You've given great advice so far from your own experiences. Do you have any advice for women who might be in similar shoes?
I've realized with all the moms I've met and all the stories I've heard that we all sometimes struggle in an area, and struggle is within all of us. We don't always get exactly what we want in the time that we want it, or things happen and things fall in our lap in the most difficult moments. That's why you have to brace on yourself, and the process is not always easy.
The most important thing is to allow the process and allow yourself to take the journey that you're on, even if it's painful. Even if it's difficult, there's so much that can come from that. Your story is going to be told one day or it's something within yourself, but it's for a purpose. If we allow that, we learn so much more, and we give ourselves grace and we're able to balance so much more, and it's really important.
For me, personally, I didn't understand as soon as I gave birth to my son why this was happening to me. I was like, in a way, "What did I do wrong?" I started to victimize myself, and all my insecurities started in here, in my mind, and it started to work me up. The more I got in my head about it, the more things were falling apart. Even though it was out of my control, [it's] something that could happen to any of us, because I got an infection with my C-section birth, and it wasn't something that I did to myself, but you start to internalize. The most important thing is to let the process take.
"Don't avoid the process" is my best advice. Let it take its course because you never know what's going to come out of it. Many times, you're gaining strength you'll need to be the best mom you can. I thought everything was going to be so easy because it seemed to be easy, and I was in a very positive headspace, and I expected the journey to continue that way. Everything totally shifted, and I'm thankful to have a healthy baby, but in my perspective, I was struggling so much that I didn't really understand why it was happening.
Here we are three years later. If I would've had a natural birth and everything would've gone how I planned it to go, I would've never been featured in Sports Illustrated with a C-section because I would've had a natural birth. That opportunity came around three years later. Before, I was in a hospital room not understanding why. Now, I know why. I also appreciate every single minute I have with my son so much more. We are so unbelievably close because I lost eight days of his very first week on earth with him because I was in a hospital. I valued that time so differently, and my whole perspective changed.
Great advice, something I'll definitely turn to in those dark moments.
It's not easy. It never is. No matter what the process is or the journey, that's for sure.
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This interview has been edited for clarity.
