As a Black, mixed race woman in a position of power who’s married to a Jewish man — message received.
Mom guilt is so powerful, so visceral, that it’s hard to describe it with words. For me, it’s like a bully that makes me feel inadequate as a mother when I consider my own needs. It’s constant ache, a tightness in my chest, that whispers “you’re not giving him enough” any time I focus on myself. It might as well be saying, “you are not enough.”
Gratitude messaging is everywhere, and for good reason. But if you’re doing it wrong, like I was, you may not be getting its intended benefits.
It’s a well-known taboo to share pregnancy news earlier than 12 weeks. But is the rule just perpetuating the stigma of miscarriage and pregnancy loss?
When it comes to life after Covid-19, the pull to go “back to normal” is strong. But we are different than we were before. Going “back to normal” means that we get a shot at redefining what normal means to us.
When it came to pregnancy, statistics had never been on my side. Then, a traumatic labor and delivery experience brought to mind the odds Black women face when giving birth.
As an unwavering people pleaser and empath, I tried to maintain my ‘old self’ after becoming a mom. And I quickly crashed and burned.
When we get that vaccine and the country eventually gets “back to normal”, what will your new normal look like? These are the ways that 2020 changed me forever, and these are the things I’ll never allow to be normal again.
After months of trying to conceive, my husband and I crammed together in our bathroom to analyze the first pregnancy test I’d ever take.