I’m not good at a lot things right now. I feel like I can barely fit a few solid hours of work into my day because I’m being pulled in so many different directions.

the baby wants to breastfeed
my oldest is running late to acting class
our air conditioner broke (again)
we need two dozen forms filled out
picture day is tomorrow!
the kids have somehow already eaten through the $200 target snack run
and the list goes on (I’m sure you can add quite a few of your own!)

Balancing motherhood with work is a skill I have far from mastered. In fact, there have been many days in the last two months where I’ve sat on my couch and cried after all the kids are finally asleep.

How am I supposed to be doing this all!?

But then I remember: I’m actually not supposed to do this all. I can’t do this all. I’m one imperfect human raising one imperfect family in a world that demands us to achieve and constantly strive harder.

Like many of us, I’m beginning to realize that nothing is actually wrong with ME…but instead, so much is wrong with the expectations of our world.

Last night, I got called to a birth. I left the kids at home with Ry…shuffled out the door after quick hugs and kisses. My planned dinner of soup and homemade tortillas got scrapped and replaced with frozen pizza.

I arrived to my client’s home and realized baby was coming, and likely soon. I encouraged them to call their midwife over, and within ten minutes, I said we should put her on speaker phone because I had a feeling she wasn’t going to make it before baby did.

My client didn’t really need my help to deliver her own baby. I just stood there and encouraged them to do what they already knew. She caught her baby and placed him right against her chest as the evening sun set behind her shoulder. There were tears and prayers of joy. I rubbed baby’s back a few times and assured the midwife he looked great. Because he did.

Their sweet midwife showed up within a minute or two, and we all laughed and marveled at the miracle in front of us.

I drove home a few hours later and was greeted in the front yard by my husband and my own screaming baby…who wanted, more than anything, to breastfeed. We both collapsed together on my bed, as I nursed him to sleep.

It was a perfectly imperfect evening - complete with frozen food, an accidentally unassisted birth, and two screaming baby boys (one a few seconds old and one 14 months old) who just wanted to rest in the arms of their mamas.

So regardless of how you feel you’re doing right now - at work, at home - I hope you know that imperfection is part of being human. And I hope that we can all bestow grace and understanding on those around us…because we’re all in this together.

Love,
Monet

PS. October-March of 2023/2024 are fully booked! If you’re pregnant and due in April or beyond, please reach out today to make sure you grab a spot. And yes, I am offering limited family sessions throughout the year too.

Powerful Birth Stories Across Colorado

Accidentally Unassisted Birth....