Christina Kaczynski (28 - she/her) and Vincent (6 mo)
Buffalo, NY
How has parenthood impacted your body image?
I have become so much more confident and comfortable with my body. My marathon labor showed me that I am extremely tough physically and Ive learned to push myself through things that old me would have given up on before.
What was your postpartum experience?
Im a first time mom and had no clue how bad my hormones would fluctuate! The first 2 weeks I cried after any guests left because it was so stressful for me to watch someone else hold my baby. I also did not really sleep much in that first month because I was so anxious that he would stop breathing. Then I received my placenta capsules and those bad boys really helped my anxiety! I figured out safe sleeping practices and we finally got a groove. Then just after going back to work and doing way to much around the house, I had this terrible dream that my son died and there wasn't anything I could do to help him. I reached out to a friend and she made me see how out of balance I was. We're almost 7 months in and still adjusting but things are going well. Always working on the mom/me balance!
Why did you choose to participate in this movement and share your story?
I was lucky enough to have the resources and support to have an all natural out of hospital birth. My birth was extremely empowering to me. 79 hrs of labor will do that to ya, make you feel unstoppable! So why not share.