Symbolic Projections

Making time to reflect on what has been one roller-coaster of a year. 2016 began on a high note, after the completion of the #creativedeed365 project from the year before. It took a couple weeks, but I was soon all wrapped up in mandalas once more. Re-Covering Creative Tracks (March) The Courage to be Pregnant and a Therapist: Over 12 Months Ago... Another Spark of Life First Trimester: Changes in Imagery & Practices Resilience Through the Second Trimester Planned Birth & Other Fairy Tales Postpartum Blues After Maternity Leave The Mindless Doodle ...and 2016 draws to a close.

So after the baby finally comes - you get to go home and be a happy little family. Right!? Late one August night. Eventually, yes. However, as many "what to expect" and "new mom" books foretell, after the baby exits, your body starts re-calibrating itself. The first few days to weeks are intense. There's physical healing that needs to take place, returning your bits to their new "normal". There's a flush of retained fluids, and hormones are all over the place. All while navigating sleep deprivation and being chewed-on (if you're BF). You're also having to take a crash course in a new "language", that of your newborn's cues and cries. So even after reading 'those' mom books and tons of webMB cites, I didn't notice when the crying started. Latching was a huge issue and nursing was torturous. I cried through a good bit of it. Felt guilty that she may share in my anguish -- so I tried sucking it up. White-nukli...