Mama Speaks

This week's Phenomenal Mom has asked to remain anonymous.  What I can tell you is that she is a wonderful mother, and I admire her courage and strength to speak out about Post-Partum Depression (PPD).  It is a very really illness, but many studies find that moms don't get help because of the stigma.  When I read her story, I got the chills because many of her words felt as though they were my own.  Thank you to this old friend of mine for bringing this into the light and giving hope and knowledge to so many.            When our first son was born, I was completely overjoyed. I had immediate overwhelming unconditional love for him. My husband (boyfriend at the time) and I knew right away, we wanted to have another child. We wanted our children to be close in age so they would play well together. After our son reached his first birthday, baby fever started to set in. We got pregnant for the second time when our old...

My wonderful friend Amanda of Wife. Mama. Educator. is guest posting for this week's Phenomenal Mom Friday.  Her post comes just in time for World Breastfeeding Week , August 1st-7th.  Amanda is a breastfeeding champ and lactivist.  She shares her perspective below... I breastfeed my son, Ezra. He’s two.   When I was pregnant I knew I’d breastfeed. I just knew breastfeeding was normal—what moms did with babies. I was breastfed for 9 months. My sister breastfed her kids. My closest friends breastfed their children. Even my cousin, who had a baby at 18, attempted breastfeeding. I guess you could say I had a strong foundation laid for me. Friends I could count on and ask for advice, who bought me nursing pads and nipple cream even when they weren’t on my registry. I took a breastfeeding class. My husband happily accompanied me. He supported me, because even though he wasn’t breastfed, he saw the value. Simply put, I had a pro-breastfeeding support system. ...

This week's Phenomenal Mom is Amber, mom of 3 amazing kiddos.  We met years ago through a military wives/girlfriends support group (I've dated a couple of military guys...) on AOL.  I still remember when she shared her news about Ethan with us, way back when.  Here's her story...   Amber & baby Ethan It is so ironic. You spend nine months saying "I cant wait to meet him/her" and get anxious at the very thought of seeing their perfect little face. Then when they arrive you want nothing more than to put them right back in your snug little tummy. At least there you could control what happened to them...to a point. Children have no idea how fast they can send a mother into a full blown panic attack, and sometimes over something simple like a cut on the knee! "I can't see where the blood is coming from, there's so much of it!" A mothers biggest fear is losing their child(ren) whether it be to death or some incurable disease or disorder t...

This week's phenomenal mom is a friend of mine who has become an even better friend with our babies just 4 months apart in age.  As you read Jen's story, you will come to find out that had things gone differently, our babies may have been days apart.  I am so honored to share this story, as it has been one that has really touched me as a mom.  I think it will touch your hearts as well.   For some, being pregnant and having a family comes easy.   For some, the throwing up, the back aches, the swollen feet, the big belly, the heartburn, and the labor are something to complain about.   For some, late night feedings, screaming, red faced babies, tantrums, being totally exhausted are things that are annoying…for me and my husband, those things are some of God’s greatest gifts.  Let’s go back 5 years!  It was May 2006 and I was getting ready to marry my best friend.  We had it all figured out...we had finished school, got great jobs, we were gettin...