This post is off the beaten path. I don’t often share a ton of personal stuff here, but like I often say, “When the Spirit speaks, we must follow.”
The month of May is known as Mental Health Awareness month, and in honor of that, I’d like to share a piece of me. A few things I’ve learned about myself via motherhood thus far.
1. Motherhood is THE hardest job I’ve ever had. Without one shadow of a doubt, I had NO clue it would be this difficult. I spent many a late night, wondering if this is really for me? Did God make a mistake somehow? Then I take a second and breathe and trust that God knows exactly what he’s doing and that eventually, I will too.
2. You really do forget the pain of labor, but your new body afterwards, will freak you out.
Yep, it freaked me out. I was soft in places that we’re once tight. My hips were wider. These curves were much more defined. I wasn’t ready. Learning to love my mommy body is an everyday process.
3. I’m still a foodie, just a limited one. My love of dairy has taken a backseat in my life. Oh milk, ice cream, cheese, yogurt…. Shall I go on? I’ve limited my intake of dairy products due to my little one having a terrible time with it via my breast milk. One thing I didn’t know- a milk allergy/intolerance for an infant can be down right heartbreaking!
4. Allies come in the most unconventional packages. Like every chapter of your life, you find out who is really in your corner when things change. I was truly surprised and thankful for the people in my life who’ve stepped up and stepped in. Folks calling to check on us, bringing food, or helping sit with the little one while I took a shower-priceless. It really is the little things.
5. Lastly, postpartum depression is real. After the birth of my daughter, I battled with depression. My plan- how I planned to give birth, breastfeed, even recovery, didn’t go as planned. None of it. I struggled (still do) to make peace with the fact that I had a Cesarean which affected my milk supply, that my daughter wouldn’t latch, so I couldn’t breastfeed traditionally. I found myself feeling like I had already failed, feeling like I didn’t really care for motherhood, feeling like I wasn’t cut out for this task afterall. After several weeks of dealing with those dark feelings, I got up the nerve to look into my employers EAP program. I found someone to talk to, outside of my husband, mother and close friends.
I also began to really talk to God about it. Everyday isn’t perfect, but everyday it gets better.
I shared this today, because mental health is important. It’s something that is near and dear to my heart. Mental health is just as important as your physical and financial health. If we don’t remove the stigma around it, and communicate openly and honestly about it things will never get better.
If you know a new mom or a mom-to -be, I urge you to reach out to her. Check and see how she’s doing, lend a helping hand, see if she could use a nap!
If you or someone you know is battling with depression, here is a resource that I’ve found to be awesome. http://twloha.com
Thanks for reading!
Love God, Love People, Eat Good!
