I’m honored to be a Sisterhood of Motherhood partner, a sponsored blog partner this year and I’m excited to talk about something as simple as support for fellow mothers!

The emotional roller coaster new mother’s experience from being pregnant to delivery to surviving those first few weeks with a newborn can take a toll on you. Having the support of people that are closest to you during this time allows you the strength you need to push through and become the best mother possible. I’m in the midst of this transition myself, having a 5 week old and I don’t know what I would do without the support of the people in my life.

Having experienced some very dark days before I had my first son, Liam, and then again for many weeks after he was born, I was terrified that it would happen again with my second son, Hayden. I had to mentally prepare myself for what was to come. I poured my heart out the night before Hayden was born (a planned induction) just a few weeks ago in hopes of releasing my fears and to help myself process what was about happen. I was also secretly hoping to seek some encouragement from my wonderful friends, you! And I want to give a heartfelt thank you to all of you for your silent and written words of encouragement that night. They meant more to me than you’ll ever know.

I actually received an email after I had already gone to bed the night before my induction with Hayden from a dear friend of mine, Yana. It was the first thing I read when I woke up on the day of Hayden’s birth. The words she wrote to me were so honest, real and encouraging it brought me to happy tears and excitement to bring another child into the world. Her words like, “you are giving them a lifelong friend…or even better, something closer than a friend.” and “I’m sure it’ll be a bit tough for a little while, especially since Liam is young and can’t quite understand what’s going on, but after only a little while seeing Liam be a good big brother will be as magical and heartwarming as watching your husband be a dad.” Those words were so supportive and just the words I need to hear. It was the most meaningful thing that happened on that beautiful day besides the birth of my son.

Sending a mother some words of encouragement and support mean more than you will ever know, especially when they’re completely out of the blue. We’re all struggling to be the best mothers possible for our children and to do that, we need all the help we can get. These little nuggets don’t know how hard it is to be a parent! I surely took my mother for granted growing up. My appreciation and gratitude for her grew by leaps and bounds when I became a mother.

In these first few weeks of Hayden’s life, I’ve made it a goal, in hopes to refrain from feeling those baby blues again, to write down all of the encouraging words that I’ve received from women like my mother and grandmother, as well as words I read and write along the way. Here are just a few that I have collected and now have placed on sticky notes around my house to be encouraged by daily.

“Better days lie ahead so hang in there.” – my grandmother, Moms

“Don’t forget to take care of you.” – my mom

“You are not alone.” – me

“How would your children describe you?” – I read this in a middle-of-the-night feeding and can’t remember where. (Maybe Babble.)

“Enjoy them every day, even on the days when it’s tough and you’d really like to give ’em away.” – Moms

“Deep breaths.” – my husband

“The days are long, but the years are short. Motherhood is the best thing I will ever do.” – Chaunie

“You are alive.” – me

So far, my daily encouragement from my friends and family has worked wonders! My emotions seem to be relatively in tact, which is a miracle considering that I’m getting even less sleep than I did when Liam was a newborn. Let’s build the Sisterhood of Motherhood! It’s as simple as support.

This post was sponsored by Similac and has partnered with bloggers like myself for its Sisterhood of Motherhood program. As a part of this program, I have received compensation for my time, but all opinions are my own. Similac believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. Similac’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations. Please read my disclosure policy for further information.