How I realized I needed a mommy moment (and that other moms might, too)

On Mother’s Day 2017, I nestled my sweet 4-day-old baby into her crib, made sure her older sister was tightly tucked into her new “big girl bed,” and headed to the fridge for a sweet treat before we all got a great night’s sleep...or so I thought. 

As I walked to the kitchen, I remembered the nurse telling me when we left the hospital that my blood pressure was still elevated, so I would need to take my medication and check my blood pressure at home. That night, I sat down at the dining room table, wrapped the blood pressure cuff around my arm and pushed start. As the numbers climbed I thought, “Hmmm, so maybe I did a little too much today, but I’m sure everything’s fine.”

After two more days and an intense hospital stay, I finally realized  that I had joined the rising number of women who faced life-altering events following their babies’ birth. As I read more about postpartum hypertension, hemorrhaging, and countless other maternal morbidity and mortality cases, I was shocked. How did we get here? How is it possible that having a baby now is more dangerous than it was when I was born 30 years ago?

Talking with friends and reading colleagues’ and college classmates’ posts made one thing very clear: most of us could use a “mommy moment.” A breather to assess what our bodies need not just during pregnancy, but also after our babies are born. Dedicated time and instructions on how to best care for ourselves. And the reminder that we truly can’t fill from an empty cup -- if we as moms don’t take care of ourselves, who will? If we’re not well, how can we care for our families?

I’m still learning that I can be joyful and grateful while prioritizing my own health. We can’t be all things to all people, but we can’t be anything to anyone if we don’t take care of ourselves.

Whether you faced your own health challenges, struggled in some way with the transition to being a mom, or you’re a mom to more than one child, I hope you will join me on this journey to empower women to trust their bodies and embrace caring for themselves during the fourth trimester as fervently as they cared for their baby during pregnancy.