Explore every episode of the podcast The Untold Truths About Expecting and Beyond

Christmas is not my thing, but because I am a mom, I will continue learning how to compromise and implement some of my traditions while allowing my daughter to experience the wonders of Christmas. It has been truly amazing to experience Christmas so far through her eyes. I get to give her what I longed for all these years: family and warmth during the holidays. It is truly a blessing to have a child, and more and more each day, I get to discover and rediscover myself through my daughter’s eyes, and for that, I am grateful.

Until next year,

Bonne Anne 

Beaucoup d’amour pour toi!

Jo 

Nothing could have prepared me for the dark cloud that would soon form above me and stay there for months following my daughter's birth- A period which I called the"Mourning Period." Of all the advice I had gotten when I was pregnant, no one had mentioned that I would mourn the loss of my former self. That I would slowly go through all the stages of grief before ever feeling" "better" again.

Today's episode is very sentimental to me, so it's rather short and intimate. I hope that after you listen, you'll be inspired to reassess your life and find out if there is anything you've been wanting to or simply not wanting to do. That after today, you will—as cliche as it may sound. Life is too short and precious for us not to live up to our fullest potential.

Weeks after bringing home my daughter, “the down moments” that I was warned about before leaving the hospital were not going away and the more I tried to make it work. The less I felt like myself. 

https://www.mother.ly/health-wellness/womens-health/maternal-exhaustion-chronic-illness/

Despite knowing the potential risks, there was no doubt in my mind that when the time came to decide whether or not to take the epidural, that I would because for me, it was imperative to have an effective means of pain relief during labour. 

However, unlike myself, first time mother Amanda knew she wanted to go through child birth naturally. 

Joining us this week is a dear friend of mine who is like a big sister to me-Tina Oppong.

Prior to becoming pregnant, I had never equated pregnancy with proposal or marriage, and although I had dreamt of one day maybe getting married. It was not the be-all and end-all for me. So the more I was asked the question, I began spiraling into a "sea" of uncertainty.

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 I did not discuss my pregnancy, and when I did, I kept conversations to a minimum. It was all so overwhelming—the small talk about gender and how I was doing or when I was due. I found it all to be much more than I wanted to discuss.

Do I continue taking my prescribed medication, and if I do, what are the implications for my unborn child? 

Finding out I was pregnant changed my life forever. I was no longer just an educator or someone trying to figure out life’s meaning and who I wanted to become. I was going to be a mom. A first-time mom. How would being a mom fit into my life’s trajectory? Could I still pursue my goals? Or was I going to have to give it all up?