Yesterday was Mother’s Day. I was so happy for it to be my first. But I heard more than once from people I love that they didn’t consider me a mother because I haven’t given birth to my baby yet. “Next year you’ll be a mom” and “I’ll tell you Happy Mother’s Day next year” were the popular ones. I don’t mean for this post to sound bitter or jaded. I know they didn’t mean it the way I took it. Blame it on the hormones if you must, but I feel a great need to express my feelings on this.

From the moment I saw that first positive test, I became a mother.

I changed my diet, cutting caffeine and other things deemed potentially harmful (I really, really miss sushi), adding things that are considered good for baby. I started prenatal vitamins and other supplements to make sure my baby gets all the nutrients she needs. I am a mother.

I altered my spending habits, created a new budget, and began dumping as much as possible into savings so we can move to a more kid-friendly neighborhood. I am a mother.

I struggle with exhaustion, headaches, “preggo brain”, anemia, hypothyroid, shortness of breath, and stomach issues because of my pregnancy, and I endure it because it means I am a mother.

What I’m getting at is, from the moment I knew I was pregnant, I began making changes and sacrifices in my life to protect my baby and give her the best start in life that I can. In my book, that makes me a mother. Birth is not when motherhood starts. Even though I haven’t given birth to her yet, I am my baby’s mother.