I made and ate hot meals

I had unstained clothing I had quiet conversations on the phone

Before I was a Mum

I slept as late as I wanted

And never worried about how late I got into bed

I brushed my hair and teeth everyday

Before I was a Mum

I cleaned my house each day

I never tripped over toys or forgot words of lullabies

Before I was a Mum

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous

I never thought about immunizations

Before I was a Mum

I had never been puked on

Pooped on

Spit on

Chewed on

Peed on

Or pinched by tiny fingers

Before I was a Mum I had complete control of:

My thoughts

My body

And my mind

I slept all night

Before I was a Mum

I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests

Or give shots

I never looked into teary eyes and cried

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep

Before I was a Mum

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces

when I couldn't stop the hurt

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much

I never knew I could love someone so much

I never knew I would love being a Mum

Before I was a Mum

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby

I didn't know that bond between a Mother and her child

I didn't know that something so small

Could make me feel so important

Before I was a Mum

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night

Every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay

I had never known the warmth

The joy

The love

The heartache

The wonder

Or the satisfaction of being a Mum

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mum