Navigating new motherhood one cold cup of coffee at a time
By far, the hardest part of becoming a mother with my first born was bringing him home. My recovery was long and difficult. My expectations of what having a new baby would be like and what it was actually like couldn't have been further apart. And my marriage was ill prepared for how to adjust… Continue reading A re-do of the fourth trimester
It's only day two postpartum as I write this, and I fear I will forget the details of our daughter's birth if I wait any longer. It came and went faster than I could keep up with – completely opposite of our first experience! This entire pregnancy had been fast, too, but I was sure… Continue reading Our second birth – sweet redemption
When it comes to motherhood, I'm an open book (hence this blog). And I'm no different in pregnancy. Even though this is my second go around, I've maintained the classic weekly bumpdates on Facebook just as devoutly as I did the first time around. I love sharing my journey and swapping experiences with others. Until… Continue reading The one time in motherhood I close my door
"Remember, you didn't have a normal birth." I was told this in recovery by my care team as I was trying to grapple with what just happened to my body, why nurses were physically punching me to help get my baby out, why my baby wasn't breathing, why my recovery was taking forever, why it… Continue reading My redemption birth: I am enough
Before crossing from expectant mother to new mother, I was busy working on my birth plan. Yet, many mamas often told me some form of "Forget your birth plan. Honey, you can't plan your labor. You'll just be upset when things don't go according to plan." I understood that. But I also didn't find that to… Continue reading The one-liner that I vow to stop saying to expectant mothers
There's an app for everything from tracking our fertility, comparing our growing bumps to weird fruits and vegetables, and timing our contractions during labor. Then after we have the baby, the temptation to calculate only continues with apps for logging nursing sessions, sleep patterns, wet diapers, and more. So. many. logs. While I enjoyed being able to… Continue reading We can calculate our pregnancies, but not our babies
Yes. So much yes. Hear me out. I just assumed that I would be assigned a doctor for my childbirth. Then I did my research, was blessed with a healthy, low-risk pregnancy, and decided I wanted to aim for a natural, drug-free childbirth. So I went with a certified nurse midwife over a doctor because I wanted… Continue reading Do you really need a doula?
Three days postpartum and my sister asked me if I would ever go through childbirth again. I responded with a firm "Hell no!" Three weeks postpartum and I've already changed my mind as I edit my life plan to add back in a Baby No. 2 (not for another three to four years, though). Leaving the… Continue reading How time altered my birth story
I hesitate to call our birth story a battle, but I would be lying if I didn't share the raw struggle that it truly was, testing me unlike anything I've ever done in my 26 years of life. I knew it would be difficult, but I didn't anticipate just how much of a fighter I… Continue reading A beautiful battle: our birth story
In the past couple of entries I shared that Sean and I were finding patience and trust in that our baby boy will come when he is ready. Yeah. I hit a turning point. Get this baby out of me! I'm seriously uncomfortable. I can manage one big task a day, but then I'm out cold with a… Continue reading Get this baby out: week 39
