The Best Version of You
Have you heard the saying “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” I never really understood how to achieve big goals and eat my elephant until this past year. Since my son was born in September of 2020, I have experienced many physical and mental challenges.
Postpartum has been very intense for me. I had my baby boy during the height of the pandemic, and I was so eager to get home from the hospital, as you can imagine. It was only once I got home that I was told that my heartbeat was so high that I needed to go back to the hospital to be monitored. I was diagnosed with postpartum preeclampsia which meant I could have a heart attack or stroke at any moment. I asked them if I could bring my son back to the hospital with me and, to my surprise and understanding, they said no. I was a brand new mom, scared for my life, and unable to be with my tiny newborn baby, so I refused to go back and asked them for other options. For two weeks, I had to monitor my blood pressure with an at-home cuff 5 times a day and take heart medication to make sure my heartbeat would normalize. Almost every day during those two weeks I was lucky enough to talk with my OBGYN and she offered so much comfort and support. Preeclampsia is very common in pregnancy and usually resolves with the birth of the baby. Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly with women’s health), little is still known about the causes of postpartum preeclampsia.
After my heartbeat finally normalized, the stress of a newborn was far too real and I felt so much pressure to make sure he was safe. When he was inside me, I could keep him away from danger — wear a mask, minimize exposure to other people, etc. But once he was born, I was so scared that my perfect baby would get COVID-19. Little was still known about the virus then, and it was extremely stressful for me. It wasn’t until a vaccine came out, when he was about 10 months old, that I felt like I could breathe again.
I had been under so much stress — physically and mentally. I was overwhelmed and my body had really taken the brunt of my experience. I started to have intense nerve pain and limited mobility. I knew I had to make a change. I wanted to become the mom and woman I knew I could be. I owed it to myself and my son to be the best version of me.
So, I started, one day at a time, to make changes. I started to “eat the elephant.” I saw a pelvic floor therapist and I was given regular exercises that helped with my pain and mobility. It felt attainable only having five things to do every day for six minutes total. Small bites! Once that felt routine, I added in more movement — nothing crazy, just a day or so a week. Little by little, I got stronger. Then I added in a nutritionist who helped me see that I was severely protein deficient. Changing my diet and adding in more exercise changed me not only physically, but mentally, too.
I am still not at the end of my journey, but I feel so much stronger and resilient. I am in almost no pain and when I look in the mirror, I see who I know myself to be. Eating the elephant is not easy. It can feel like a daunting task. But I can tell you first hand that taking care of yourself is worth it! You deserve to be supported in whatever way makes you the best version of you.
