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A Love Letter to Mothers

Movement & Motherhood
A LOVE LETTER TO MOTHERS

By: Kristin Colsky Gavin | May 2, 2024

To all the mothers out there,

This is a love letter to you.

This is for the mother who has just become a mother, looking into her baby’s eyes for the first time. The mom who is just starting out, figuring out her new identity, figuring out her postpartum body, figuring out how to breastfeed, how to care for her little one, how to care for herself amidst the newborn fog. The sleep-deprived mother. The mom who wakes up multiple times a night to nurse her baby, the mom who wakes up to pump, the mom who wakes up to make bottles, to worry, to dream with her eyes open, looking out into the night sky and thinking about all the other mothers awake at that very same moment. This is for the mom who cannot sleep even though she is exhausted, who stares at her baby while he sleeps, in awe of what she has created. This is for the mom who feels love beyond her wildest imagination, who feels incomparably happy. This is for the mom who feels alone, isolated, and anxious, for the mom who is caught off guard by motherhood and is doubting herself.

I see you, I believe in you, I celebrate you.

This is for the mother who becomes a mother and never looks back, who wished to be one her whole life, for the mother who is living out her dream. This is for the mother who never intended to be a mother, for the unsure mother, for the mother who is just getting by. This is for the mother who mourns her previous life, who mourns her previous body, for the mom who mourns a child. This is for the mom who has one child, for the mom who has multiple children, for the pregnant soon-to-be mom, for the mom who is pregnant, and for the mom who is desperately wishing to become pregnant. This is for the mom who conceives her child on the first try, for the mom who tries for months, for the mom who tries for years, for the mom who conceives her child naturally and for the mom who uses IVF, for the mom who adopts and for the mom who uses a surrogate. This is for the mother who had the empowering birth of her dreams and for the mother who had a traumatic birth experience. For the mother who had a vaginal birth, for the mother who had a cesarean, for the mother who had an epidural, and for the mother who had an unmedicated birth.

I see you, I believe in you, I celebrate you.

This is for the mother who stays at home, who does not want to leave her baby, who has trouble trusting others with her baby. This is for the mother who works inside the home, for the mom who works outside the home, for the mom who works inside and outside the home, for the mom who is overwhelmed and overworked, for the mom who seems to have it all together and for the mom who is just making it through the day. This is for the mom who wants to do it all. This is for the mother who feels guilty for leaving her baby to go back to work, for the mother who feels guilty for not working outside the home, for the mother who feels guilty for taking time to care for herself, for not checking off every item on her never-ending to-do list. This is for the mom who has no time, for the mom who feels like she is standing still in time, for the mom who savors every moment in time, and for the mom waiting for every moment to pass.

I see you, I believe in you, I celebrate you.

This is for the mother raising a newborn, for the mother raising a toddler, for the mother raising a teenager. This is for the mom who is fed up but still stays calm, for the mom who needs a break, for the mom who needs some help. This is for the mom who stays up all night with her sick child, and then gets sick herself. This is for the mom who pushes through the day with coffee. This is for the mom whose child seems to never sleep and for the mom whose child effortlessly sleeps through the night. This is for the mom who feels like she does everything and receives no recognition. This is for the mom who feels like she does everything and realizes she does not need any recognition. This is for the mom who seems to be perfect, for the first-time mom who doubts herself, for the seasoned mom who feels like she knows everything, for the mom who compares herself to others, and for the mom who does not care what others think.

I see you, I believe in you, I celebrate you.

This is for the mother raising her children with a loving spouse, with involved grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends. This is for the mother raising her children on her own, wondering how she will ever do it by herself and yet somehow does. This is for the somewhere-in-between mom. This is for the mom who hires a nanny, for the mom who wants to do it all herself, for the mom who asks for help, for the mom who thinks she does not need help, and for the mom who cannot find the help she needs. This is for the mom who reads all the books on motherhood and still has so many questions. This is for the mom who will do everything to be a mom and for the mom who does everything. This is for the mother who is trying to change and for the mother who is changed forever. This is for the mother who is doing enough and who is enough, without doing anything except for relentlessly giving her love. This is for the mother who realizes her value, her beauty, her power, her joy, her responsibility, her purpose, her strength, and her success. The mother who recognizes the gifts of motherhood, with all its glorious imperfections. The mother who is immersed in all the heart-pounding and heart-bursting moments that deeply enrich our lives.

This is for the mother you are, for the mother you aspire to be, for the mother you will be, for all the mothers.

I see you, I believe in you, I celebrate you, I love you.

Kristin Colsky Gavin is a native of Sausalito and lives there now with her husband, John, and her two-year-old son, William. She is a UC Berkeley graduate and Pilates instructor with ten years of experience and her own business, Kristin Gavin Pilates. Kristin has worked with all kinds of bodies, ages, and fitness levels but has a particular passion for working with pregnant and postpartum clients. She is also studying to consult on nutrition for pregnancy, postpartum, and babies. Contact her at kristin@kristingavinpilates.com. Website coming soon!

When not practicing or teaching Pilates, Kristin can be found swimming, practicing yoga, hiking the trails of Marin, cooking, writing, studying languages, traveling near and far, and spending time with her family. She started open water swimming several years ago and has completed the Alcatraz to San Francisco swim three times.