Uzo Aduba shares important message for new moms like herself: ‘You’re doing great’

She has accolades aplenty as an actress, but Uzo Aduba’s most significant accomplishment came four months ago when she gave birth to her daughter.

During a conversation with People about her collaboration with Colgate on its “My Smile is My Superpower” campaign, the “Orange Is the New Black” dynamo — who welcomed her daughter, Adaiba, with husband Robert Sweeting in November — shared her experiences as a new mother and underlined the significance of instilling confidence and self-love in her daughter.

“It’s truly just amazing,” Aduba said of becoming a mom. “It’s the role of a lifetime. It is certainly one of the most thrilling parts I’ve ever played, being a mother.”

The “Painkiller” star said the experience has taught her “so much about myself” and how she wants to exist in the world.

“It’s made me stronger, but it has also shown me how strong I am at the same time,” she added. “It really is the greatest gift that I’ve ever experienced.”

Colgate’s “My Smile is My Superpower” campaign aims to remind people everywhere — including Aduba’s newborn daughter — that the most beautiful smile is their own. As part of the campaign, Colgate is releasing an original music video titled “The Beauty of Gaps,” which celebrates various smiles.

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The actress said she’s thrilled to be a “mother who works” and expressed her excitement about providing her daughter with “examples of strong working women.”

While she loves her days as a new mom, Aduba noted that parenthood comes with daily challenges — and she has to remind herself she’s doing a great job.

“I think the number one thing that I say, both to myself and to other women, soon-to-be moms, current moms is, ‘You’re doing great,’” she told People. “It’s a full-time and a hard job. I tell anybody who is doing it, ‘You’re doing great, just right where you are. I never say, ‘Keep it up. You’re so strong.’ Nothing like that. You’re doing great because you’re just trying to pour into it the most and the best that you have. Full stop.”

“And as long as my best efforts are the intention, then that’s really all you can ask of yourself,” Aduba added. “That’s all I try to demand of myself in those situations.”

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