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New moms' honest stories reveal the unfiltered roller coaster of early motherhood.

Sudden medical issues can upend birth plans and force unexpected emotional adjustments.

Maternal intuition—like Kim’s attention to her itch—can be life-saving and should be trusted.

We need to listen to the stories of new moms and applaud those who can talk about their life in the midst of their pre- and post-birth fuzziness and glow.

It’s so true that we often forget the last days of pregnancy and the first days of motherhood when we are in a daze. Those are important moments that need to be remembered. The problem is what we lose in the forgetting.

We need to move from our focus on the traditional birth plan and ideals about the fourth trimester to a space where questioning, curiosity, and the contradictory feelings about mothering can be fostered as a core part of mothering.

A Real-Life Story of Transition to Motherhood

A childhood friend of my daughter’s, let’s call her Kim, recalls so eloquently what we'll call the rocky transition into motherhood. She sent me a message that her baby had been born a little early, but they were good. When I talked to my daughter, she warned me not to visit Kim. She said she had a hard time. I was curious about what my daughter meant.

I sent Kim a few texts and an important conversation followed.

Kim gave me permission to write her story, her truth.

She told me no one had told her about what mothering........

© Psychology Today