Real Talk

I had a cesarean section to have my daughter in 2018. Though I ended up having an emergency one on a day I didn’t schedule, the original plan was to schedule it because my daughter was breech. I was surrounded by other pregnant women while I was pregnant. Many were doing everything in their control to have a natural birth. They talked about it a lot and I enjoyed listening. I was always intrigued by natural birth but never saw it as a journey I wanted to embark on. Here’s the thing... I quickly found out there’s a subgroup of women in the natural birth category that believe how you birth your child is not only not your personal business and decision,...

My husband and I walked into each of our kid’s rooms together to tuck them in and give goodnight kisses but found them cuddled together in one room. They’d heard us arguing. Red-faced and puffy-eyed, I kissed their precious little faces, snuggling into their necks until they laughed - an attempt to diffuse the tension I knew they picked up on. As I left the room, I heard my husband start to explain, “You probably heard Mom and I arguing. Everything is okay. We love each other, but sometimes being a grown-up means you might have to have difficult talks with other grown-ups.” In that moment, I was so grateful to have a partner who gets it, one who understands...

Our world has changed so much in the past year. Nothing that we are used to is normal anymore but this IS our normal, for now anyways. I am a big believer in choosing the way your day will be when you wake up. We choose our attitudes and we choose how we will treat others. That being said, I feel like our society as a whole could stand to show a little more grace. SOCIAL MEDIA These days our worlds revolve around social media. The pictures, the opinions, the memes, the fashion, etc. If you really stop and look at the things on social media ... none of it is real. They are things that people WANT you to see....

To the mom who has her child(ren) in extracurricular activities: I see you, cheering on your child, ferrying them to practices, traveling for the competitions. I applaud you, but I have a serious question. How are you managing this magic? If you are like me, you may be wondering where these parents find the time and energy to do. all. of. this. I’m not judging, but I am genuinely curious. I watch the super-parents, week after week, month after month, with absolute wonder: HOW DO THEY DO IT? Years ago, my oldest was in martial arts. His dojo was ten minutes from my house, and even getting him to class there three times a week felt impossible, especially when he started fighting me...

In February 2018 I just landed an amazing job, bought my own house, just turned 23, felt the most comfortable I ever had in my own skin, and recently retired from competing for Miss Louisiana. I felt like things had fallen into place until I found out I was pregnant. I was scared, but not for the typical reasons someone young and not married would be scared about having a baby. I had supportive family and friends. That was no issue. It felt like a death sentence. I was scared because of everyone telling me “just wait”. Everything I was told and read made being pregnant feel like a death sentence. I was generally advised to hurry up and get married, quit...