Julie Kieras
·
July 10, 2012
See the mom in this photo? She’s been a mom for exactly one year. You see a happy smile, bright eyes, and a one-year old in a baby carrier.
She is me.
I am the mother in this photo. But… there is so much more you don’t see. Let me show you.
Like most mothers, I dreamed only of snuggling my baby close to me when he arrived – that mysterious child who rode underneath my heart for nine months – I wanted him to hear my heartbeat as long as possible.
However, struggles with breastfeeding, as well as severe scoliosis (curvature of the spine), made this impossible.
Tears, as I tried to hold my baby close, only to recoil in pain caused by months of struggles with breastfeeding.
Discouragement, as I tossed aside yet another carrier style because within minutes my back and shoulders were in searing pain. You see, most carriers I tried (I even made one myself), either put the baby’s weight on my shoulders, or asymmetrically across my body.
Since my spine is curved badly, one shoulder