I was so ready for a break when I became a mother. After three months of taking care of my fussy baby Emily, I was completely worn out. After calling, my husband Peter said that his mother Melissa would come over and help. I wasn’t sure if I should go because Melissa often made me feel bad about myself, but the promise of a few hours of rest was too good to pass up.
I was glad when Melissa showed up the next day with dinner already made. But as the hours went by, I started to feel more and more uneasy. Melissa’s help began to feel more like criticism, and I began to doubt everything I did as a mother. I felt like I was losing control and that my feelings as a mother were not being respected because she kept getting in the way.
Since things were getting worse between us, I knew I was wrong to let Melissa into my home. Her appearance was no longer a relief; it was now a source of worry and stress. That’s when I knew I had to stand up for myself as a mother.
When I looked at Emily sleeping soundly in her cot, I felt proud and like I had done things well. Even when things were hard, I knew I could be a good mother because I had stood up for myself and my kid. I learnt an important lesson from the experience: to trust my gut and put my own health first, even if that meant turning down help from others.
