I slogged through

bouts of deep depression and crippling anxiety. I didn’t understand why motherhood was so hard for me and so natural for everyone else. Why was I struggling? Why wasn’t I good at this? Wasn’t I meant to just know how to be a mother?

I tried everything I could think of to escape the confusion, darkness, and shame - but I was still drowning.

I thought I was a failure because motherhood, for me, was so hard.

I had lost myself. My body didn’t feel like mine, my marriage was suffering, I had lost direction in my career, and I no longer knew how to relate to many of my friends. I was lonely and filled with guilt.

It took years

and tremendous support before I started to feel like a human again. I built a village of experts to guide me through everything from breastfeeding to managing toddler emotions. I pushed through the discomfort of asking for help and leaned into my support network. I realized, slowly, that I was a better mother and a healthier person when I didn’t force myself to do it all alone.

I started researching and learning in an effort to understand my experience and what I found transformed how I viewed myself and motherhood.

We are not meant to move through motherhood in isolation. We are meant to unfold into this new, complex role while being fiercely held by our community.

Now, on the other side of my tumultuous tumble into motherhood, I am dedicated to empowering other mothers with knowledge, validation, and community.

If you’re feeling isolated, confused, scared, angry, or just want to better understand your experience of becoming a mother, download the Navigating New Motherhood audio course or book a Birth Story Medicine session with me and let’s move through it together.