What Nobody Talks About Regarding the First Mother's Day

There are some holidays we look forward to without really knowing what we’re looking forward to. The first Mother’s Day is one of them.

You were given flowers. Maybe a little clumsy drawing, a poem recited at daycare, a bracelet made of colorful beads. And you smiled—genuinely. But deep down, something more complex was going on. An emotion that doesn’t fit into any box. Neither sadness nor pure joy. Something in between, and far beyond.

At 23 Mai Paris, we prefer to tell you the truth about that day. Not the Instagram version. The real one.

No one told you that you’d cry without knowing why

The card lies before you. Your baby doesn’t know what it is yet—he may even have been asleep while someone guided his little hand to leave a print on it. And yet, something pierces right through you.

These aren’t tears of sadness. Nor are they tears of ordinary happiness. It’s something else. It’s the sudden, concrete, physical realization that you are now someone else. That your life has been divided into two distinct eras: before, and after.

Those tears are perfectly normal. They’re even beautiful, even if they take you by surprise. They simply mean that you’ve grasped something truly profound.

No one told you that you’d start seeing your own mother in a different light

That day, something shifts in the way you look at her.

Maybe your relationship with your mother is simple and joyful. Maybe it’s complicated, strained, or silent. Maybe she’s no longer with us. But whatever your story, your first Mother’s Day will make you see things differently.

You suddenly understand what it means to love someone that much. To have worried about him even before he was born. To have gotten up dozens of times during the night without ever really complaining about it. To have given up things without it feeling like a sacrifice.

You might not tell him any of this. But you’ll know.

No one told you that you might feel like an imposter

You’re holding your baby in your arms. He’s three months old, or six months old, or just a few weeks old. And someone says to you, “Happy Mother’s Day”—and for a split second, you turn around, as if those words were meant for someone else.

This feeling of being a fraud is more common than people realize. Motherhood doesn’t happen overnight. It creeps in slowly, layer by layer. In the first few weeks, you do the work of a mother without always truly believing you are one. You learn as you go, like everyone else, without a manual.

So if you felt a little out of place in your own role that day—that’s normal. You’ve only been a mom for a few months. It’s still new. It’s still taking shape.

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No one told you that the day might be exhausting

Mother's Day falls on a Sunday. And Sundays, when you have a baby, are just like any other day—though a little more emotionally charged and filled with visitors.

Maybe there was a family lunch. People who wanted to hold the baby when you would have preferred him to sleep. A sweet but overbearing mother-in-law. A car ride that went on too long. A baby who chose that very day to teethe or go through a regression.

You held on. You smiled. You said thank you.

And in the evening, after everyone had left, you put your baby to bed, sat down, and let out a big sigh.

That evening, a pajamas and the silence of your home once again—that was the greatest gift of all.

What nobody says about this day

What we imagine	What We're Really Going Through
A day of rest and celebration	Often just a normal day, but more intense
Pure and simple joy	A complex, mixed emotion that is hard to put into words
Feeling fully like a "mom"	Sometimes I still feel a little out of place in this new role
Tears of joy	Tears we can't quite explain
Gratitude as the predominant emotion	Fatigue, too. And that’s just as valid

No one told you that you would remember this day for the rest of your life

Even if nothing out of the ordinary happened. Even if the baby cried, the cake didn't turn out right, or you were still in your pajamas at noon.

You’ll remember the smell of his head that morning. The weight of his body against you. The light streaming into the room. That strange, sweet feeling of being in the right place at the right time, even in the midst of chaos.

That’s how a mother’s memory works. It doesn’t hold onto perfect photos. It holds onto sensations. Textures. Silences.

No one told you that you might feel lonely

Mother's Day can be a difficult day for some of you.

For those whose partners didn’t think to mark the occasion. For those who experienced a miscarriage before this pregnancy and are thinking of the child they never had. For those whose mothers are no longer with them and who feel her absence all the more on this day. For those who are still breastfeeding, exhausted, and for whom a “celebratory” day feels just like any other.

If you’ve gotten through today with a quiet ache—you’re not alone. And that ache doesn’t take anything away from who you are.

Our nursing clothes has been designed for women in all aspects of their lives—not just during their best days.

Plan for the upcoming Mother's Day in a different way

Now that you know what to expect, you can decide how you want to spend the day. Not based on other people’s expectations, but based on what you need.

Maybe this year, you just want a quiet morning. A hot cup of coffee, sipped right to the last drop. Some time alone with your child, without a packed schedule.

Maybe you want to turn it into something big, joyful, and shared.

Both are valid. Both are true.

To help you prepare for the weeks leading up to the big day—and arrive at that moment stress-free—our comprehensive maternity bag checklist remains a useful guide to help you tackle each step with ease.

What this day says about you

You’ve made it through pregnancy. Through childbirth. Through those first few nights. Through the doubts. Through a kind of exhaustion you’d never experienced before. Through pediatrician visits. Through unanswered questions. Through nights when you wondered if you were up to the task.

And you're still here. Standing tall. Loving. Present.

Mother's Day isn't a reward for perfect moms. It's a way to recognize all the moms who do their best every day—both in the moments that are visible to everyone and in the moments that no one else sees.

You deserve more than just a bouquet of flowers

Not instead of. In addition.

You deserve to feel good in your own skin. To wear soft fabrics against your skin. To have clothes that make your daily life easier, not harder. To look in the mirror and recognize yourself—different, yes, but still you.

At 23 Mai Paris, that’s what we strive to offer you, 365 days a year. Not just on the third Sunday in May.

Discover our complete collection of maternity and nursing wear designed for the woman you’ve become.