Confiance

[Dr Kelechi Okoro | Ebonyi Babe @healthertainer]

“In the Black community, we are often taught to put up a strong front, even when we are suffering. Admitting that we are struggling or need help can feel like weakness.” ~ @dr_confiance

But strength should not mean suffering in silence.

We must create a culture where asking for help is not seen as failure.

[Dr Kelechi Okoro | Ebonyi Babe @healthertainer]

EVERYONE ASKS ABOUT THE BABY. WHO ASKS ABOUT THE MOTHER?

“In those first weeks after childbirth, many people are more interested in the baby than in how the mother is coping.” ~ @dr_confiance

Everyone wants to know if the baby is feeding, sleeping, and gaining weight. But what about the woman who is healing, exhausted, overwhelmed, and trying to adjust to a completely new reality?

The baby needs care. The mother needs care, too.

[Dr Kelechi Okoro | Ebonyi Babe @healthertainer]

“I once complained about my baby not sleeping, then remembered that I had a friend who had been trying to have a child. Here I was, complaining about something someone else was praying for.”

And it hit me: Why should I feel guilty about my struggles just because someone else is praying for a different reality?

Someone else’s longing does not invalidate your exhaustion. You can be grateful for your child and still struggle with motherhood. ~ @dr_confiance

[Dr Kelechi Okoro | Ebonyi Babe @healthertainer]

YOU ARE NOT A BAD MOTHER FOR STRUGGLING

“Some women find it difficult to admit that they are struggling after childbirth because they feel it means they are failing as mothers.”

But struggling does not mean you do not love your baby. Feeling overwhelmed does not mean you are ungrateful.

You can love your child deeply and still find motherhood difficult. Both things can be true. ~ @dr_confiance

[Dr Kelechi Okoro | Ebonyi Babe @healthertainer]

STOP ROMANTICISING A MOTHER’S SUFFERING

“We have normalised the idea that mothers must endure everything because motherhood is supposed to be beautiful.”

But motherhood can be beautiful and exhausting. Joyful and overwhelming. Deeply fulfilling and emotionally challenging.

We must stop using the beauty of motherhood to silence conversations about its difficulties.

A mother’s suffering does not become less real because having a child is a blessing. ~ @dr_confiance