Real Talk About the Transition into Motherhood
You are Mother. You are Fierce.
As a doula, I have frequent opportunities to witness mothers doing their thing, being in the place where only they can go, where they are simultaneously most vulnerable and powerful. I know that mothers are so very strong, often much stronger than they themselves even realize
read more
Essentials for Postpartum Care
There are plenty of places to get lists of all the baby gear you need to take care of a newborn. Whether you want it or not, you will probably be inundated with more onesies, blankets, and baby socks than you could ever imagine using. What people think about less, though, is what a new mom needs to take care of herself after birth. Many expectant moms overlook what they will need to recover.
read more
Give Yourself Permission to Accept Postpartum Help
Imagine that you lived generations ago, when families lived more communally than we do today. Or in another culture that still lives communally today. Your baby is born and your mother, sister, and aunt are there with you for weeks, months, or even longer afterwards. In those early days, they take care of the cooking, cleaning, and caring for other children. You have been around when they breastfed their babies and you have a blueprint for doing the same thing with yours.
read more
The Perks of Being a Slacker Mom
We’ve all been there. The moment when you finally have a few minutes to yourself and you are racing through ideas of what to do. You think, I could clean the bathroom, or write that email, or make dinner, or read a few pages of my book, maybe have a cup of tea, maybe do a load of laundry, maybe watch an episode of Orange is the New Black. There are so many options and what do you choose?
read more
Dear Exhausted New Mom, I Hear You
Dear Exhausted New Mom,
If you can identify with any of the following, read on:
It’s a new day and, as you get up in the morning, you wonder how you’ll make it through. And to be honest, it doesn’t even really matter that it’s morning because you sleep and wake at all hours in accordance to the baby’s schedule. And “making it through” is almost moot because once the day is over you know you’re in for another night of frequent waking.
I Give You Permission Not to Enjoy Every Moment
Whenever I talk to older moms about how things are going for me they inevitable remind me to enjoy every moment because time flies. So, I’ve started pre-empting folks by stating, “I know time will fly,” or “I’m trying to stay in the moment.” But the truth is, for me, not every moment is really worth remembering.
read more
A New Mama’s Fantasies
After the birth of my first baby, my life was turned upside down. I didn’t know what to make of my new daily routine and I almost didn’t even recognize myself. To say I was resistant to these sudden changes would be an understatement. I did not welcome my new role with grace or acceptance. It just felt so abrupt, and it happened without much warning.
read more
Everything is Worse at 3am
I recently had a humbling mothering experience. It was during a trip to my in-law’s house, they live 8 hours away. It had been a busy stressful week of organizing our belongings and cleaning our house in preparation for our trip. Nary a kind word had been exchanged between myself and my partner in at least 5 days. After a long drive after a full day’s work we arrived at the inlaw’s at 1:30 am.
read more
10 Things to Try When Your Baby Won’t Stop Crying
My first baby cried a lot. I remember one day, about a month after he was born, when I felt like he cried all day. I tried to help him, but it seemed like nothing worked. As the day went on, I became increasingly frustrated and hopeless, and my ability to think creatively about how to help him went out the window. Logical thinking was overshadowed by exhaustion, frustration, and anxiety.
read more
Keeping Quiet about Postpartum is Hurting Us All
Today I want to talk about the power of silence over our wellness. To start I want to reflect on the first outing with my daughter when she was a newborn. She was probably 2-3 weeks old and I went with Taylor (NMP co-founder) to a Birth Network Central New York meeting. It couldn’t have been a better setting to take a newborn. It was a small group of mothers discussing birth advocacy in our area. If anyone would help me brave this first outing it would be this group. I was anxious about my first adventure as a mom.
read more