Pandemic Pregnancyনমুনা

You have heard time and time again that our bodies are a “temple” and need to be taken care of, but have you ever stopped to think about what our bodies as women are actually capable of and how much they go through during the pregnancy process? I am constantly fascinated by God’s design of life. I have never seen first-hand the miracle of life quite like the birth of my own child. I had helped deliver my youngest sister’s baby, which was beautiful, but nothing compared to the emotion and feeling of a growing baby inside me. The feeling of their heart beating and then having that heartbeat become external and placed on my chest to where our hearts could feel each other. Words cannot do justice to the feeling of becoming a mom!

Along with "momhood" comes so many physical demands and I wish I would have had someone to tell me that staying spiritually fed as well as taking care of my body physically is so important! I worked out all during my pregnancy, but as soon as the baby is born, it’s like, "Well, what’s next and how do I maneuver this chapter?" During the pandemic, so much had been shut down and unavailable I had to make things up as I went along. It has been hard having no gym, no therapy, no church, and living in a digital world. If you thrive off people and in-person relationships, it becomes so draining! Finding online sources, social media accounts to follow, and forcing myself to reach out to other moms was vital in finding out ways to promote healing, taking care of my temple, and taking steps to move forward with all my postpartum anxieties and wounds. There aren’t follow-up appointments for mental health or even physical health as a mom, at least not in our current post-pandemic world, so relying on brothers and sisters in Christ is more important than ever. Comfort zones have to be broken and the use of the word “yes” needs to be achieved. Let people love on you. Say yes. Accept help.

I challenge you today to journal about self care. Write out things you want to do postpartum. Whether this is your first or fifth child; postpartum is a tough road! Is it monthly chiropractic appointments? Is it asking your partner for a massage? Is it finding a Mommy and Me class? Maybe it is carving out 5 minutes every morning during nap times to pray and listen to worship music to try and quiet the voices of anxiety in your head. Whatever it is, let’s start to tackle it together!