Phi Beta Momma-The Mommy Sorority

One thing I learned VERY quickly after I became a mommy was the importance of a good support network.  I call it a network because that’s what it is.  I wanted to make sure I dedicated a post to the importance of having this network…I call it the Phi Beta Momma.

 

So when SG was about 8 weeks old she went through her first growth spurt and mild colic (self-diagnosed).  The poor thing just couldn’t settle herself and she was just a fussy lil nugget.  I remember sleepless nights where she would just wake up every hour…just fussing and crying.  I couldn’t figure out what was going on.  Nothing seemed to appease her UNLESS she was in my arms.  Well we all know how ridiculous that is.  No one can hold their baby 24/7.  Trust me, I know because I tried!  This was about the time I really started reaching out to all of my  mommy friends.  Thank goodness I have an unlimited text plan because I was sending text messages out at all hours of the day.  And God bless my mommy friends who always responded.  More often than not I just needed someone to vent to.  Someone who could understand the level of fatigue (it’s indescribable), anxiety, fear, frustration, love, happiness, sadness…..and the list goes on….that I felt.  Husbands are wonderful but I firmly believe having a new baby is vastly different for a mommy than it is for a daddy.  My husband is literally one of the most amazing men I have had the honor of knowing but unfortunately there were times when he just couldn’t relate.  So I depended a lot on my mommy friends.

 

One day after about 10 weeks and MANY sleepless days and nights I was almost at my wits end.  I literally thought I was going to die from exhaustion.  Up until this point I took all the night shifts because I thought it was only fair since my husband had to go to work and I didn’t.  This seemed like a great plan until my little nugget decided she was no longer interested in napping unless I held her which meant no naps for me.  On this particular day SG had been up literally EVERY hour the night before.  I was exhausted but needed to get out of the house so I went to visit a dear friend (you know who you are).  When I arrived she had invited another friend of hers who had recently had a baby as well…in fact her lil one was about a week older than SG.  That day was one of the BEST days ever for me since becoming a mommy.  The three of us, plus our lil ones sat around for hours and shared stories, laughed, even got teary eyed.  I felt AMAZING after I left.  What a relief.  It was like mommy therapy!  I felt recharged.  It was so great to hear that I wasn’t the first, or last mommy to have all these emotions going on.  That day was like a rebirth (I know that sounds dramatic but you mommies know what I am talking about when you get some good mommy time) and I made a new friend who I still text regularly to share stories.

 

Moral of the story…find yourself a mommy network stat.  Being a mommy is the coolest sorority there is.  The best part is that even if you haven’t talked to one of your friends in a long time and you decide to reach out to one who is also a mommy, you will reconnect and be as close as ever.  I could seriously not have made it to 4 months without some of these wonderful women in my life.  Whether you text, email, have lunch, chat on the phone, Facebook…whatever….I can’t stress the importance of making sure you rush this sorority.  J