I loved this article! the pictures are fabulous, too. I appreciate your message to shed the guilt and that we don't have to lose who we are when we become moms. :)
I’ll be honest this was tough to read for me. I am one of those people that has a very hard time in postpartum. I loved being pregnant but the first year of my son’s life I really struggled. Probably because a lot of what you described. I wasn’t letting myself find flow. I was trying to find “right” and not even right for me. Just right. Whatever that means. My long standing perfectionist had a field day during that time. I’m thankful for having had time to process this and not blame myself, nor my perfectionist. She was doing the best she could. Even though what you describe is on a totally different planet than my experience, I feel truly so happy you had that. That’s all I want for other moms. When I work with clients in my psychotherapy practice who are anywhere on the perinatal experience, my sincerest hope is that I can help them find THEIR flow.
I read that line in your post about how it was hard for you and i thought, great, i just sent her a piece on f*ing newborn bliss. i appreciate that you even read this in the first place and i am compassionate about your struggles. i have this goal of wanting to help moms understand it doesn't have to be that way, plus, I didn't mother any better than the next Mom, I just did me!
I love the way you are helping patients, your experiences got you to that place! thank you for your genuine comments and connection. this has been a really welcoming Friday morning conversation.
Hahaha-that really made me laugh. Please don’t worry about that. My bag is just being truthful about an experience. And you had that experience. I wish many more could have that too. It takes a lot of extricating ourselves from long standing narratives around martyrdom. It’s something to be super proud of that you were able to claim it in the way you did 💕
As a maternal mental health therapist and a mama that struggled to find her groove, I love, love, love, the permission you give to find one’s own flow. This is written so well. Thank you for sharing!
Lindsay - this comment means so much to me! THANK YOU for reading. How incredible you are a maternal mental health therapist -- so glad we've connected on here.
What a beautiful read, Kristen! Though I'm not yet a mom, it's inspiring to hear your adventures of raising little ones in a way that doesn't involve losing who you are. The pictures also made me smile 🥹
Thank you, Kaitlyn! It was your chart reading that ultimately helped me through writing this post, especially in the way that I wanted to convey everything while staying true to myself.
i kept coming back to the paragraph you wrote that houses: "By sharing your experiences and listening to the experience of others, there’s a practice of accepting that our perspectives can be different...it’s important to know that you’re not meant to be like others—there’s a uniqueness about you that may feel uncomfortable to you..."
This makes my heart sing, Kristen! I'm honoured to know my words have been of benefit to you. I can really feel YOU in here, and it's amazing! Thank you for sharing this with me.
At the risk of sounding self centered, I felt like this was a love letter to me personally as the transition to motherhood is days away 🥹 thanks for sharing all of your wisdom & joys while also keeping it real ❤️
So much of your words really affected me (in the best way!). I think I’ve been looking for validation via textbooks and experts, and then feeling as if I failed because we didn’t/don’t fit into that mold. Thank you for extending grace and providing a gentler approach to motherhood.
I loved this article! the pictures are fabulous, too. I appreciate your message to shed the guilt and that we don't have to lose who we are when we become moms. :)
thank you so so much for taking the time to read and your compliments on the photos.
I’ll be honest this was tough to read for me. I am one of those people that has a very hard time in postpartum. I loved being pregnant but the first year of my son’s life I really struggled. Probably because a lot of what you described. I wasn’t letting myself find flow. I was trying to find “right” and not even right for me. Just right. Whatever that means. My long standing perfectionist had a field day during that time. I’m thankful for having had time to process this and not blame myself, nor my perfectionist. She was doing the best she could. Even though what you describe is on a totally different planet than my experience, I feel truly so happy you had that. That’s all I want for other moms. When I work with clients in my psychotherapy practice who are anywhere on the perinatal experience, my sincerest hope is that I can help them find THEIR flow.
I read that line in your post about how it was hard for you and i thought, great, i just sent her a piece on f*ing newborn bliss. i appreciate that you even read this in the first place and i am compassionate about your struggles. i have this goal of wanting to help moms understand it doesn't have to be that way, plus, I didn't mother any better than the next Mom, I just did me!
I love the way you are helping patients, your experiences got you to that place! thank you for your genuine comments and connection. this has been a really welcoming Friday morning conversation.
Hahaha-that really made me laugh. Please don’t worry about that. My bag is just being truthful about an experience. And you had that experience. I wish many more could have that too. It takes a lot of extricating ourselves from long standing narratives around martyrdom. It’s something to be super proud of that you were able to claim it in the way you did 💕
Aww well thank you. Love that. We can recognize there are multiple truths. Anyone who has you as their therapist is lucky!
That is exceedingly kind of you to say.
I loved this. 🤍 Mine are 3.5 and 14 months!
Why thank you! Great ages.
As a maternal mental health therapist and a mama that struggled to find her groove, I love, love, love, the permission you give to find one’s own flow. This is written so well. Thank you for sharing!
Lindsay - this comment means so much to me! THANK YOU for reading. How incredible you are a maternal mental health therapist -- so glad we've connected on here.
What a beautiful read, Kristen! Though I'm not yet a mom, it's inspiring to hear your adventures of raising little ones in a way that doesn't involve losing who you are. The pictures also made me smile 🥹
Thank you, Kaitlyn! It was your chart reading that ultimately helped me through writing this post, especially in the way that I wanted to convey everything while staying true to myself.
i kept coming back to the paragraph you wrote that houses: "By sharing your experiences and listening to the experience of others, there’s a practice of accepting that our perspectives can be different...it’s important to know that you’re not meant to be like others—there’s a uniqueness about you that may feel uncomfortable to you..."
This makes my heart sing, Kristen! I'm honoured to know my words have been of benefit to you. I can really feel YOU in here, and it's amazing! Thank you for sharing this with me.
At the risk of sounding self centered, I felt like this was a love letter to me personally as the transition to motherhood is days away 🥹 thanks for sharing all of your wisdom & joys while also keeping it real ❤️
I wrote it just for you my dear! 🥰😉 glad you enjoyed, thanks for reading and yay for baby so soon!
So much of your words really affected me (in the best way!). I think I’ve been looking for validation via textbooks and experts, and then feeling as if I failed because we didn’t/don’t fit into that mold. Thank you for extending grace and providing a gentler approach to motherhood.
I'm so glad I could offer some ideas that resonated! Thank you Jordan so much for reading and sharing this with me.
This is a very special read indeed. Proud to be your mom!
Thanks Mom! So glad you enjoyed.
Can be hair raising ^^ love it. You have such as wonderful family, Kristen! Great that we're connected now. Talk soon, Kristina
aww thank you so much! me too!! glad for connecting here.