Encouragement

When did the comments start? It seems like they were always there. I had been married for two months to my now ex-husband when I saw two pink lines on the pregnancy test. "Oh, you poor thing! You know you should have waited at least a couple of years to have children. This will put a tremendous strain on your new marriage." Forget the fact that I was ecstatic since I had been told five years prior that having children would probably be one of the longest journeys I would ever set out on and would probably not end up where I wanted. Then he was born and in my new mommy bliss (and ignorance) I overlooked the comments...

It's a common refrain in the age of Pinterest: women, especially moms, are expected to do it all. A great career, smart and happy kids, spotless and stylish house, crafts galore, rocking body, perfect marriage, etc. This kind of thing has always been perpetuated in magazines but I think it's harder to ignore on the internet because behind all those blog posts and genius pins are real women and if I can do it then you should be able to do it too, right? In fact if you're not churning out five blog posts a week about your adorable family and all your crafty projects and the gourmet dinner you cooked for your über-successful husband last night you might...

March 4, 2014 - Moms For Moms Day Have you heard of it?! Here at Red Stick Moms Blog, we are always advocating to END the Mommy Wars.  (We've written about it here, here, and here.) So, we are so excited to be teaming up with moms all across the country this Tuesday, March 4th. This initiative has been put together by The Bump and CT Working Moms. The vision behind Moms For Moms Day is… The journey to motherhood is flooded with decisions (from the type of diapers you’ll buy, to the ways you’ll feed your infant, to the sleep-training methods you’ll subscribe to) and our goal is to support, encourage and stand behind each and every mother’s choices — and...

I had a beautiful baby.  So, why was I crying every day? Why did I feel like I wasn’t worthy of being a mother? Why was my house such a mess? Why was I such a mess? Everyone says that you never know how much you can love someone until you have a child.  I didn’t feel that instant connection which made me feel even more guilty and lacking as a mother.  To make matters worse, I felt like I couldn’t tell anyone.  What would people think of me if I admitted that I didn’t feel head over heals for my child? As many as 30% of women experience some sort of postpartum mood disorder. According to Postpartum Support International,...

I’ll never forget the moment I realized I was a danger to my children. My husband and I had just gone to the store with our four week old son, and were loading things into our car. As I grabbed the car seat carrier to put my newborn in the car, I had one vivid thought in my mind – throwing the car seat. Thank God, I didn’t. But having been diagnosed with postpartum depression the day before, I knew my family couldn’t afford to wait until the antidepressants I’d been prescribed kicked in. I needed more help, and I needed it immediately. That afternoon I went to the ER. I cried as I told the admissions representative what happened,...