I originally wrote this for a friend who was soon to have a baby.

I wanted to share with her what I wished someone had said to me when I had a baby.

I have since passed it along several times so I figured I would add it as a post for all the Mamas of the world to share in the craziness that is postpartum life.

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You are hereby granted permission to:

Feel overwhelmed, overjoyed, exhausted, invigorated, amazed, disappointed, frustrated, broken, excited, scared, selfish, selfless, pissed-off, blissfully happy, full of rage, full of love, emotionally empty, emotionally full, anxious, and/or content.

 

With these feelings, you are hereby granted permission to:

Laugh, smile, cry, fret, ponder, fear, anticipate, project, exude, internalize, dream, cower, laze about, sleep, meditate, run, relish, relinquish, reassess, change, grow, revert, contort, emulate, pioneer, and/or forge.

 

FEEL THE %&*# OUT OF YOUR FEELINGS.

Welcome to the other side.

Be kind to yourself; give yourself the time and patience to let things evolve.

Things will not run smoothly.

 It will be better than you expected,

 Far worse than you could have imagined,

 Painful to endure,

 Incredible to witness,

 Humbling to be a part of;

 Really, really, difficult.

Instinctually effortless.

Endearing to a point of Utopia.