Sarah is a brand-spankin’ new mama & I seriously LOVE the insight she already has just 5 months in! Fun fact…her younger sister Audra & I used to borrow her clothes ALL the time when she wasn’t home in high school. She would have killed us had she known…but hey secrets out!! In all seriousness, she has one of the most adorable baby boys I’ve ever seen (via social media…still haven’t had a chance to meet the mister in real life) & she has such a beautiful & creative soul! I was really excited when she agreed to be a part of this series & you’re all about to find out why…
What does it mean to you to be a mom?
Oh my gosh, there are so many answers to this question. Being a mom is definitely the most important job I will ever have. It means caring for somebody else far more than you ever cared for yourself or anyone else in your life. It’s the most important/special/spectacular part of who I am now and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
What is your favorite part of motherhood?
The LOVE. When my mom first Met Truman after I gave birth, she looked at me and whispered, “Now you know how much I love you.” I love that and it has totally stuck with me every day since. It’s amazing how much more profound of a love I am capable of now that I have him. It’s the best feeling in the world.
What have you found to be the hardest part of motherhood? Or least favorite part of motherhood?
Honestly, I can’t complain. I’ve loved it so much. If anything, I’d say my pregnancy was a bit on the hard side. Although I felt so good pregnant, I had gestational diabetes (it’s hereditary) so I had a lot of extra doctors appointments (3 sometimes 4 a week). Plus, pricking myself for a blood sugar reading 4 times a day and giving myself insulin with every meal wasn’t very fun either. All that being said, it was my first pregnancy and I didn’t know any different. It’s the one thing I am not looking forward to with my next pregnancy. And chances of me having it with my next baby are very high since I’ve had it once.
Second answer: Anxiety!
I had some serious Anxiety after having Tru. I was very familiar with the baby blues – I knew I didn’t have baby blues. I wasn’t sad or depressed… I was just anxious about everything. I had Truman just before Thanksgiving. It was RSV and flu season. We had a pediatrician who scared the crap out of me about going home for the holidays. He said exposing your newborn to a lot of people just wasn’t a smart thing to do. I had so much fear about him getting sick. I didn’t want to drive my car for fear of getting in an accident. I would look at the stairs in our house and think “Oh no, what if I fell down the stairs with him in my arms!?”. At the time I didn’t think that this was anxiety, but in hindsight, I think I missed out on really enjoying some of the early newborn days because I was just so worried about everything. Luckily my mom and sister recognized that I wasn’t myself; I talked to my doctor and she really helped. She told me my anxieties were far more common than not (welcome to motherhood / the rest of our lives, right!?) and prescribed me a little something, just something to get me feeling like myself again. I was apprehensive at first but feel so so so much better now. Obviously, I still have anxieties (that’s motherhood) but they no longer consume my thoughts or keep me up at night.
In the spirit of encouraging & celebrating each other – what is one piece of advice you would give to a new mom?
Find a mama group! In Minneapolis, we have an awesome organization that offers all types of class for pre and post labor but their “New Mama” class came highly recommended to me and it was the absolute best thing I ever did after having Truman. I signed up for a group that started when Truman was 7 weeks old. There were 8 women in my class and we met once a week in class and then our assignment each week was to meet at least once outside the classroom. It was great because all eight of us women were in the newborn stage together, with our first babies and we were all learning as we went.
The group was led by a nurse and lactation consultant and we had an assigned topic each week in class (sleep, feeding, relationships, etc.) but really, we just got together and talked about anything everything under the sun. Our meet-ups outside of the classroom were the best because it gave us a chance to practice all of our “mom skills” together. When you’re a new mom, things, like breastfeeding in public or finding a place to change your baby or even just sitting down at a restaurant to eat, can seem like a huge challenge and can keep you from leaving the house. Having a group of moms to hang with during maternity leave was just the best. The woman who ran our group once said, “Motherhood is the great equalizer.” And I truly could not agree more. The woman I met in my New Mama Group will be my friends for life. Not only do we have babies the same age but we shared an incredible season of life together. Our bond is definitely a forever one!
If you had an afternoon to yourself, what would we find you doing?
Definitely pampering myself. A good workout, a mani/pedi, a massage, and a blowout! Sign me up!
Someday I want to…
Turn one of my side hustles into a nice sustainable income. I LOVE what I do but I wish I had more freedom. I have so many creative and inspiring friends, I want to work with them every day and make good things happen. I don’t need to make millions of dollars, just enough to afford a good life for my family. I’d like to spoil my kids via travel and explore different cultures.
I also want 100 kids. But seriously, I want a big happy family with kids that like to hang with their parents (similar to what my husband and I have with our families).
If you could have on superpower, what would it be?
Time Travel. I would love to go back in time and meet my ancestors. My great-great-Grandpa was a real active famous artist. He grew up with Alfred Stieglitz (the photographer) who was married to Georgia O’Keefe. My Grandma has the most amazing stories from her childhood. She grew up around amazing artists and I would just die to see it and experience it with her!
Now, do you guys understand what I meant when I said that her son is SO. STINKING. CUTE?! He’s just this little tiny Minnesotan polar bear! Cute babes aside, Sarah is an incredible mom & I just know that this new role will change & evolve, especially as she’s starting back up at work, but that she’s going to be able to roll with whatever life throws at her. She comes from an incredibly strong family & I know that she’ll pass those traits & attributes on to her kiddos…hopefully all 100 of them 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, friends!
Grit & Grace Blog 