We asked the Ovia community to tell us a little bit about what motherhood changed for them. We were looking for the expected, the unexpected, messy, the surprisingly simple, and everything in between. Here are their responses.
“The short answer? Everything.”
“Before having kids, I could watch sad scenes in Disney movies (Tarzan, Bambi, The Fox and the Hound) without bawling like a baby. Now as a parent, I literally walk out of the room when my kids watch those movies…
Before I became a mom I used to roll my eyes when people would say everything changes when you have a baby, but it’s true…your body grows and things shift around to accommodate the tiny human growing inside, your shoulders soften, you become more sensitive to everything, your whole life changes the minute that little one comes into the world. I know my life did when they put that sweet baby girl in my arms. She had me instantly wrapped around her tiny finger.”
– Jessica
Motherhood…has been like finding a missing piece you didn’t know was missing.”
“Motherhood has made me try harder every day to be a better person for her. It has made me silly! I laugh more, make funny faces and noises and do things I always thought others were crazy or weird for doing.
…It’s slowed my life down and made me realize how precious each and every moment is and yet sped it up 1,000 times…”
– Zoe
“Motherhood has changed the way I use the bathroom. I now have a bathroom buddy every time!”
– Katherine
“I will always find gratitude for the beautiful life my body created.”
“Before having my son, I loved my body. When I got pregnant that love turned into appreciation. My body was creating human life! And then my son was born and all that love and appreciation turned negative. Instead of seeing a body that created the greatest thing in my life, I saw flab, stretch marks, and excess fat.
After over a year, I am learning to accept my new body and find a new appreciation. My body has become a home and a comfort space for my son. When he falls asleep on my chest, walks over to hug my thighs, or lifts up my shirt in public to show everyone my belly button, I am grateful. My body may not be perfect to me anymore (not at it ever really was), but it’s perfect for him.”
– Aggy
“Motherhood changed me in the best way possible. The love I feel for those kids, it’s palpable.”
Motherhood drives me to be the best person I can be for them. I’ve done so much work on myself since having my first child; he has been a great teacher of mine.
The mother/child connection is so intense that it has altered my sense of time. I literally feel the love tingle my cheek when I place it on my child’s head…In those moments, time stands still. And then you blink and they are 5 years old.”
– Leasa
“When I look at the future, I try to see it more through my children’s eyes – the way I want their future to be.”
“Motherhood changes everything…It not only changed my body, it changed my thought process, my goals, my desires, the way I deal with conflict, my emotional process, and especially the way I look at the future.”
– Michelle
If you’d like to tell us what Motherhood changed for you, send us a message on Instagram @oviahealth.
