Mandy Moore reflects on her struggles as a new mother learning to parent in pandemic

Mandy Moore reflects on her struggles as a new mother and feelings of ‘isolation’ while learning to parent in pandemic: ‘I was hit with this wave of not feeling good enough’

She gave birth to a beautiful baby boy in February.

And Mandy Moore reflected on her struggles as a new mother during an Instagram Live discussion with licensed psychologist and perinatal mental health specialist Dr. Ashurina Ream.

The 37-year-old actress endured feelings of extreme ‘isolation’ being a first-time mother who was also learning how to parent during the pandemic.

Honest approach: Mandy Moore reflected on her struggles as a new mother during an Instagram Live discussion with licensed psychologist and perinatal mental health specialist Dr. Ashurina Ream

Moore simply stunned wearing a bright red Batsheva taffeta dress with delicate white flowers for the chat on social media. 

‘I had these preconceived notions of myself going into motherhood,’ Mandy shared. ‘Obviously, I knew it was going to be challenging, but I thought, “Oh, I maybe have this sort of naturally maternal side,” whatever the heck that means. 

‘But I guess I just didn’t really recognize the worries, the fears, the sense of responsibility that is so ever-present moving forward once you become a mom.’ 

The This Is Us star gave birth to son August in the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, which limited her exposure to other family’s experiencing life with a newborn.

Difficult: The 37-year-old actress endured feelings of extreme 'isolation' being a first-time mother who was also learning how to parent during the pandemic

Difficult: The 37-year-old actress endured feelings of extreme ‘isolation’ being a first-time mother who was also learning how to parent during the pandemic

Bold: Moore simply stunned wearing a bright red Batsheva taffeta dress with delicate white flowers for the chat on social media

Bold: Moore simply stunned wearing a bright red Batsheva taffeta dress with delicate white flowers for the chat on social media

Mandy admitted: ‘I guess when I imagined motherhood, I sort of imagined like, oh, you find community… and you go to Mommy-and-Me classes and baby classes.’

‘And I’m sure that’s a reality for some people in different parts of the country. But I don’t know if it’s something that I would feel necessarily the most comfortable with at this point in time, just considering what we’re kind of living through.’ 

She was forced to reframe her ‘expectations’ of what it’s like to be a mom and connect with others.  

‘The isolation is something that’s really hit me that I wasn’t necessarily expecting,’ Mandy admitted.

Doing her best: The This Is Us star gave birth to son August in the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, which limited her exposure to other family's experiencing life with a newborn

Doing her best: The This Is Us star gave birth to son August in the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, which limited her exposure to other family’s experiencing life with a newborn

When her son Gus was just three-months-old, Mandy was ‘hit with this wave of just not feeling good enough.’ 

‘I think it coincided with the chaos and the energy of those early months and weeks starting to wane,’ she said. ‘Our time with sort of extra support was coming to an end. It was really scary, and it makes me emotional to think about now. I still feel like I’m in it, but I’m finding my footing.’ 

She added: ‘I think as his needs really started to continue to change… I just felt this rush of like, “I’m not good enough for him.” I don’t know how to be his mom. I know how to feed him, but beyond that, am I suited for this?’ 

‘I just felt so ineffective, and I would look at my husband who just seemed to have a supernatural ability to take care of Gus. Like, he could make him smile. He could make him laugh. He would get on the floor and roll around with him. And I just felt like whatever I did it just wasn’t right, and I couldn’t get him to sleep, and it made me feel horrible.’

Mandy admitted she’s constantly ‘learning’ about herself and finding grace as a first-time mother.   

‘I know nothing, but I’m still here putting myself through the paces of just stopping and breathing through it,’ she said. ‘Recognizing that I’m best when I trust my own instincts, remembering that everything is a phase.’

'I just felt so ineffective, and I would look at my husband who just seemed to have a supernatural ability to take care of Gus. Like, he could make him smile. He could make him laugh,' she said of husband Taylor Goldsmith

‘I just felt so ineffective, and I would look at my husband who just seemed to have a supernatural ability to take care of Gus. Like, he could make him smile. He could make him laugh,’ she said of husband Taylor Goldsmith

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