Friday, February 3, 2012

Mom guilt

I've always heard the term "mommy guilt," but I never knew how it would feel until recently. Having a baby really puts everything into perspective. Things that used to be really important just aren't anymore, and I find it hard to want to leaver her side. At first, my guilt was mostly about being there to feed her every 3 hours. I felt that if I was choosing to do something and missed a feeding, I was being a bad mom. Silly I know, but I felt terrible because she had to drink breastmilk from a bottle. Silly I know. So, I finally convinced myself that I was being a good mom by providing her the milk to drink in the first place. I've grown a little; I don't feel bad about feeding anymore, partly because I am back at work and being away is not my choice.
Now, I just feel guilty if I'm not with her when I could be. The evening hours during the week seem so short. I rush home to feed her around 4 pm; got to love teacher hours. We hang out and play together till like 5:30-6, and she takes a nap. Lately, we've had to wake her around 8 pm to feed her once more, and she goes to bed for the night. I tell myself that she is happy and we are blessed, but I need to make up for these short evenings somehow. Enter, weekends.
I want to spend every waking and sleeping moment with her. When other obligations or events have come up, the mommy guilt is back. I'm been trying to schedule myself a well-deserved massage since Christmas. Whenever there is time, I can't get myself to go. Same with going to the movies. My husband has been asking me to go to the movies with him for several months now. While I want to go, every time it comes up I'd rather be somewhere where she can join us and we can be together as a family.
My mom told me these guilty feelings never entirely pass, so I'm learning how to try and deal. But, it is baby steps for me. Each decision involves a lot of self talk. Again, women have dealt with this since the beginning of time. Couldn't anyone have found a solution yet?

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