There are many changes in life: childhood, high school, puberty, adulthood, and so on. However, there’s only one change that no one will ever be fully prepared for—not even 100 percent—and that’s motherhood. You live each day spontaneously; you can disappear without telling anyone for weeks, go out to bars, or binge-watch TV shows for days on end, holed up in your basement. Then one day, you meet someone!
This person makes your heart race; you’re part of their daily life, and you experience magical moments. And one day, you end up hooking up with them and letting yourself go. A few months later, you feel nauseous, you have sudden cravings for pickles with mayonnaise, and you fall asleep anywhere and anytime. Those two lines on that stick bring you back to everyday life, to reality. A baby is growing inside you.
From that moment on, people love to remind you that nothing will ever be the same again, that you have to change your whole life. It’s true that you’ll have to change a few things in your life, but not everything. You’ll simply have to get used to it and adapt. You’ll be going through a lot of changes, but you won’t be a new person. You don’t have to become someone else.
About a year ago, when I got a positive pregnancy test, many people tried to tell me what to do or give me advice, but you know, I’m the one who knows best who I am and what kind of mother I want to be for my child. It’s the same for you. If you want to eat deli meats, if you want to keep working out at the gym, if you want to keep shopping with your friends, you have every right to—and I’ll tell you what: go for it!
I want you to know that nothing will ever be the same as before, but it’ll be even better! You’ll be able to stay true to yourself while discovering what unconditional love is all about. Remember that you were a woman before this change, and that even as motherhood unfolds for you, you’ll still be one. Keep taking care of yourself while taking care of your little bundle of joy.