I always heard that when you become a mom, your heart lives outside of your body.

What I didn’t realize… is that your mind would too.

It doesn’t stay with you anymore. Not fully.

A part of it is always with them.

I’m always caught somewhere between “did I do enough?” and “what more can I do?”

Even in the quiet moments, when I finally sit down by myself, my mind drifts back.

Did they eat enough?

Did the morning feel rushed?

Did they feel my hug when we walked out the door?

Did I hold them long enough?

Did I lose my patience too quickly?

It’s not a loud spiral.

Just a constant returning.

And at the same time, there’s still a part of me trying to move my goals forward too.

The ideas I keep thinking about.

The things I said I want to build.

The version of my life that still belongs to me.

I try to carve out space for that…

but they’re always there, in the back of my mind.

They fall asleep, and the house settles.

And still, I check.

A blanket.

A kiss on the forehead.

Their little chest… just to feel it rise.

You don’t question it.

You just need to know they’re okay.

Because when you become a mom, your heart doesn’t live inside you anymore.

It moves through the world in the shape of your children.

And your mind follows it.

Back and forth, all day.

Between caring for them… and quietly carrying everything you’re still becoming.

You don’t separate it.

You live inside it.

And somehow, everything you carry becomes the way they feel loved. Motherhood doesn't divide your attention. It expands where your mind lives.

💌

Jenn from The Mom Society™