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What I Wish I Knew When I Became a Mother
I became a mom in 2020, in a world that felt like it was unraveling. Nothing about it looked like the Pinterest boards I’d saved or the stories I’d heard. And then, just as I was getting my bearings, I became a mom again – to twins. Three kids in two and a half years. During a pandemic. While navigating my own mental health and sobriety. There are things I wish someone had told me, not because it would have made it all easier, but because I might have breathed deeper. Felt less alone. Given myself more grace. So here’s what I wish I knew when I became a mom…
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A Letter to Myself in the Thick of It
Dear me, I see you. Sitting on the bathroom floor for just one minute of quiet. The kids are yelling (again), there’s dried up yogurt drink on your shirt, and you’re not sure if you’ve had lunch or just finished your kid’s leftover granola bar. This is the thick of it. I know you’re tired – like soul-deep tired. I know your body aches from carrying children, laundry baskets, emotional weight. I know your brain feels foggy some days, and the to-do list never seems to shrink, no matter how many things you check off. But I want you to know: You are doing it. Even when it doesn’t feel…
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Embracing Somatic Exercises: A Path to Healing Anxiety and Trauma for Mothers
As a mom to three little ones under five, I know firsthand how overwhelming life can get. Some days, it feels like I’m running a marathon from the moment I wake up – diapers, snacks, tantrums, laundry piles – and somewhere in the mix, I’m supposed to take care of myself too. Sound familiar?Over the past few years, I’ve discovered something that’s really helped me begin to manage the anxiety and lingering emotional weight I didn’t even realize I was carrying: somatic exercises. They’re gentle, grounding, and (best of all) easy to sneak into the cracks of a busy day. If you’re a mom (or dad, or just bysy period)…
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A Quiet Hello (and a Not-So-Quiet Heart)
It had been a long day. One of those marathon parenting days that starts with cereal on the ceiling and ends with you wondering if you’ve had actual water or just leftover sips of your newfound love, Pistachio Lattes. But finally – finally – as we were out enjoying the sunshine, the twins had fallen asleep in the stroller at the same time. A rare, sacred silence. I was walking slow, soaking in every blissful second of quiet, letting the rhythm of the sidewalk unwind my frayed nerves. My body was tired, but my brain was even more so – floating somewhere between “don’t think” and “maybe cry later.” And…
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From Sweet Tooth to Coffee Curious: My Espresso Era (Thanks, Kids)
It all started with a white hot chocolate. Sweet, creamy, basically dessert in a cup – which, as a sleep-deprived mom of three under five, was exactly what I needed. I wasn’t a coffee person. The smell? Meh. The taste? Too bitter. The vibe? So tempting…but I stayed firmly in hot cocoa territory. Then one day – mid-toddler meltdown, probably – I asked for a white hot chocolate with a shot of espresso. Just one. A little kick to keep me vertical during snack prep and sibling squabbles. And just like that, I was hooked. That single shot changed everything. Suddenly, the bitterness wasn’t offensive – it was balance. Depth.…
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The Invisible Load: What Mothers Carry and Why It Matters
Some mornings I wake up already overwhelmed. Not because anything bad has happened, but because the list in my head has already started running: lunches to pack, appointments to schedule, diapers to restock, feelings to manage (theirs and mine). And I haven’t even gotten out of bed yet. As a mom of three little ones – including twins – and as a student studying social work, I live with a double lens: I feel the weight of motherhood and I see it in the lives of the women I will be working with. But what’s harder to see – and even harder to name – is the invisible load we’re…
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Chaos, Cuddles, and Comedy: Life with Three Kids Under Five
Let me set the scene: The sun is rising (I think? Honestly, I haven’t checked the clock yet), and already someone is screaming. Not out of pain, no – this scream is the universal language of “SHE TOUCHED MY TOY AND BREATHE-WHISPERED IN MY DIRECTION.” Welcome to my home, where I live with three tiny roommates under the age of five, all born within 2.5 years of each other. It’s like running a daycare, except the daycare workers never go home, and no one brings snacks unless you count the chip crumbs they find in couch cushions. These kids fight like it’s their job. One minute, they’re in a full-blown…
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Breaking Cycles: Healing My Trauma to Be the Parent I Needed
I never set out on a healing journey – it found me in the chaos. It crept in during the sleepless nights, in the sharp edges of my own voice when I was overwhelmed, in the quiet moments after the kids went to bed when I couldn’t ignore the ache in my chest anymore. That ache was old. It was layered. It was mine – but it didn’t have to belong to my children. I’ve carried childhood trauma like an invisible backpack for most of my life. I didn’t always know what to call it. I just knew I felt different, raw, hyper-aware, sometimes numb. I developed habits to cope…
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Postpartum, Pinot, and the Pandemic: A Love Story (Sort Of)
Let’s set the scene: It’s 2020. The world is shut down, I just gave birth to my first baby, and I haven’t slept in what feels like 35 years. I’m leaking from places I didn’t know could leak, the baby won’t latch, and the laundry pile has developed sentience. My body feels like it’s been through a war (because…it has), and my hormones are doing the cha-cha with my sanity. Enter: wine. At first, it was a cute little evening ritual. Just a glass – okay, sometimes two – of Pinot Grigio to “take the edge off” after a long day of diaper blowouts, cluster feeding, and existential dread. You…
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The Rollercoaster of Motherhood: Joys, Struggles, and Everything in Between
Motherhood is the most beautiful, exhausting, fulfilling, and challenging journey I’ve ever been on. It’s a ride filled with highs that take my breath away and lows that test every ounce of patience and strength I have. Some days, I feel like I have everything under control – meals prepped, kids happy, house (somewhat) tidy. Other days, I’m just trying to survive the chaos, running on caffeine and sheer willpower. The Highs: Love Beyond Measure Nothing prepared me for the depth of love I’d feel for my children. It’s overwhelming in the best way. The first time I held my baby, the world shifted. Suddenly, nothing else mattered as much…