This is something I wrote a while ago when I was neck-deep in caring for a newborn baby… it helped me and I pray it helps other new moms someday too. For my beloved sisters who have new babies…

My first baby on her first day.

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“The infancy of our children. If we let it be a part of us — a part of our story, it can forever deepen our involvement in the bigger stories of life. This is a piece of my life deeply woven. Life. Delicate. Fragile. Alive.

I struggle for sleep and sanity.

Reminding myself over and over – It’s not failure, just challenge and struggle. Face it. Enjoy its opportunity for growth. Love endlessly. Give when it hurts. Teach as I learn. Kindness and respect in the midst of injustice.

[Soft hand on my mouth. Body and soul in my arms. Breath of my breath]

I get to build a soul. My work is invisible to her. This is my war and I fight for our lives.

Dear, self – Connect. Be in each moment. Press in. Don’t shy away from the discomfort.

Let the scars and wounds be a badge of honor
and not a regret.”

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My second baby on her second day

This is so hard, my friends – being “the mom.” So full of tensions and the sweet, torturous push and pull of being so lonely and yet never alone.  Fighting for survival – yours and theirs. No one will ever see the battles you win every day, but you will and God will and that sweet baby you hold will forever be changed because of your love. Hang in there. It will be worth it, I promise.

My two precious babes