6 weeks postpartum

Hey hi hello hola. 6 weeks postpartum and I wanted to report that I’m alive and doing well. I remember what I felt like in my previous postpartum days after my first two and this one has been wildly different. What an absolute difference it is to have support. Support from friends, family, and community. And holy moly did my community here show up! I am so f’n grateful for everyone I’ve met in my town. From my neighbors, my kiddos school teachers, even those mean PTA moms (ha!). B/c nothings brings people more together than cute little babies.
6 weeks in and I feel amazing for postpartum. Clear headed, happy, dare I even say- rested and stress free. Physically, still healing, but b/c of this beautiful weather I’ve been able to get up and take walks, longer and longer each day.
Birth is wild. It can take you apart and put you back together in ways you didn’t expect. Even with or without birth trauma- you don’t know how you’ll come out on the other side.
Well- just wanted to say hi, and that l would love to see more friends now that I’ve allowed my body and mind to heal. Thanks again to everyone that showed up for me and my little family. You all made a huge difference in my healing postpartum journey. Xo V

Model Emotions

A little poem on the societal view of motherhood.

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Model Emotions

Don’t lose yourself.

Maintain a part just for you.

Dont cry.

Model emotions.

Show them.— No. Too much.

Let them see a little bit of yourself. —Never the real you.

Follow your heart. —You’re being to selfish.

Stop.

Cook, clean. — Never too clean.

Pick up. —No. Down.

Follow your heart. Don’t let it stop beating.— Too fast.

Slow it down.

Down.

d

o

w

n.

Lost. No.— Found.

Change. No. — Stop.

No one likes change.

Grow. Gross.

Boring. — Used to be…

Used. to. be

Fun. — Not too much fun.

Never enough.

Enough.

You were enough.

You are.

Stop.

I am safe

“I am beautiful, I am safe, I am loved, I am free. I don’t need to be like them, I just need to be like me.”

What if we talked to ourselves during hard moments in life like this? What if we paused during the times where we doubted ourselves, our parenting, and said this as our inner monologue?

When I found myself in fight-or-flight mode during my postpartum year I tried to remember to stop what what I was doing and tell myself “I am safe”. It helped reset my internal monologue and was a reminder that I was loved and doing my best. That it was ok to trust my instinct, even if it went against what others may say.

It’s also a reminder that our inner monologue becomes the inner voice for our children. It’s not easy, it’s not an overnight fix, but it’s a start-To pause and let yourself know-
“I am beautiful, I am safe, I am loved, I am free. I don’t need to be like them, I just need to be like me.”

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Support

When I was 36 weeks pregnant with my second I had a rough week and even worse morning and reluctantly reached out to a friend for help. I wasn’t feeling well physically but it was mentally painful as well. I didn’t want to ask for help but saw that my mental strength was giving in. We texted, she gave me a call, I cried, and she was over in 20 mins. I didn’t except to cry to her, I didn’t expect her to come over that quickly and I didn’t expect it to be as helpful as it was.
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As mothers I think we all try to put on a brave face; for ourselves, for others around us and especially for our children. But asking for help when we need it most is so so important. It’s these moments of vulnerability that help guide us to heal so we can be the rock our children need to lean on.
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Take care of yourselves and know that there are others out there that feel the same way and there are people surrounding you who will drop anything to be there for you. Just know you’re not alone in this, never alone.

Seen on numerous motherhood websites and pages. Motherly.com

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