Mothering with Confidence: The Real Key to Success

(Spoiler: It’s Not About Having All the Answers)

Before I became a mom, I thought confidence would just… happen. I mean, I had a medical degree, a bunch of books, and a very organized diaper bag. Surely I was qualified for this job, right?

Ha. HAHAHAHA.

Turns out, no amount of training prepares you for the moment you’re 2 weeks in with a squishy newborn, and your rockstar husband has the actual flu, and you’re going on hour 9 of interrupted sleep this fine evening (which was similar for the previous 13 nights).

The Shaky Start of Confidence

I figured I’d feel sure of myself. Instead, I was second-guessing everything from swaddles to sleep to how many onesies were too many to pack in the diaper bag. (Answer: 5. It’s always 5.)

And while everyone around me had opinions, what I really needed was someone to say:

“Hey. You’re doing okay. Confidence isn’t about having it all figured out—it’s about showing up anyway.”

What I Wish I Had Understood Sooner

There’s this sneaky myth floating around mom culture that feels like there's one right way to parent. Like if you just find the right sleep method, the right feeding schedule, the right brand of pacifier, you’ll be golden. I see it every day with the extremely detailed questions I get from patients.

Here’s the truth:
There is no one-size-fits-all. There is no algorithm for babies. And no, that Instagram mom with the peaceful nursery and matching outfits doesn’t have it all together either. (She probably cried in the laundry room yesterday. We all do.)

Your Baby Needs You—Not Perfection

What your baby actually needs is:

• Your voice
• Your cuddle
• Your willingness to try again after a messy moment

Confidence grows in the trying. In the being there. In the tiny, unseen choices you make all day long.

What Helped Me Build My Mom Confidence (One Wipe at a Time)

💗 Letting go of perfection and treating each new day like a new chance to practice, not a performance.
💗 Asking for help—which is the opposite of weakness.
💗 Listening to my baby instead of every outside voice (even well-meaning, kind, and knowledgeable ones that rhyme with Schmother-in-law).

And most importantly:
💗 Showing up—even when I wasn’t sure what I was doing. (Spoiler: I usually wasn’t.)

You Are Exactly Who Your Baby Needs

Even on the days when your hair is questionable, your shirt is crusty, and your confidence is somewhere under the couch with that missing pacifier.

You are the right mom for your baby. Period.

Need a Little More Support on the Journey?

The Newborn Success Podclass is open—but only for a little while longer!

🎧 [Join here] and get bite-sized encouragement from a pediatrician-mama who’s been there, survived it, and kept showing up anyway.

Because confidence isn’t something you start with.
It’s something you grow.

And you, mama? You’re growing beautifully.