Gail Simmons: What Motherhood's Taught Me

The Top Chef judge—and new mom—shares her important life lessons.

By Jocelyn Vena Sep 23, 2014, 2:28 PM ET

It's not always easy being a mom. And no one has learned that any quicker than Gail Simmons, who juggles a busy career with taking care of her newborn baby, Dahila Rae, who was born in December.

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Now, she's revealing the five big lessons she's learned about motherhood since welcoming her daughter into the world.

"New motherhood brings with it a million firsts, including moments of sublime discovery and just as many of absolute paralysis," she writes on a blog for Momtastic.

Among those lessons learned is that it's okay to "ask for help."

"Enlisting help from friends and family made a huge difference," she writes. "But remember: People can't read your mind or anticipate what you need. Learning to delegate and recognizing that I couldnít possibly do everything myself helped me stay sane."

Another lesson she's now sharing with other new moms: "Trust your gut."

"Take advice from whomever you want, there are thousands of books, blogs, and articles (like this one!) that can suggest different approaches to parenting, but remember that no one knows you and your baby like you do," she writes.

Perhaps her most important, lesson? "Everything's different. But better."

"I am definitely not the same person I was nine months ago," she writes, later noting, "But the fact that the person I have become, and the reasons for these changes, are due to one small, delicious, and wondrous little person who I get to care for every day, makes me realize how privileged I am to have gone through these changes in the first place. And I know through it all I've turned into a stronger, better me."

[Sources: Momtastic]