My Post-Partum Story - Part 2 of 2

For the context of this post, if you have not read part 1, please go read it, then come back! 😚

And first things first, as I wrote on my birth story post - **DISCLAIMER - These experiences and thoughts are my own. Now that I've been through two pregnancies, births, and post-partum experiences as well as having read and associated with many women who have had drastically different pregnancy, birth and post-partum experiences, I need you to know that my thoughts and opinions are not "the right" ones. They are what they are, and based on my personal experiences, personality, preferences, etc. I just need to be abundantly clear that if your experience was similar and you were happy or traumatized, it is all valid. I talk about unmedicated vs. epidural and it is not meant to pit them against each other. Please remember that as you read this. Also, a trigger warning if discussing post-partum depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts may be upsetting to you, please go read something else, or come back and read this another time. **HUGS** ** 

I read a quote recently that really resonated with me and helped me to finally feel ready to confront the closure chapter of my grief and reconciliation surrounding my second birth and post-partum experience. 

Birth Story #2 / Part 1 of 2

The re-telling of my second child's emergence into the world has literally been two years in the making.

In October of this year we celebrated two years of our youngest son being apart of our lives earth-side. 

First, let's talk about the fact that that happened so fast, like, so fast. 

And second, the elephant in the room, "Mary Katherine, why did it take you two years to write your second son's birth story?" Well, maybe I'm the only one asking that question, but the short and lighthearted answer is #secondchild. Haha, you know? You've seen the memes of the delicately planned first child's nursery with a picture beside it showing a crib mattress on a bare bedroom floor captioned "the 2nd kid's room." We all laugh, because it's not that we don't love our subsequent children, but after having one and adding a second, third, or more to the mix, we just don't have time for the intricacies and details we had before and after having only one. And we thought having one child consumed our lives? HA-ha. HaHAHA! 

Back to the elephant. The truth is a mix of the words above and the fact that his birth did not go the way I had wanted it to. Between my own decisions during labor and then unforeseen complications after his birth resulting in a three day NICU stay sort of left me grieving in my own special way. It has taken me two years of a lot of thought work, self-care, processing, medication, spiritual pondering and more to reach a point of peace and understanding that I did not have in the few months following his birth.

BUT, more on that later. I want to give my son the same courtesy I gave his big brother and tell the story of his birth exactly the way it happened, without my hindsight commentary. So this will be his unfiltered birth story, part one of two. My post-partum story can be read here as a sort of part two.

Even though publishing this has been two years in the making, I did write his birth story in my personal journal a couple of weeks after his birth so as not to forget any details, so the majority of this post will pretty much be ~direct~ excerpts from that journal entry.  

FOUR Christmas Playlists!

My new favorite jeans: ones that FIT!

Thanksgiving Playlist

Thanksgiving Streaming Specials for Kids

We may have decked our halls a couple weeks early this year (thanks, 2020, for the extra motivation), but we have not forgotten about Thanksgiving! #Thanksgivingb4Christmas 

I absolutely love the holidays, all holidays, and this year has been especially fun watching my four year old really embrace the excitement that comes along with them. He's enjoyed them in previous years, but this year just seems different. I think he is really just starting to understand things that didn't used to click, the main one being that he understands that there is something special and different about the days themselves. When he was two or three I think holidays seemed like any other day to him except maybe we ate extra food (Thanksgiving) or he got presents (cool)! 2020 has also made it very easy to have literally anything to look forward to, so that probably helps!

You've Been Boo'd - Free Halloween Prints