there even anything we can do to help? That’s the power of motherhood. It changes you to a kinder person. You want to be a kind person, because you want your child to grow up to be a kind person too. And that starts with empathizing.

…..Do you agree that you are a better woman now?

Motherhood. There’s truly nothing like it. If you ask a mother to summarize motherhood in one word, I think it’s going to take her a while to figure that out. It’s not an easy journey, but take it from me it’s a meaningful and rewarding journey. It changes your perspective in life and it makes you a better woman overall. It is one of the greatest blessings in my life to be able to enjoy motherhood, and I hope you feel the same.

It’s not easy, motherhood is tough and this journey can be long and lonely. But trust me, it’s worth it. Just hang in there a little bit more because I know you can do it. I would like to sincerely congratulate you mama. You are a better woman today, just because you are a mother. Remember, you don’t have to compare yourself to other mama out there, you are the best mother in the world to your child. And that’s what really matters.

If you are currently pregnant and going to be a mother soon, don’t miss out on my top ten things I wished I knew before the baby’s arrival! I hope you enjoyed this article, leave me a comment below to let me know what you think.

Parenting pain: Fellow mama, did someone tell you what a great job you did today? If not, let me tell you “You are doing an awesome job mama! Keep going and enjoy motherhood!

Featured image photo credit by Liana Mikah on Unsplash (2017)