Soul Care for the New Mom

It’s the end of another season, both for this podcast and for our family. With our second baby’s due date fast approaching, I felt like this would be the perfect time to wrap up Season Two. But don’t worry — my goal is to take some time away to focus on family and get my bearings and then to come back with some fresh, new material for you mamas sometime this summer! If you have been enjoying this podcast, would you please do me a favor? One of the best ways to help other mamas discover Soul Care for the New Mom is to leave a review in iTunes. It would mean so much to me if you’d take just a couple of minutes to do this today. Not only does this help promote the show, but it also is a huge encouragement to me! Thank you so much for listening and following along with me on my motherhood journey! To stay updated on things and see more of what Soul Care for the New Mom has to offer, be sure to visit the Soul Care for the New Mom website, as well as follow Soul Care for the New Mom on Instagram.

"I think it’s safe to say we all feel the temptation to compare. With social media constantly in our faces, we're taking in countless messages about what motherhood could look like or ought to look like and sometimes this has a way of highlighting our own failures, differences, and inadequacies. We see skinny, active, healthy moms and well-balanced, organized, have-it-all together moms and vulnerable, bold, authentic moms, and moms who are just killing it with their side hustles as they walk in their gifts and talents and pursue their dreams. Sometimes it can be so inspiring and motivating to see these moms at their best. We think to ourselves, 'maybe I can be that, too.' But then there are times when it’s discouraging, even deflating, because we know we are so far from where they are, where we wish we could be..." Press play to hear more. For more content and information, visit Soul Care for the New Mom. Follow Soul Care for the New Mom on Instagram.

"I think there was a past naive version of many of us that liked to believe that we would be accepting of our postpartum bodies, that we would simply marvel at how it carried our sweet babies and nourished them both in the womb and beyond. We told ourselves that there would be no pressure to get the weight off, that we would give ourselves grace for the changes our bodies would endure.  But if you're like me, your postpartum body lost most of its luster sometime after the 'fourth trimester.' Now it’s difficult to accept this is really how you look, how you fit, and how you jiggle. You feel hopeless and defeated. And at the same time, guilty. Because you expected better from yourself. You thought you'd rock your new body with confidence — if not for your sake, then for your someday adolescent daughters. But now you just want to hide away, go back in time to the smaller version of yourself that you had even once thought could lose a few pounds. If only we knew then how good we had it, right?..." Press play to hear more. For more content and information, visit Soul Care for the New Mom. Follow Soul Care for the New Mom on Instagram.

"Last week I sent out a message to many of my Instagram followers with the question, what’s the biggest challenge you’re facing in this season as a mom? And hands down the most popular response was about the mom guilt that comes from not knowing how to balance it all — motherhood, marriage, housework, pursuing a career, or chasing after a dream or passion. And I completely resonated with this answer. It’s so difficult to know what the right balance is and how to do what’s best for the family while maintaining a functioning household and without compromising your own needs and desires too. No matter how hard we try, a lot of us feel like we’re falling short in at least one area, if not several. And that’s where the mom guilt comes in..." Press play to hear more.

"When I think about the uncertainty of the future, several things come to mind. Our sweet friends who have just begun fostering and have already experienced the ups and downs of taking in kids and then watching them go. The moms I've reached out to on Instagram who have asked for prayer for their financial situation because money is tight. My friend with a two year old who has daily seizures and has doctors still trying to figure out the right medication to give and whether it could worsen as time goes on. And I also think of me as I'm getting ready to have my second baby. I have no idea of what our lives will look like with two kiddos under the age of two and there's several unknowns, like how my husband's work schedule may change around that time and whether I'll face the same battle with postpartum rage as I did before. Even questions like, will I still feel confident and able to make it out of the house every day, has me worried and nervous..." Press play to hear more. For more content and information, visit Soul Care for the New Mom. Follow Soul Care for the New Mom on Instagram.

When You're Afraid to Dream

When You're Sick and Tired

When You're an Angry Mom

This episode is a reading aloud of the most recent blog post on Soul Care for the New Mom. I chose to share it as this week's podcast episode because of just how well it expresses all that I hope to communicate through Soul Care for the New Mom -- what "soul care" is all about, why it even matters, how my own wrestling in my faith as a new mom led me to discover new ways to connect with the Lord, and why it's become my passion to encourage moms in this season of motherhood! I definitely think you'll want to check out this episode! It's the perfect insight into the story behind Soul Care for the New Mom and what it means for YOU. For more content and information, visit Soul Care for the New Mom. Follow Soul Care for the New Mom on Instagram.

"Have you ever had a morning where every fiber of your being begged you to stay in bed? No matter how much you knew you needed to start your day, you just couldn't bear the thought of putting your feet on the ground. If you're in the thick of motherhood, then odds are you haven't just had one morning like this, but have had many. Because sometimes being a mom feels like signing up to be in a war zone day after day, and there are just some days where you don't want to fight..." Press play to hear more. For more content and information, visit Soul Care for the New Mom. Follow Soul Care for the New Mom on Instagram.

When You're Facing Nights Alone

When You're Facing a Trial

When God Seems Silent

When It's a New Year

Message for Listeners - January 8, 2018