The Milk Academy

Repost. Art and words by

“ I will never understand

How we send women into the battlefield of birth

Armed with nothing more than good vibes and a relaxing playlist

To combat a system built to break us

And with the heavy baggage of expectation

That birth will be nothing short of a transcendent spiritual experience

Where you’re supposed to meet god and find your power and become one with the universe

With your face buried in the sterile plastic of a hospital pillow

Doing your best to imitate those earthy hums from Instagram birth videos

While it feels like your insides are being ripped out

And then

They send us home

Shaken and stitched up

Leaking and bleeding—and grieving, too

To empty houses (that we’re still expected to clean)

Filled with tiny humans (that we’re still expected to feed)

With nothing more than some industrial pads and a water bottle with a straw

And then, when we dare express the soul crushing weight of

Trying to “bounce back” and carry on

As though we did not just go to battle and break open

And rebirth ourselves

Along with a brand new human

Who we are now sustaining with our body

While living on protein bars and freezer pizza and 2 hours of non-consecutive sleep

Waking up drenched in sweat and breast milk and uncontrollable tears

They slap a quick “postpartum anxiety” label on us

As though

Feeling the crushing weight of carrying humanity forward

Is a mental health disorder.

No sir.

We are not broken.

We are mothers.

The most beautiful, tender, fierce expression of existence.

Buried under the expectation that we must do life’s most sacred work

Silently, in the shadows, with no support

We are connection, softness, safety, ease.

Thrown into systems hellbent on destruction.

We are human. And we are hurting.”

Postpartum is yours. Take back this period in your life by letting go of these 5 “Ps”.

Plans
Productivity
Perfection
Pressure
People Pleasing

every mother in the same.

grief and sorrow outweighed
the pressure of a thousand submarines
perched upon our chests
as ours rise and fall

we hold our babies
sheltered by our beating hearts
breath so perfectly synced to ours

we mourn with our sisters
and catch the screams
to lift the unyielding heartache
of a mothers grief

for their children
their babies
our children

I cannot begin to imagine the grief and horror families in Israel and Palestine are experiencing. But I am a mother. As I hold my newborn daughter on my chest, I grieve with every mother, in any point of time, who has ever done the same.

Expecting a new baby this year? 👶🏽 What better way to prepare for your new arrival than a date night out! 

Pathway to Parenthood, a Denver based collective of experts in women, children, and families, is hosting the PERFECT event to help equip you with the network of people you need to help you along your journey, all while having a little bit of fun.

Come join us Thursday March 02nd at the Children’s Museum of Denver at Marisco Campus for this event! 

What’s included in this event? We’ve got lined up for you: 
✨Food trucks
✨Non alcoholic beverages from Gruvi
✨Raffles
✨Event tote bag with useful freebies
✨Over 30+ vendor tables from everything including baby gear companies, mental health professionals, health care providers, sleep specialists, lactation consultants, doulas, infant movement companies, local community groups, nutritionists and supplement companies and MANY more!

PLUS! 

Educational breakout sessions from local experts in the collective including:

🔹Jamie Grayson - CPST and Baby Gear Expert
🔹Dr. Brita DeStefano - Pediatric Physical Therapist and owner of Progress Through Play
🔹Dawn Winkleman - Speech Language Pathologist and product designer for ezpz.
🔹Dr. Laura Vanston - Pediatric nurse Practitioner and owner of Inspire Pediatrics
🔹Brittani Edds - IBCLC and owner of The Milk Academy
🔹Courtney and Annie - Pelvic Floor Therapists and owners of Own your Pelvic Health with
🔹Kaylan and Kiera - Registered Nurses, Doulas and owners of Baby Mama Co

Come for the education, stay for the freebies, the fun, and the community.
 
Tickets are $25 per person / $30 per couple. VIP tickets (eligible for big box raffle items) are $75 per couple. Head to my link in bio for tickets!

We can’t wait to see you there!