Before having Jonah there was a lot to think about. Breast-feed or not breast-feed. Pacifier or no pacifier. How long to sleep in our bedroom. How much weight to lose. I thought to myself, "I can't wait until I have my little darling in my arms and things will ease up." I absolutely LOVE my little boy with all my heart! He's four months old, and things still haven't eased up, the pressures are greater than ever!
So here's my question: Who's got the hype? Is it our culture that infiltrates these ideas of inadequacy and motherhood into our psyche, or is it ourselves? Who's doing this to us? It would be nice to blame it on someone or something else. "Well, the women at church pressure me into staying home." "You know, it really is the best thing to make your own baby food, and if you don't then you're not doing all you can for your baby." "A happy and thin mommy is a good mommy."
To some degree this is true. Society does like to give its opinions on what is the right way to do things. There are people out there that like to impose their experiences on you as if they are the only way to do things. It makes it easy to blame them for yourself pity parties.
But here's another take: You trust that God takes care of you, so you shouldn't worry. So why do we fret over these petty little things? God blesses us daily with strength and courage to do the things we must. So we do what we must with thanks and praise. Not keeping it to ourselves.
10 to 15 percent of new moms have postpartum depression. To me this is astonishing. Having a baby is one of the most wonderful things you can experience in your lifetime. It should fill you with joy to see your baby happy and healthy and full of life. So why are 1 in 10 women struggling with depression?
I believe it is the hype and pressures of motherhood. We all want to be the perfect mother. cloth diapers, home-made baby food, staying at home. In my opinion, what makes a mother closer to perfection is to show Christ's love to her children so that her children feel loved and someday build a relationship with Christ. that is what builds a perfect mother. Breast-feeding? Give your children the Lord and you give them the world.
So next time you feel like sharing your opinion, share Christ instead and see how it works out.
1 comment:
having to education women about PPD during my OB rotation definitely brought to my mind how out of control it is. it's natural to feel 'inadequate' because we strive for perfection... you want to be everything and everyone all the while living in ignorance of the truth. you summed it up well at the end of your post though Bri: the next time you feel like sharing your opinion, share Christ instead and see how it works out. gave me food for thought!!!
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