It Really Does Take a Village. Reassure Another Mom Today! #Sponsored

Disclaimer - I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for JOHNSON's Baby. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Motherhood began for me even before the baby arrived. I started having conversations with my children in-utero before I ever felt the first kick. A new mother was born in me early on. Of course, once my babies arrived I experienced a whole roller coaster of emotions running the full spectrum from joy and unconditional love to worry and anxiety. Would I be a good Mother? Was I doing something wrong? Would my child be scarred for life?

My first baby didn't come with a manual. I might have read stacks of parenting and baby books and taken all the hospital offered parenting classes but sometimes they conflicted and other times they didn't feel like the right approach for our family. It was overwhelming.

What helped the most was my support network. I didn't have my Mom living close by, but several of our friends had babies around the same time. We created our own little baby group. Many of us were first time Mothers and were learning the rules along the way. We came together to compare our stores and share notes on everything from products to making it through the night unscathed. There was a lot of laughter and  understanding that, though the learning curve was steep, we were all doing our best for our children.

These evenings of baby confessions and gentle reassurance helped me to gain confidence in my own skills as a new Mom. Sometimes hearing, "that's normal" or "that happened to us, too!" was all I needed to feel like I was on the right track.

This Mother's Day I will be spending a relaxing day with my children, and looking forward to the birth of my 3rd child next month. My son, pictured above in the green sweater vest and cords, is now almost 6-years old. I can hardly believe it! I am a more confident Mom going into this again, but I do remember all the self-doubt and worry I experienced all those years ago.

JOHNSON’S® Baby CARES Care Cards

Johnson's Baby launched a charitable platform, Johnson's® Baby Cares in 2012, in conjunction with Save the Children to ensure that every baby has a great start on life. They are encouraging people to send Baby Care Cards to the Moms in our lives with positive messages of encouragement. We are all working hard towards the same goals of raising happy and healthy children, but some days we may need a positive reminder that we can do it.

Get Involved

For every Mom's day you brighten with a Baby Care Card, or card shared or liked, Johnson's® Baby will donate a dollar to Save the Children®, up to $150,000 towards early childhood education. This will help Moms gain the skills and knowledge to successfully support their child from pregnancy to school age. This is such a simple way to benefit so many Moms with a great cause.

I plan to send out some cards to the newer Moms on the block in my life. I currently know a few first time expectant Moms as well as have a Sister-in-Law with a little guy still under a year old. The role of Mom can be overwhelming and I want them to know how great a job I think they are doing.

We don't all have the luxury of being guided by our own Mother, and we might not all have our own 'Baby Group' to lean on, but we can still come together as a village to help reassure another Mom today.

So, who would you send a Baby Care Card to?