This post is part of the New Mom Monday series! A series about moms and their advice to new moms! Books and videos can only teach us so much, but there’s something special about hearing from real life moms. Honest, true, and always beautifully inspiring!!
What’s your Name?
Kristen
Tell us a little about yourself!
I am a stay at home mom, stationed in Germany with my husband and daughter. Just traveling Europe and enjoying life in a new country while we can!
How many kids do you have? What are their names and ages?
1 daughter named Mila. She just turned two this summer.
How do you find your “me time”?
Nap time is no longer a thing in our house thanks to my daughter who hates sleep. Luckily, bedtime is super early in this house so I get 2 hours every night alone with my husband to just relax and do things for myself.
What is the best baby related book you’ve ever read?
Toddlers Are A**holes: It’s Not Your Fault
What’s the most useful baby product you have? Why do you love it?
I loved our Boppy Lounger. We used it from day one until about 18 months. It was the perfect place to lay our baby down comfortably with a little support, then once it came time to learn to sit it helped out with that, and finally when she was completely mobile it was her favorite place to lay down and drink some milk.
If you could say something to yourself when you first brought home your first baby, what would you say?
The house does not have to be perfect. Let the messes go. It is not worth stressing out everyday!
How much planning did you do before your baby was born, and how do you think that it helped or didn’t help?
I planned like crazy. I am a huge believer in to do lists and planning every step of my life out but it did not help with a baby. It was the opposite. You have to go with the flow and do what is best for you at that moment.
What do you believe are the top three pieces of advice a new mom or someone trying to conceive should know?
Relax. Do what works for you. Dont worry about any other moms or the way they do things. In the end, you will do what you need to do to get by and what is best for your family.
What is your best memory so far of being a mom?
I was putting my daughter to bed a few weeks ago and she grabbed my face and said “Mommy, I am so happy. And you are SO pretty. I love you.” I could cry just thinking about it.
Give us the short form version of your birth story.
I gave birth in Germany and was SO scared that no one would speak english and that it would just be so backwards from American hospitals. It turned out to be an amazing delivery, although they dont have AC over here so I was SO hot the entire time. Midwives are amazing. And it was just so stress free. No IV, no being hooked up to monitors, just doing what my body knew how to do! Now I feel like I wouldn’t want to give birth in an American hospital.
Lastly, for fun, define motherhood!
This quote defines it all perfectly to me: “Motherhood is a choice you make everyday, to put someone else’s happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you’re not sure what the right thing is… and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing everything wrong.”
To hear more from Kristen be sure to visit her blog Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and follow her on Instagram.