GROW Midwifery

Best.Kept.Secret. There is a secret in our culture, and it’s not that birth is painful. It’s that women are strong. ~ Laura Carly Martin Photography

A birth story, surrounded by family, in pictures.

She found her power. cred @msfamilyphoto

I think they’re in love. cred Ecoxphoto

Welcome to this world, RBG

This. This right here is raw and vulnerable. This.Is.Postpartum. Written by a dear client and shared with permission. I don’t want to bounce back. I don’t want to jump back into life and pretend everything is the same as before, just with another kid in tow. I want to feel that it’s ok to not be totally ok. My body is healing slowly, both physically and emotionally, from one of the most altering experiences a woman will endure. I want to sit with my naked baby on my squishy ...belly and let the oxytocin flow. I want to cry when I need to, probably several times a day somedays. I want to relive my labor and birth journey, the parts that went perfectly and the parts that didn’t, trusting that my body did exactly what it needed to in order to get this baby here safely, and knowing without a doubt that I was 100% supported (maybe 200%) by my birth team the whole way. I want to allow my heart to be open and raw and mend as slowly as it needs to. I want to hold my big kids and let them share in some of these raw emotions with me, knowing this is a big change for them as well. I sit here this morning overwhelmed with gratitude for those who have shared this journey with me, even through these crazy times. Sadie is our bonus baby, the gem we never knew our family was missing. She is perfect and I know she has lots of things to teach me in the years ahead. I will be back... back to working out, traveling and crazy adventures I’m sure! But for now, please stand by... I am right where I need to be.

Thank you, Haize, for sharing this delightful video.

We welcomed Sadie Mae this morning at Grow.

https://en.kueez.com/the-most-hilarious-and-creative-pregna

Staying hydrated this summer? I love this water jug that keeps you Motivated and reminded. https://hydromateusa.com/

In the postpartum period, we hear a lot about depression. Did you know anxiety and rage can present as well?

Take it easy on her. She just went through the biggest physical and emotional change of her life. Her body has wounds that need to heal that you can’t see.... Underneath her stretchy pants, she’s probably wearing a diaper. She doesn’t even recognize her own body. It looks completely different and probably will for the rest of her life. Her contractions haven’t stopped. She’s still breathing through them without you probably even realizing it. Do not ever complain about how long she takes to nurse the baby. Her nipples are raw and her breasts are sore in ways she never knew was possible. She and her baby are still figuring out a rhythm with each and every feeding. She’s tired. So tired. She’s frustrated. She can’t just get up and go about her day like she used to. When she does, her body punishes her for it. Don’t ask to hold her baby. If she wants you to hold her baby, she’ll offer. She and her baby are DEEPLY attached and if she hands that baby over begrudgingly, her heart and arms ache so deeply every second her baby is missing from them. She’s probably cried secret tears at least twice that day, whether it’s from physical pain, feeling overwhelmed, or just plain exhaustion. Take it easy on that new mama. Let her stay in her little oxytocin-filled bubble for as long as she needs to. And just love on her in any way you can. Every day from now on, she will die to herself for that baby. This is her time to be a little selfish. : @bundleandblissphoto Via @ruth_gerber