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Monday, March 12

in the trenches together

     Hey gang:) I posted this glamorous postpartum photo and caption to my Instagram last week and was so touched by the response that I decided to share it here as well. I'm sure that many of you already follow along over there, but for those that don't, I really wanted to see if you had anything to add as well. I was blown away by the many comments saying essentially "me too!" and sharing their personal stories, and I just love any and all chances for us to relate as women and mothers, so here goes:

     Alice is 9 days old today and I'm 9 days into my postpartum journey for the 6th time:) So far it's been heaven, filled with tiny clothes and grunts, and just lovin' on our newborn as much as possible. But there's also been cramping, no sleep, the mesh/diaper situation (lol), double mastitis, fever, body aches, so much soreness and exhaustion, etc, etc. It's kicking my butt a bit and yet it's SO worth it, of course.♡

     We face incredible risks and sacrifice SO much physically and emotionally to have babies, and we willingly do it again knowing what it'll cost. Yes, it's a huge blessing to have the opportunity, but, that doesn't mean it's not crazy brutal sometimes, or that we have to pretend it's all sunshine or we're ungrateful or unloving. 

     I feel like every time a woman shares something hard and upfront about pregnancy/postpartum life/motherhood they're told by some creep things like they 'shouldn't complain' or they should 'keep it to themselves'. People want more authenticity but then those raw posts are often the ones most ridiculed and picked apart. I've seen too many vulnerable photos taken down:( 

     We're all in the trenches together but on our OWN individual journeys as different as we are from one another, and yet there's still SO much comparing and telling others that they shouldn't express struggles because someone somewhere has it worse. Or the opposite, that they can't share self-love or they're narcissistic. Ugh. 🤦🏻‍♀️

     STOP listening to those that want to put you in a box and bully you into feeling badly. Hear me when I say that YOUR body and YOUR sense of self-worth are YOURS alone, and YOU decide how to feel and what to do and when. We DO need more open photos online, and that starts with encouraging and empowering instead of judging and criticizing.

     This isn't a particularly vulnerable picture I know, but I think it does show a more raw moment from my day compared to the photos I post more often, and I feel ok sharing BECAUSE of other brave women and because of YOU, this incredibly uplifting and encouraging group of sweethearts. 

     So thank you thank you.♡ You do way more for me than you could ever know, and I jus love you. 


*steps off soapbox*

8 comments:

  1. As a young woman who is only 9 weeks (at most) away from meeting her first little babe, this post means so much to me! The post partum journey is terrifying and nerve-wracking, and having posts like this to look back on and find comfort in will be incredibly reassuring that, when I am on that journey, I will be doing what is best for me in my eyes and my eyes alone. That no one else's opinion matters besides my own. And the same can be said for pregnancy as well. Every woman and every pregnancy is different, and telling a pregnant woman that she needs to be happy and grateful because "it's only going to get worse" does nothing but make that mother fearful of her future and scared to open up about her struggles out of fear of having them belittled or being called ungrateful. Whole-hearted, unabashed, and unfiltered support is a rare find these days, but I know that when I read your blog, that is all I am going to get: whole-hearted, unabashed, unfiltered, non-judgmental support.

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  2. I had my first born back in September. So refreshing to read this. Hope you and your sweet family are well!

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  3. raw is beautiful.

    www.theoccupiedoptimist.com

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  4. Beautiful, thanks for sharing.

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  5. I enjoy your blog so much, I think half of the time it just stays on my web tabs and I randomly see a post that I've not ready before. Thanks for sharing your life and bringing some brightness to the world. hugs & prayers.

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  6. This. This is everything. One of the hardest things for me postpartum was feeling so alone and isolated in my pain and recovery. Nobody wanted to hear the nitty gritty, and it contributed heavily to my postpartum depression. We need to honor the journey - good AND bad. Thank you for sharing :)

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