The First Year of Motherhood - An Honest Reflection on the Longest and Shortest Year of My Life

October 28,2026
I did it. Year one down, many more to go. No one told me that this year would be both the shortest and longest year of my life.

In fact, no one told me a lot of things. However rest assured, because I'll fill you in on a few realities about the first year of motherhood. Bottom line - it's hard and beautiful and I want you to know that you are NOT alone. Your first year will look different than mine, but fellow momma, this is not the time to compare our experiences with judgement on me or you. Okay ... judge me if you like, but be kind to yourself. This is your time to connect with me as I share a few honest reflections on the first year of motherhood.

Our son turned 1 and I feel like this birthday celebration is just as much for us parents as it is for our child because we survived our first year. Personally, the first year of motherhood was a whirlwind, and one overarching reality that covered that first year was this:

You will feel a lot of emotions, ranging from amazement to terror, and that is pretty much par for the course I'd say. Don't fight it. Accept it.

For a year I have done many things again and again and again. Nurse. Rock. Feed. Play. Diapers. Bathe. Stare at my son in disbelief; disbelief that he is mine and I LOVE him so much and disbelief that he just pooped on the bathmat. At times motherhood is pure joy. At times I have felt like I'm losing it. At times I've felt confident in my mothering. Other times I've doubted myself. I've felt great peace and other times great anxiety.

Some days my hubby and I work amazingly as a team in this whole parenting gig and other days we have head-butted hard. One moment I can feel so very present with my son and the experiences we share, and then the next moment I feel distracted with my to-do list or other stressors. During the first year of motherhood, you will likely experience a whole continuum of emotions. Surviving the first year of motherhood requires a lot. Period. And if you need help from family or a friend, or even professionally, ask for it, because we aren't meant to figure this out alone.

Now that we've established that you will likely feel the whole color wheel of emotions, let's explore a few more reflections, observations, and well, confessions related to the first year of motherhood.