My Raw & Real Motherhood Journey
Episode Description
Welcome to the Project: Mom Podcast, where we share the unedited journeys of new moms as they navigate motherhood and the call to entrepreneurship! I’m Emily - a Mom, a wife, a sister, a friend, a woman with a passion or two or three, who challenges the status quo.
Today’s episode is about my story. The first year of my daughter’s life was raw and challenging. I didn’t experience the instant Mama/Baby connection. I had a rough post-delivery experience. It was a rude awakening when my life didn’t find its way back into the normal rhythm I once had.
But I discovered there’s so much hope and inspiration on the other side. It’s time to break down the walls that keep us from one another. We can find our identity within. We can listen to our own truth and follow our dreams and passions and trust that they’ll come to fruition when the time is right. Can we surrender to this journey?
I welcome you to listen alongside me every week as we hear the stories of strangers that are very eerily similar to our own. As you fold laundry or walk that sweet baby around the block or do dishes for the millionth time, I hope you’ll join me.
A peek into my story and what we’re doing here at Project: Mom
While I wouldn’t quite say I’m ready to break down my walls and share my innermost thoughts around motherhood and entrepreneurship, it feels necessary. There is a pull that I can’t quite stop, so I’m doing my best to surrender to this journey and I am so happy you’re here.
The Project: Mom Podcast was born out of a personal desire to hear the stories of moms who are just like me; women who have similar aspirations, dreams, challenges, and frustrations.
So it’s time for me to share my story.
My daughter Olive was born in December 2020 and woah, was that year POWERFUL and full of growth and change. The day to day of being a new mom felt extremely overwhelming for me. Amidst the challenges, I told myself, “Emily, you’re not alone. All of this is normal.”
But it was a rude awakening. I had a tough recovery, the connection to my daughter wasn’t a magical, overnight thing, and my life struggled to get back into its normal rhythm.
While I couldn’t see it at the time, I believe now, as I emerge from the fog, there are so many women who have felt this way (maybe you?)
As you tune into this and future episodes of Project: Mom, I hope you find a sense of comfort and support from these stories.
Unspoken expectations
Motherhood is filled with so many surprises, so many things we don’t expect, things that maybe our other mom friends and our OBGYN don’t tell us.
I honestly recoiled. I was angry about the fact that I couldn’t come and go as I pleased, my career had to be put on the back burner. I was coming undone at the seams. These frustrations are normal - yet are not talked about. Why is that?
Society has so many unspoken expectations about women. We’re expected to stay home, it’s our duty to be the primary caregiver, we’re the ones who feed and nurture our babies, track their patterns, and keep up with all of the doctor appointments.
There’s a prevalent narrative in the world that if we make the money, we have the say and the voice. We have the ability to make change.
The story that continued to persist internally was that I came second. My role molded into taking care of everyone else:
Is there enough food in this house?
Is Olive sleeping enough?
Have I shown enough affection to my husband?
While I was doing the best I possibly could, it never felt like enough. People in my life noticed that I seemed fragile. They asked me to take a break.
It’s okay to not be okay.
For a long time, I didn’t believe it. But having experienced it myself, and not that long ago, I want to remind you - it’s okay to not be okay.
Motherhood can be hard, but this, too, shall pass
Hearing a stranger’s story that so closely resembled my own was a breaking point. The relief was almost unbearable to the point that I cried immediately on the spot.
This journey is HARD.
But there is hope, friends. We can still find our identity within motherhood and follow our curiosities. I know I want to start my own business. Do I have any clarity around what it will be yet? No, but I know the inspiration will come.
Some critics say we can’t have it all, but why not? If it could be simple, what would you want?
For me, it’s the basics. A loving husband, kids, and a job that allows me the flexibility and freedom to be a stay-at-home Mom so I can contribute financially to our household.
Throughout the next couple of months, I’ll be sharing more solo episodes just like this one, on topics that intimately affect our lives as mothers, as caretakers, as providers. And of course, I’ll share with you my questions, curiosities, and frustrations around the way that these topics are integrated into our society and its expectations of us.
Thank you so much for listening, and if you liked what you heard, please leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts and share this episode with a friend.
Notable Quotes from Emily
“The Mama - Baby connection took a lot of time. I wasn’t prepared for the body shifts, the hormone shifts, the mental, emotional shifts, and it wasn’t talked about or shared with me ahead of time.”
Resources & Links
What topics would you love for me to explore on Project: Mom next? Or do you want to share your story? Email me at projectmompod@gmail.com.
Learn more about Project: Mom and follow us on Instagram at @projectmompodcast.