There is SO much information out there about Motherhood.

When you are pregnant you scour the bookstores reading tons of books in hopes to have some basis on what to expect.

But after you deliver your precious baby you quickly learn that there is a WHOLE bunch of things that those expensive books didn’t tell you.  If you haven’t yet reached this milestone in your life, I’d like to fill you in on a few things about motherhood and maybe save you a little money to boot!!

Sure they said you would suffer from sleep deprivation.  But what they didn’t tell you is that you will never sleep again like you did before having children.  You will get accustomed to waking up every few hours so that even when your baby is sleeping through the night you aren’t.

They tell you that breastfeeding is “uncomfortable” or it can “hurt in the beginning”.  But what they didn’t tell you is that those are the biggest understatements’ of the year.  When you start out breastfeeding, the pain can rival that of extreme torture and could possibly be used to get information from our country’s worst enemies.  Stay with me here.

They tell you that you will be changing diapers all the time.  What they don’t tell you is that while you are changing these diapers, you will in fact take pee showers and be witness to your lovely little bundle’s ability to poop a rainbow of colors once they start on solid foods.  True story! 

They don’t tell you that your child has an innate ability to sense when you have to use the restroom and you will never EVER be able to use the bathroom in privacy again.  Just doesn’t happen.

Now if I’ve completely freaked you out about motherhood and you’re ready to tell your family that the only children you will ever have are the furry kind that walk on four legs keep reading…I promise it will be worth it.

They told you that you would bond with your child, but they didn’t tell you that you would in almost every sense of the word be part of your child.  When they hurt so do you, when they laugh so do you, when they love, your heart grows by leaps and bounds.

They don’t tell you even though you don’t get any sleep, the quiet moments in the dark rocking your precious baby are ones you will cherish forever and never forget.

They don’t tell you that when you stand back and witness your child see their first airplane in the air, or train on the tracks, or construction truck on the roadway and their eyes light up, that you are also seeing all these things through their eyes for the very first time.  That in this special way you get to be a kid over and over again.

They don’t tell you that when your child smiles at you, or tells you “I love you to Saturn and back” or that “you are the bestest mommy ever, in the whole wide wooo-old” that you literally glow from the inside out.

They don’t tell you that when you’ve had a bad day and receive a hug and a kiss from your child the day no longer seems so bad.

They don’t tell you that watching and listening to your child read a book is something that fills you with so much pride you want to shout “MY CHILD IS READING” from the rooftops.

They don’t tell you that you will actually enjoy making the 45 cupcakes for your child’s classroom because you know it is their special day.

They don’t tell you just how fabulous being a mother is because there are no words in any language that can describe the immeasurable amount of love, care, and pride that you feel when you look at your child.

There are moments during motherhood that can make you want to pull your hair out, or that can take your breath away from the feeling of overwhelming love, and then there is every emotion in between.  For these reasons and so many that have yet to be discovered, I can say without a doubt that Motherhood is FAB-U-LOUS!

Hopes is a mother to three boys and the blogger of Staying Afloat! where she writes about the adventures and survival of living in a sea of testosterone.  You can click the link above to view her blog and you can also follow her on twitter @HStayingAfloat.