Devon Ledbetter is a writer and editor based in Florida. She holds a BA in English from Florida State University. She currently formerly worked as a Digital Editor with Love What Matters and has previously had works published with College Magazine and Her Campus. Her favorite pastimes include beach trips, baking, and concerts. You can learn more about Devon through her portfolio https://dnl16b.wixsite.com/ledbetter-portfolio
“Without much explanation, the doctor headed back to her office to look over the measurements, leaving me to delve into Google. Without enough info, full of fear and armed with nothing but shock and anxiety, I stumbled upon scary statistics, a lack of information and words that seemed jumbled on the page.”
“I had my 20-week anatomy scan. This is always my favorite appointment, where the sonographer details every portion of the growing baby, and I go home to put a perfect sonogram photo on the fridge. This appointment was different.”
“The girl in the hospital bed who could barely walk across the room wouldn’t believe she’d be walking her baby in a stroller, with her trusty poodle by her side, taking care of a home, husband, and a baby all while working full time.”
“My husband and son felt like they always had to walk on eggshells around me to prevent one of them from triggering me.”
“There are times we lose ourselves – to depression, to motherhood, to stress, to comparison – and we don’t know how to find our way back.”
“I know it’s hard seeing these girls you long to look like and hating what you see in the mirror. I know it’s hard to feel pressured by what size you ‘should’ be. But I wish you could see what I see now.”
“Our little ones are off their schedules. They are bored. They are stir crazy. They are filled with pent-up energy, creativity, and socialization. Nothing about this situation is ideal.”
“You can read the books, seek advice, and get the room ready. But until the baby comes, no one‘s ever sure what it’s going to be like for them. We are all just guessing, learning, and trying to adapt to our ever-changing lives.”
“You’ll probably go through periods of hating me and thinking I just don’t get it, mumbling, ‘Whatever, mom,’ under your breath. But I hope you know I will still be here for you.”
“I’m not grieving WHO he is. I grieve the parts which bring me to my knees in tears – watching what his little body has to endure.”
