We are a nation divided. Two sides of the fence. Too many opinions. Too many critics.

Not enough acceptance – and this has nothing to do with the White House.

I’m talking about motherhood, and what I’ve observed in the last two years since becoming a mama for the first time.

Immediately after giving birth, the mama “experts” came out of the woodwork.

“Feed your kid this way,” I’d be warned. “Don’t do this, or else,” I’d hear.

Suddenly, everyone was brilliant – and I knew nothing.

This fueled my insecurity. It fueled my anxiety. It made me feel as if I had just stepped into an alternate universe where everything I wanted to do was wrong – simply because others found it unacceptable.

It all started with my c-section. It was followed up by my decision to stop breastfeeding after a few unsuccessful weeks. It continued with my choice to use a stroller versus a baby carrier, because well, my baby liked it more. I didn’t co-sleep, use cloth diapers, or shun formula

This made me an easy target for the more natural moms on the block.

But then, after a few weeks of navigating the whole motherhood thing, my daughter woke up crying one night and as I held her, rocked her, fed her the best I could, and wondered if I was getting right or not. Then, she looked up at me and smiled for the first time. Her face was calm and she couldn’t have looked more peaceful and content in my arms, and the thought of it brings me to tears. And then I realized that no matter what the judgey moms had to say, no matter what the trends insisted – I was the BEST mom this baby could have ever hoped for her, simply because I was hers, and we were learning from each other.