August 2021

This week, there was absolute horror in Afghanistan as Marines and Afghani citizens were killed in a senseless manner. It rocks your world when you wonder how these things happen, how we didn’t stop them, how we have let evil have such a foothold in the world? Political and economic climates, climate change, moral ambiguity, and endless atrocities make it easy to worry about your child’s future. It’s easy to think why should I bring someone into this world when it’s such a mess. Why subject them to the evil that the world has welcomed?

I would argue this, your child was born exactly when they were meant to. The trials, the tribulations, whatever state the world is at when they grow up, is exactly the world they were meant to be in. Just as you were born in the right time and the right world to raise your child. Each generation has the capability to handle what’s ahead. So why fear for your child? Instead, let’s encourage the next generation to be brave, to be courageous, to know they CAN make the difference the world needs.

If the world does get worse, if it continues to get darker, do you know what your child could do? Your child could become the light this world needs. Your son or daughter could be that person that saves the life of someone in need, brings water and food to a nation in need, invents a life saving medicine or becomes a doctor who saves people each and every day. Your child could help bring peace to a local community, peace in a time of war, kindness where evil has been so present. Sometimes, the darker and scarier the world gets the more your light can shine. So I encourage you to raise your kids to be that light. To not be scared of what the world will become or what might happen. But to have courage and be brave. Be strong and do good for your neighbor. There is so much potential in this world. I don’t fear that my daughter will have a bad or horrible future. Instead, I have hope that she will bring joy, love and grace to the world and lead others to Jesus. She was born for such a time as this!

At the end of the day, I pray my daughter is courageous. I pray she is brave. I pray she is endlessly kind. It only takes one to start a positive revolution. I urge you to raise your kids to be the kind of people who change the world for the better. You never know what they were born to do on this earth!

Some verses I hope encourage you!

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let your hearts not be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27

The reality of the 4th trimester is that you can and most likely will be overwhelmed. Between the rush of emotions, the changes in your hormones and juggling a new baby at home; overwhelmed barely begins to cover it.

For me, it’s trying to balance working from home and the baby. I want to work and bring in income to help our family, but I also need to take care of my daughter. That adds endless stress to my day to day life. But more than that it makes me feel guilty. Guilty I’m not doing enough as a mom, guilty that I’m a bad employee, guilty I’m a bad wife, the list goes on and on. Those feelings are endless and overwhelming for me and a real part of my postpartum experience. I’ve never been good with change and babies are one of the biggest changes.

If you are pregnant and preparing for a baby, prepare for what life will look like postpartum. You don’t have it all figured out, but have a plan in place and be willing to make changes to the plan. For me, that means changing the plan up some. It means working hard during naps and then playing with Mia when she’s awake. It means letting go of being perfect and getting it all done. It means letting go of the fear of failing. I can’t do everything so I will do my best and be okay with it. I will trust that it’s okay to not be able to give 100% of myself to both things at all times of the day.

Postpartum, in my opinion, is harder than pregnancy. Because you need to prepare more for it and we don’t. We don’t focus on making a real effort to prepare ourselves emotionally, physically and spiritually for the change coming. So for those heading into their 4th trimester let me give you a virtual hug. It’s not easy and you are going to have tough moments. You will have moments of fear, moments you are overwhelmed, moments you don’t know what to do. It’s okay! You are not a bad mom for needing time to adjust to the changes you are facing. Take it one step, one day at a time. Be willing to make changes or be flexible as things come up. Life is short but you can do this!

Now that I’ve thoroughly depressed you, let me share the positives!! That even in the absolute hardest moments, in my weakest moments, my daughter is the best thing. She’s beautiful, fun, and brings so much joy to my life. It’s okay to acknowledge the hard parts and still love your child with every ounce of your being! So don’t feel bad for having rough moments, for getting postpartum depression, for needing extra help, for crying it out. You are human and this is a huge life change. Take all the time you need to adjust and don’t forget to take care of yourself! If you are in this season of life or have passed it, what are your favorite self care methods?! Let me know in the comments below!

All the love and support I can give! XOXO Kayla

Let me just start by saying the 4th trimester is one that’s the hardest to plan for. The life change that hits you once your baby is born is unreal. It’s like an earthquake that shakes up all you knew and makes you change and adapt at a moments notice. There’s a lot that you can do to prepare but a lot of this time is spent in trial and error. Trial and error just absolutely exhausts me and is one of the hardest things for me to overcome. It’s hard to not have a defined plan and have to adjust each day, sometimes each hour, to your babies needs. A we