Ushering in a pregnant pause
When life speeds up, sometimes a slow down is in order
IN ALL HONESTY | AT A GLANCE
This week’s column is for both free and paid subscribers, and it holds:
a featured story on slowing down
a space to deepen the conversation in community comments
Oh, and be sure to check out the last column:
Computer Love
My laptop screen stopped working last week. There were no warning signs, no preceding tumble from my bed to the ground. I just went to turn it on, gearing up for a few hours of admin-related Doula work, and my laptop screen never flashed to life...
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I choose to keep most of my life close to my heart these days, rarely sharing personal details with “the public” and even then, only with the utmost discernment. After years of sharing my life voraciously on social media, this quiet, close-knit way of connecting with my community feels the most soothing to my nervous system.
But there are big changes afoot in my neck of the woods, and it’s time to share some important news with you, my trusted reader:
I’m pregnant with Baby Young #3, and my due date is fast approaching!
My family and I are so excited to welcome this blessed new addition (we’ll find out if it’s a boy or girl on baby’s birthday), and we’re also allowing the arrival of another little one to help us make space for new rhythms.
In all honesty, I’ve been nervous about how I’m going to mother three children while still being a devoted wife, an attentive Doula and a woman who’s still discovering who she is.
These last few months, I’ve been big into implementing new organizational systems, rearranging our house to better suit the needs of our growing family and reflecting on how I can step into the birth portal while honoring my own postpartum healing and bonding phase.
I know that I will have to feel things out as I go. And I know that I cannot do it all. In fact, I’m truly looking forward to letting this transitional phase open up more spaciousness and creativity within our leaves.
Which leads me to my second announcement:
I’ll be putting this column on pause starting October 2024. I will continue my usual publication cadence through September 2024, and then I will begin my Maternity Leave. All paid subscriptions will be paused indefinitely starting October 2024 as well.
I’m not sure when this column will return. And I remember a time in the not-so-distant past where that level of uncertainty would have unnerved me. But the Maris I am today acknowledges that life is filled with stops and starts, and I am at peace with ushering in the pregnant pause.
Tell me: is there anything in your life that you’d like to put on pause?
As for me, I do not know exactly how things will unfold, and I am basking in the possibility of the unknown.
Rest well this weekend.