To the Young Mothers...

 By Emma Christoff

I had 4 ten pound babies.

Yea you read that right. One was only 9 and a half pounds, but 2 were over 10 and a half, so I figure it's easier to just say 4 ten pounders. I spent an entire decade trying to meet their needs as best and as quickly as I could.

Unfortunatly, I ignored my own.

I carried them all on my right hip because I was left handed and could complete complex tasks more efficiently with my left hand. Some of these little ones were almost 30 pounds before they walked well enough to not be carried. Once, I lifted a 12-year-old out of a grocery cart. She was stuck and panicking, and I had her 3 little sisters to keep an eye on in the middle of a busy Sams Club all by myself. That little stint put me in the hospital with a disc herniation, but I still didn't listen to my body. I needed help.

Now, I have spent the last three weeks flat on my back, nursing severe pain from separated SI​ joints... again. This is the 5th time I've been laid up with this injury. The last time I spent 5 days in the hospital and came home in a wheelchair.

Now I can't be there for my kids in the ways I'd like because I didn't prioritize my own health 20 years ago.

What if I had called a friend to go with me to the store? What if I had chiropractic and physical therapy before, during, AND after pregnancy?

What if I had simply switched my babies to the left hip every once in a while?

Moms, please don't do what I did. Try to balance everything in your lives. I know it's a lot, the baby is screaming, and it feels like there is never enough time, money, patience, or peace. Take a breath, and take a minute.

Just like compound interest, those minutes of self care will pay off big time over the long run. Later, the kids will thank you for the patience they've learned, and the lesson in balance you've taught them. ;)