Recently, we had the privilege of spending an hour with a licensed mental health counselor, Holly Smith. Holly is not new to our village, she was a staple in our community for years, as a community creator (known then as our playdate captain) in our original Brandon location. She was amazing at bringing our mamas together then, and continues to be amazing as she steps back into the mental health space serving families in such an impactful way.
Holly spent 60 minutes with us, gently taking us through 5 universal needs of mothers, bringing them to life in ways that we could understand and can relate to, and then facilitated a safe space to open up and share our own experiences. It takes a village to raise a mama - Holly understands this in her bones, she said spending time with our FIT4MOM community again felt like “coming home,” we were so grateful to have her back with us.
I scribbled notes throughout her workshop, anxious to relay her wisdom to more mamas who were unable to attend, and reshare with those who were able to share that space with us. Below are pieces of our time together, reviewed by her of course.
When we embrace motherhood, we shift into a new version of ourselves. Sometimes we crave returning to our old selves, but simply put, that person no longer exists. We are new, we are now mama, and while that is an evolving new person, we are also now carrying pieces of past generations, the mothers before us and before them. It’s beautiful, messy, overwhelming, it carries unattainable society standards, too many hats to rotate each day, new feelings and unknown trails ahead. But there is hope in finding our way, if given the knowledge of what we innately need.
Holly share with us our five universal needs as we transition into this motherhood and continue to evolve in that space. Five simple yet powerful needs that will fulfill what our bodies are craving to feel whole, and nourished, taken care of, our needs met, to feel at peace. Extended rest, nourishing food, loving touch, presence of wise woman and spiritual companions, contact with nature. Sounds obvious right? But - these needs are often not met, asked for, or acknowledged. We want that to change.
Extended Rest: 20-60 days of rest, bonding with baby. Doesn’t that sound glorious? We know this is very much a privilege not everyone has immediately after baby, so this will look different for everyone, but we encourage you find what that can look like for you in planning and embracing the stillness when possible in those first few weeks after baby. Out of the new baby season? Help a new mama find that rest, encourage her to be still, offer to take her older kids to the park, or help with morning routine if possible.