I gave birth to my first child Sean in the dead of winter in New York City.
He came 2.5 weeks early, which meant I was prepared for the birth (I studied everything I could about that!), but hadn’t yet gotten to the chapter in “The Happiest Baby on the Block” about how to actually take care of this bundle of joy, cries, pee and poop. Yikes!
I was holed up in my apartment trying to figure it all out while sleep deprived and often alone with just my baby as my hubby traveled for work.
It was an exciting yet lonely time.
Luckily in my NYC neighborhood, there was a prenatal yoga studio that offered a new mom support group and I signed us up! I needed a safe space to be around other new moms and talk through this new role we were growing into. How liberating!
My head was spinning as I was receiving so much contradictory advice on sleep, nursing, bathing, playtime, napping, and “me time.”
This group saved my life!
And I saw a need for more of these support groups (they’d usually be filled up weeks in advance and turning moms away due to space!) so I partnered with a fantastic organization for moms and moms-to-be called mommybites to start facilitating these groups for more new moms in NYC.
It was pure heaven supporting these women and their beautiful babies.
NYC is great at offering support and resources for parents and I’ll always be grateful I lived there when I became a parent.
A mom in one of my groups was Rebecca Dube. She and I really hit it off and have stayed in touch through the years.
She’s a huge believer in support for parents EVERYWHERE as the Senior Editor at TODAY.com, overseeing the parenting section of the TODAY show website.
We got together on a recent trip to NYC and I asked how I could support her work with my work. That’s when magic happens … when we help each other out to make a difference in the world.
Moms and moms-to-be: it’s time to move away from snarky comments, judgment and guilt.
Ready to take the PARENTING conversation to the next level?
Excellent … because I have the coolest news to share!!
It’s a place to ask and answer questions, to share your thoughts and to support other parents. Nobody is the perfect parent, but all of us have something to offer, whether it’s a practical solution, inspirational advice or just a funny story to get us through the day.
And the good peeps at TODAY have asked me to be a contributor to the platform! I’m honored and humbled.
My first post is about loving yourself enough to not lose yourself in motherhood. It’s a very real and vulnerable look at how to handle the contradictory advice you receive as a new mom that continues everyday through your parenting adventure.
Come check it out, leave a comment and share with the mamas in your world!
I truly want to let every mother know that she’s not alone on her journey as she raises her child.
We are all in this together. ❤️
