The Ultimate Wild Ride

Parenthood! There are books written, movies and tv shows made, and endless products geared toward the journey of becoming a parent. The flow of opinions on pregnancy and postpartum for any new parent doesn't ever seem to cease. Before having my own children, I'll admit to thinking the cliche thought, "I would never do that with my baby." Well, I'm here to say that four children later, I most likely did do those things with my baby! Grandparents simply have a hard time understanding why we do things so differently than they did. Car seats seem like foreign contraptions. Convenient baby products have multiplied exponentially. Times change, recommendations change, we have access to more information than ever before. The reality is that we all are striving to give our child the very best of us.

After the birth of my second child, I didn't feel like anyone was getting the best of me. I had a toddler and a new baby, a husband that worked and traveled a ton.I had enormous expectations of myself to care for them and the endless tasks of a home seamlessly, without any help. I was so overwhelmed. I would often feel overstimulated and would became angry and frustrated over trivial things. After several weeks of this occurring, it was clear I need some help. I reached out to my midwife and we came up with a plan that gave me the support I needed at that time. The mantra that it "takes a village" can be very applicable when it applies to new mothers. We often don't have the close familial living situations that were so common decades ago. That was built in support, love, and advice that we often are missing today.

Although, I had a labor doula for the birth of my first 2 children, I didn't realize postpartum doulas even existed. How I wish I had known that I could have had a caring hand, letting me rest and recuperate, while navigating being a parent to 2 children instead of 1! As parents,we want to make every correct decision because, let's face it, we are raising another human. Our heart living outside our body. What a miraculous privilege and what a wild ride!