“Becoming Mom” (4-Part Blog Series)

Last month I gave a talk at the National Capital Mom Conference in Northern Virginia. In celebration of Mother’s Day, I’ll be sharing highlights from my talk in a 4-part blog series throughout the month of May. Happy Mother’s Day! Here’s to “Becoming Mom!”

Mom-ing is hard! It’s fun. It’s frustrating. It’s full of love, joy, smiles… screaming, crying, whining (a lot of whining) … It’s constant. And we’re in it! You’re doing it! And you’re doing a great job- even when you feel like you’re not. Even when you feel like hiding under the covers. You’re ok. You are not alone. We are all on this rollercoaster ride of motherhood together. We understand the struggles and the love. As a mom or mom-to-be, you know the ups and downs very well and you’re riding the waves the best that you can.

Before diving into “becoming mom,” I first want to share a little bit about my “becoming mom” story and the “birth” of Pure Nurture.  I first want to tell you a little bit about me and why I’m here. First, and most importantly, I’m a mom too. I have a four-year-old daughter, Gabriela and I have a six-year-old daughter, Eliana. I live here in Northern, VA. I am a pre and postnatal yoga teacher and Hypnobirthing instructor. After the birth of my second daughter, I founded Pure Nurture and wrote the book, Pure Nurture: A Holistic Guide to a Healthy Baby. My experience as a pregnant woman and new mama shaped the direction of my life in so many ways.

I was an English teacher for many years, up until the time that my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer. I dropped everything and moved back home with my husband to take care of my dad. Three days after my 30th birthday he passed away and my life was turned upside down. I had wanted to become a mom at age 30, just like my mom. However, the grief I felt and the number of responsibilities I was given after his passing put mommyhood on hold.

Watching my father move through his illness and treatment, I became disillusioned with the hospital system. I knew there was something missing in relation to health and quality of life that was not being considered. For that reason, I went back to school a received my certification as a Holistic Health Coach and began working with private clients.

Several years later I became pregnant then gave birth to my first daughter. When she was 9 months old I was diagnosed with Postpartum depression. I started seeing a therapist and was put on Zoloft. It was such a slow and steady progression of negative feelings, fear-based thoughts, and anxiety, that I didn’t even realize it was happening.

Seeing what was lacking in the traditional medical care my dad received, and now seeing how certain things were lacking in terms of prenatal  and postnatal care, along With my struggles and seeing some of my friends struggle with pregnancy and new mommyhood is where and when  my passion for health and wellness transitioned to pregnancy health and new mom wellness.

I learned so much about how connected the mother and baby are and how the health of the mother- mental, emotional and physical, is directly related to the health of the baby. That is when, after the birth of my second baby, Pure Nurture was born. For the last three years, I’ve been working exclusively with moms and moms-to-be.

And Just like you, I’m a mama trying to do my best and manage all the various aspects of mom life.

I’ll share part 2 in an upcoming post.

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