Becoming a mother is, without a doubt, an experience which brings great joy and happiness.
But, thanks to all the scrutiny and pressures mums face nowadays, it is also a time which is fraught with tension, too.
Should we bottle-feed, or should we breastfeed?
Should we go back to work, or should we stay at home?
Whatever you decide, there is sure to be someone out there who will criticise you for it - and this is something which mum-of-two Claire Kilbey knows all too well.
So, writing on her blog lifeloveanddirtydishes, she has penned an open letter to mums everywhere, calling for them to stop judging each other.
Below, we have taken a few of the most powerful excerpts from her open letter, which she penned because “in today's society so often mums are pitted against each other through the choices they make."
Check it out:
To the mother who breastfed her baby until they needed it no more;
I know the amazing feeling that comes with knowing your little one is getting everything they need from you. Your body is an incredible thing.
I know too, the sheer exhaustion you have felt when it’s all down to you, your nipples are cracked, and you don’t get a break.
We are not rivals.
To the mother who formula fed her baby;
I know the overwhelming rush of love you felt seeing your husband feeding your baby, and your mum feeding her grandchild like she did you all those years ago.
I know too, the guilt, the pressure and the judgement you have felt from the outside looking in.
I know you dreaded telling the health visitor your reasons.
We are not rivals.
To the mother who returns to work;
I know the joy of adult conversation and the time to be yourself.
I know too, the guilt you feel and the sadness when you kiss your children goodbye.
We are not rivals.
To the mother who stays at home;
I know the joy of a day filled with simple pleasures and giggles.
I know too, the relentlessness of the demands you have to meet and the need to justify your place in society.
We are not rivals.
You can read the letter in full here.
Were you moved by Claire’s letter?
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