My Story
Pregnancy has never come easy for me. Like many others, I’ve experience the struggle of pregnancy loss as well as the struggle of trying to get pregnant. I’ve also experienced getting pregnant after months of trying, and then losing yet another baby. Sometimes, it felt like a cruel joke. Family members and friends were all getting pregnant and delivering their baby when I was supposed to be due. To add to that, once I did get my rainbow babies, one pregnancy I had placenta previa, was on pelvic rest the entire nine months, labored for 24 hours, had a c-section, and two blood transfusions. To say I swelled up like a tick, would be an understatement. My second born, I had PPROM which is essentially your water breaking early. Unfortunately, my son caught an infection because I was leaking for weeks undetected, and he was born early with pneumonia and respiratory distress. He was put on a ventilator and we were in the NICU for a month. I’m sharing all of this, because I know what it’s like to suffer from prenatal and postpartum depression. I lost myself in the process of trying for, delivering, and raising my kids that I truly did not recognize myself in the mirror.
It took awhile for me to figure out, but something in me clicked where I had just had enough. I thought back to times that I was truly happy and what brought me joy…before marriage, before kids, before college even. I spent my days crafting, sewing, wearing pretty colors, and trying new makeup looks. I think with all of the new trends of “neutral beige” and “transitional farmhouse” etc, that I easily sunk into the blacks, grey, and browns consuming my house, my wardrobe, and eventually my mood. If you’ve ever heard of dopamine dressing, it really is a thing. One day, I woke up and dove back into the joys that surrounded my life as a young girl. I started crafting again, I added more color to my closet collection, I cut my hair, and dressed the way I wanted to feel. And it worked. I’m pregnant now with our third, and I’ll be using these strategies again in this pregnancy.
My Guide For You
My life drastically changed. I would almost say the entire trajectory. I was so much happier, joyful and proud to be who I was. With confidence, I was a better wife and mother to my kids. It seems silly,. that something so small can change your life so much.
I’m not saying to throw out your entire wardrobe and start over. It takes a bit of time to add color to your life, so I’m sharing a checklist of the easiest way to add color back into the picture without breaking the bank as well as not stressing your husband out. These items are affordable and attainable. If you slowly add in these staples, you’ll notice a change in yourself. And I’d take that to the bank.
Your Guide to A Colorful Collection
On top of these items, I would suggest adding back in some hobbies you enjoyed doing as a young girl. For me it was crafting, but for others it would be reading, swimming, bike riding, writing, gardening, decorating, etc. There are so many hobbies you can pick up, old or new. Adding something that is strictly just for YOU does wonders for your mental health.
Being a mom is hard work, as you already know. It sucks out the energy inside of you and you start to lose your color. I remember hearing about how flamingos lose their pink color after childbirth. Due to the hormone changes and nutrient deficiencies her body goes through to birth and feed her newborn, the pink color fades to almost a white. We are much the same in a way. It takes a lot out of us mentally and physically. The good new is, like flamingos, we too will get our pink back. I have full faith that if this blog post hits you in anyway, that adding these small changes to your life will help you feel closer to yourself than you ever have been.
x,
EM
Colorful Collection Picks
