It can be all too easy to get caught up in midst of temper tantrums, fixating on the ‘stuff’ in our home, and feeling like we’re not good enough—but a little inspiration can remind us that we’re doing just fine and we’re not alone in this motherhood journey.

Thankfully, this past year brought endless amounts of inspiration from fellow mamas and women in the world.

From social media posts on the reality of motherhood to gentle reminders that we can do it, let’s look take a look back at what inspired us the most in 2017.

1.Nikki Reed’s postpartum isolation plan

Twilight star shared that her and husband Ian Somerhalder would be having one month of silence after the birth of their baby. This meant no visitors + turning off phones so they could really take the time to be present with their new family. And we were reminded that mamas can do whatever feels most right postpartum and a little shut down sometimes can make all of the difference.

2. Lauren Conrad favored practicality over appearance

Conrad is known for her glamorous looks, but when she became a mom, that had to change a bit. She chopped her long locks and went with a long bob because it was more of a time saver so you could put more of her focus towards her son. Do whatever it takes, mama ?

image 700 Motherly

3. Our long-distant mom friends

Moving away from your village is downright hard, but villages don’t have to always be physically present. Our long-distant mom friends who continually to show us support are our rock. They’re always there to listen to us when we feel like we can’t do it all and the first to ‘like’ our social posts.

4. Facebook moms group came together for mama battling cancer

Facebook groups can be brutal sometimes, but look beyond the mom shaming and see the good that communities are doing. This particular group rallied together to help a mom of three who posted that she couldn’t afford a wig. Women cut their own hair and donated it directly to the cause so she could feel like herself again. ?

image 701 Motherly

5. Fergie inspired us to continue to juggle our career with motherhood

One of the biggest lessons of 2017 is that women can do whatever they want and Fergie offered a little more inspiration on what it means to achieve work-life balance. While making her latest album, she experienced a lot of mom guilt but that didn’t stop her. She realized that if men can have it both, we can, too.

6. Maia Weinstock, deputy editor of MIT News set the idea for Women of NASA LEGO collection

The lack of toys available for our daughters who want to pursue STEM can be disheartening. Weinstock noticed this and brought the idea of building out a LEGO collection that features four female STEM pioneers, like Sally Ride and Mae Jemison. Now we can inspire our girls to be whatever they want to be, even an astronaut.

image 702 Motherly

7. The women in our lives who love our children as their own

Having good friends is great. Having incredible friends who love our children as their own is awe-inspiring. They’ll always be there to step in when we need it most (and the situation is less than ideal) and our kiddos can grow up knowing they have so many extra aunts and uncles who love them wholeheartedly. ?

8. Chrissy Teigen proved that yes, we need a village

Teigen’s boldness makes us laugh all the time and her marriage to John Legend makes us ‘awww,’ but she reminded us all this year that we do need to embrace our village, however we see fit. And sometimes that village is her 9.13M Twitter followers. She’s used the platform to ask many pregnancy questions this year for baby number two.

9. Jessie James Decker showed us that mamas need to be honest about motherhood

Breastfeeding is such an incredible bonding time for mama and baby, but it’s not all rainbows and sunshine. Decker shared the reality of the experience during an interview with a soon-to-be-mom. “And when your nipples get really bloody, you know put a little Vaseline, you’ll be fine.” Let’s continue to be real with our fellow mamas about these experiences so we can stop feeling so alone in our battles.

10. Julia Stiles sent a reminder that mama’s decision is always best, not anyone else’s

When actress Julia Stiles posted on Instagram a photo of her holding her new son, followers were quick to mommy shame on how her newborn was placed in the carrier. Instead of letting the negative response make her feel like she was a bad mom, she posted a new photo telling everyone, “instead of writing snarky comments about a 5-week-old, try dancing around your living room to a Clash record. It’s way more fun.” The perfect inspiration to delete that mean comment and continue to mother our babies the best way we see fit ?

A post shared by Stiley Jay (@missjuliastiles) on

11. Serena Williams reminded us that it’s okay to ask for help

She may be an expert on the tennis court, but she’s new to motherhood and not pretending to know it all. Williams has taken to Twitter multiple times to ask for help on topics like how long to breastfeed and ways to help baby make it through teething. It’s okay to not know it all. It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to share your struggles. It only makes us human, mama.

12. Mindy Kaling showed that ambition doesn’t stop when you’re pregnant

Pregnancy and motherhood don’t take away our ambition, but it’s completely normal to experience mom guilt and feel like we just can’t get it all done. Kaling shared her first bump photo just a month before her baby girl was born and it was of her recording The Mindy Project at Universal Studios. Keep on multitasking, mamas. You can do whatever makes you happy ✨.

A post shared by Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) on