Facing fears in Motherhood

My two oldest had dentist appointments. Thankfully, my baby was sleeping and my toddler was occupied with Bluey, which allowed for me to focus on the kid who was getting their teeth examined. My daughter went first. 

She didn't like the taste of the toothpaste and she wouldn't let the hygienist suction water out of her mouth. I was proud of her for holding still during the x-rays. My son watched his big sister get her teeth cleaned and waited for his turn. 

When it was his turn, he wouldn't even climb on the chair. The hygienist asked him if he could hold the toothpaste. He held the toothpaste. She next asked him if he could hold it while sitting on the chair. He climbed on the chair. She showed him how cool the chair was and that it went up in the air like a rocket ship. She showed him the cool toothbrush she had and he even let her brush a few teeth before fear settled in again. When it came to using the water and suction, he turned away from her. He didn't finish the teeth cleaning, but he did wonderful for his first time at the dentist.

Motherhood can be the same way.  Even if we experienced it once before and nothing bad happened, we can still get scared. There are a lot of things to fear in the early months of motherhood. Is my baby's breathing normal? Should their poop be that color? 

 There is a lot of information out there that can fuel our fears. Before I took my kids to the dentist, my husband played dentist with them. While it wasn't his intention to scare them, the amount of new information overwhelmed them. A lot of moms spend the midnight feedings looking for answers online(I've done it myself and nothing good came out of it)  and end up feeding their fears. 

Here is a mom tip: don't do it. Not only will it keep you up longer, but that extra stress will stay with you all day. Many pediatric offices have an on-call doctor for late night worries. If you need to get an answer before morning, you can call them.

As you get more comfortable with being a mother, many of your fears will fade away.

Remember that first day of being a mother? Check out my birth story from my third kid!