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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / family / {What it means to be a mom for the first time. // by Arianne Segerman}

{What it means to be a mom for the first time. // by Arianne Segerman}

March 19, 2013 · 7 Comments
Filed Under: family, friends, guest bloggers, inspiration, mamahood

I’m so very honored that my friend Arianne Segerman is guest blogging for me today. She’s sharing her heart on the thought, “What it means to be a mom for the first time”, and her words are so, so beautiful. :) Thank you Ari for letting your fingers fly with the wind…

[Click to see Lisa Leonard’s and Naomi Davis’ response to this same question.]

+ + +

first time mom belly pic

It was 2002 and I distinctly remember sitting on the beach in the Spring, a good 6 months before my first baby was expected. I was attempting to take in the fact that I was not going to have another Spring with only my husband and I. Not even another Christmas. I couldn’t fathom my belly growing so big (like me in that photo above at 38 weeks with baby #1).

How does a woman wrap her mind around such a thing?

The truth is, you can’t. No one can. No one can possibly explain enough, no book can teach enough, no video can prepare you enough. Sure, you’ll have all the tools you need to deliver a baby and be a first time mom, but there’s nothing and no one out there to say, “Hey, this is what it will feel like!”

I didn’t know that my soul would break, but break open. I didn’t know that I would grow up overnight (no matter what my age was). I didn’t know that life was really beginning for real.

being a mom to four

So I offer this to you, dear Maggie, as you enter into this new unfurling of God’s incredible metaphor of (let’s be clear, super fun and super hard) creation and life — don’t forget to embrace the uncertainty. Lean into it, surrender to where this already much loved baby takes your heart. Find who YOU are as a mother. Receive advice, opinions and instruction (plenty of people will have these for you), but filter it all through the lens of Maggie. Make your own mark on motherhood, and let it be real and true and completely surprising to you.

being a mom-1

Being a mom for the first time feels like velvet, and chocolate, and running a marathon with no preparation. It feels like you can taste the Spirit on your lips and hear Him in your heart and like no one and everyone in the world understands you. It feels like a new era, a new club, and like you never lived before the day the baby was born. It feels like love.

Arianne is a mom of 5, with three boys and a baby girl here and one baby girl in heaven. She could talk about motherhood all day long. Ari and her family live in Phoenix, Arizona. She also blogs at Mabel + Riv and can’t wait to meet Baby Whitley. xoxo

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7 Comments
Filed Under: family, friends, guest bloggers, inspiration, mamahood

« {A fresh start.}
{Our first week as a family with Maxwell.} »

Comments

  1. Ambr C Haines says

    March 19, 2013 at 5:54 am

    Love this.

    Reply
  2. Kelly @ Love Well says

    March 19, 2013 at 7:32 am

    The running a marathon with no preparation part made me giggle, because it’s so TRUE. You may have read books about running and had friends who’ve run and you’ve bought shoes and sweatbands and water bottles. But once that baby is born – bang. You’re off. And you learn as you go. By the time they all leave the house, you’re a pro. But it’s truly the journey that makes us.

    Reply
  3. sarah says

    March 19, 2013 at 11:08 am

    Great way of explaining it!

    Sarah=)

    http://www.etsy.com/shop/owleyevintage

    Reply
  4. Megan (FriedOkra) says

    March 19, 2013 at 2:53 pm

    Beautiful and true.

    Reply
  5. Kassie says

    March 19, 2013 at 8:10 pm

    Love this! Beautiful and true!

    Reply
  6. Andrea says

    June 15, 2013 at 1:35 pm

    How true this is! I’ve learned so many things through motherhood, but one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that you can’t prepare for everything. You just have to sit back, trust God and enjoy the ride! :)

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. On being a mother for the first time says:
    March 19, 2013 at 2:11 pm

    […] am guest blogging over at Gussy Sews today – click here to read the rest of my answer to “what it feels like to be a mother for the first […]

    Reply

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in northern Michigan. She has been writing online since 2008.
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