She Conquers Motherhood: Recent Episodes
Danika
Motherhood is HARD. It's lonely, it's overwhelming & filled with so much emotion. It's not only our children who grow & learn. We moms grow & learn as well.We all have different ideas of what being a good mom means. We have different religious and cultural beliefs, morals, values & traumas. We are all different but the one thing we all have in common is that we all FEEL. We are all working to be the best moms we can be and that brings up so much emotion, trauma & healing. So even though were all very different, were very much the same. This journey is hard for ALL of us. So listen in as I talk about my own motherhood journey. The ups. The downs. The epiphanies, guilt, doubt, fears & JOY. In sharing my perspective on motherhood I hope to create a space for moms to come to when they feel lonely. Because we all know just how lonely motherhood can be.
Hello & welcome back to another episode!
This week I'm back with another 'What I Want to Teach my Daughter' episode and this one is about relationships.
Relationships are the foundation of our existence in this world. We are born into a culture, a society, a family & spend our entire lives building relationships with people all around us.
WE are the very first relationship that our children create and it is the point of reference for all their future relationships. Our relationship with our children sets the foundation for the rest of their lives. They build relationships with people based on their relationship with us.
So naturally, I often think about what I would like to teach my daughter about relationships.
Today, I discuss 4 lessons that I would like to share with my own daughter, in the hopes that she will carry them with her throughout her life, when building relationships of her own.
Thank you for listening!
Enjoy!
I'm back!
Finally recovered from being sick these past 2 months, I'm excited to be back!
This week is an update. On motherhood, Elena's second birthday & being overwhelmed.
Being a mom is hard because we are constantly forgetting to take care of ourselves and when it's been 2 years that you havent had a night to yourself, you tend to lose your mind just a little.
Tune in as I share what's been going on with me, my daughter & all the feelings in between.
Enjoy!
Extended Breastfeeding.
Before having my own daughter, I had never even seen a toddler being breastfed, especially not in public. The moms who are breastfeeding their toddlers & young children are hiding in the closet - literally! Society, social media & family pressure have us believe that we should be formula feeding, that we shouldn't breastfeed past 6 months, that our children will be scarred for life if they just so happen to remember, that its sexual, that its disgusting.
This is simply not true. There is so much BAD information out there and the lack of education and support for moms who want to breastfeed is a lot of the time - is just not there. In fact, education and support is lacking for formula moms too!
Tune in to hear my story with regard to breastfeeding my almost 2 year old daughter. For me & for many others, breastfeeding fulfills us and makes us happy. For others, that's just not the case & that's okay!
Whether you breastfeed, formula feed, pump, are in the process of weaning because of whatever reason.... no matter how you choose to feed your baby, just remember, you are conquering motherhood!
I of course can't speak on formula feeding because that's just not a part of my story so to all the breastfeeding moms - I feel you. I see you.
Thank you for listening!
Motherhood is already hard enough as it is. Now, we're facing motherhood & a global pandemic!
I became a mom 5 months before the WHO declared a pandemic. It was so unexpected and not at all like how I thought my first experience as a mom would be like. I was terrified, to say the least. Thrown into a black hole of fear, worry, overthinking, stress & the unknown. It was so scary. But it wasn't all bad!
Tune in to hear my experience being a first time mom during a global pandemic. The struggles, the joys & the big lessons I learned in the first few months. It hasn't been easy but my journey as a mom has happened exactly the way it was supposed to. So I could learn the lessons. To heal. To be the best mom I can be to Elena.
No matter how the pandemic has affected you, know you are not alone. You are the best mom for your little one & you are conquering motherhood! We all are.
Thank you for listening. Hope you enjoy! You can find me @danikamb on insta!
Throughout my entire pregnancy I had been waiting for this moment, anticipating it, envisioning it. Labour, birth & holding my baby in my arms for the first time - the entire experience was the most profound experience of my entire life. Little did I realize, the labour is just the beginning! The beginning of a whole new life - a whole new ME!
I LOVED listening to birth stories when I was pregnant. It gave me some idea of what to expect. Something to hold on to. I spent so much time preparing for this exact moment & it did NOT go at all like how I thought it would.
Today, I share my birth story. From first contraction to holding Elena in my arms for the first time. It was love at first sight & I keep falling deeper in love with her every single day. She gives my life meaning & purpose & so much joy. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Giving birth was the hardest thing I've ever done but it was BY FAR the most rewarding.
No matter what your birth story is, no matter what it is going to be..... it doesn't define you as a mom. Remember, we are all conquering!
Thank you for listening, sharing, subscribing & giving me this space to share my story.
you can find me on insta @danikamb
Who else has a toddler who's driving them crazy??
When my daughter was a baby I spent so much time trying to prepare for toddlerhood. I read books & articles & listened to podcasts so that I would not get surprised. Now, I know that you just cannot fully prepare for toddlerhood.
Toddlerhood is NOT at all what I thought it was going to be. Yes, I knew there would be tantrums & big feelings but I had no idea how DRAINING it would be.
Today, I share my thoughts on toddlerhood. How I try to handle Elena's big feelings, what kind of parenting styles I resonate with most & how I feel/what I do when she drives me nuts.
Our toddlers trigger us in so many ways and handling my toddler is probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. She's not a baby anymore and its a whole new world. Having a toddler is the best thing ever. But also the hardest thing ever.
Just remember, no matter what kind of mom you are - whatever style resonates with you, just know that you are a good mom! You are conquering motherhood! We all are.
Thank you for listening and I will see you next week!
This is a huge debate in the mom world. We are constantly being told that one way is better than the other. Either you're a stay at home mom being shamed for staying home & being lazy OR you're a working mom being shamed for not spending enough time with your kids.
The comments. The judgement. The shaming. Its everywhere.
Here, I share my opinion on the topic as I know what its like to be both a stay at home mom & a working mom. I've lived both sides of the coin & I know what its like to feel shame and guilt on both ends.
You can never win. Its impossible to please everyone. Some moms can be stay at home moms & that's what works for them. Other moms love being working moms & THAT'S what works for them. & a lot of us have no choice but to work because, well - life!
Just remember, no matter what kind of mom you are, no matter what decisions you make for your kids.... you will never be able to please everyone. Not every other mom out there is going to agree with what you choose to do with YOUR life. So might as well live it, right?
YOU are what's best for your kid. Any choice you make for your family, yourself & your kids is the right decision. Embrace all aspects of who you are as a mom. Don't shame yourself or feel guilty for being home with your kids or working to provide for your kids. Whichever you choose - IT IS OKAY!
Just because you stay home - does not make you a bad mom.
Just because you work - does not make you a bad mom.
Embrace the season in which you are in right now & have the confidence in knowing that you are the best mom for your kid.
You are conquering. I am conquering. We are all conquering motherhood.
Enjoy!
you can find me on insta @danikamb
We moved!
This is a quick look back on the last 6 months of my life. The last 6 months have been SO hard for me. I've struggled with a lot of new changes (hello motherhood!), but one of the hardest things I experienced was losing my home.
I've spent the last 6 months looking for a new place to live - a new place to call home. The experience has brought up so much emotion. Fear. Worry. Shame. It's been a very scary & overwhelming space to be in.
By the grace of a higher power, we found our new home just a couple weeks before we had to move. Now, we are officially moved in and the joy & sheer gratitude has been so overwhelming. The biggest weight I've ever felt has finally been lifted from my shoulders.
Here, I share my experience.
If you are a mom struggling to put a roof over your children's heads, I feel you. I'm lucky to be able to provide for my baby & have some rare gems who would take me in if I needed help but I know what its like to feel shame and guilt and worry about providing a safe place for my baby. Because I honestly felt that.
To any mom struggling with this - I see you, I feel you, I understand you.
You are not alone. You are not a bad mom.
Thank you for listening!
You can find me @danikamb on insta.
It's only been 21 months since holding my daughter in my arms for the first time but SO much has changed! I'm a completely different person since becoming a mom and I think this is true for all moms. Our children put us on a whole new life path & its hard, overwhelming, scary, exciting, beautiful & every other emotion in between.
Today, I share 5 of the biggest lessons I've learned (& that I'm still learning) since becoming a mom all those months ago. I share about:
-Learning the art of presence
-Working on myself to be the best mom I can be
-How my own mom was right all along
-Having faith in knowing that I'm the best mom for my daughter & that I know what's best
-How time is going by way too fast!
What are the lessons you've learned since becoming a mom?
If this resonates, please share with someone who you think this might resonate with too. You can find me on insta @danikamb See you there!
Our children learn just by looking at us. We are their role models. Their guides. We are their teachers in this lifetime. They chose US for a reason.
I believe that it is our job as mothers to take a step back and analyze our habits & behaviours, so that we can work to be better for our kids & to teach them a better way.
We strive every day to be the best moms we can be. Some days we feel like were on top of the world, conquering motherhood. Other days we feel like the worst moms ever. But as long as you try your best & work to be better than you were yesterday, you are conquering!
Tune in to hear about a couple things I would like to teach my daughter through my relationship with her. Some days, I feel so good about how I am with her. Other days I feel like a huge failure. And that's okay! I'm still conquering. Every single day.
The fear of f-ing up. We all have it. Different for every mom but there, none the less.
Today, I talk about my fear as a mom. What f-ing up means to ME.
As moms, its our job to look within ourselves to try to see ourselves a bit more clearly, to understand ourselves a little better.
I challenge you to sit with this question: What does being a good mom mean to me?
We have to do the work so as to not project our traumas onto our kids but where do we start? It starts with looking within. Because they learn just by watching us. & WE are their guides. Talk about pressure, right?
I just want to say that even though you may have this intense fear of screwing up motherhood, just remember that whatever you do, however which way you choose to mother your kids, if you're waking up with the intention to do your best - to be better than you were yesterday, you are without a shadow of a doubt CONQUERING motherhood, no matter how your kids turn out.
Who they become is not our fault. We can only do the best with what we have.
Repeat after me: I AM A GOOD MOM.
you can find me on insta @danikamb where I share my journey through motherhood & my love for all things food.
When you're a mom, putting yourself first is probably one of the hardest things you can do. You feel like you're betraying your kids, like you're a bad mom. The guilt can get so overwhelming that you can go months without doing something that makes YOU happy.
You spend all your free time with your kids because you feel like you have to but you're yelling & angry & overwhelmed ALL THE TIME.
Today, tune in to listen to the epiphany of the week! How can I fill Elena's cup if my cup isn't full? I run around like a chicken with it's head cut off, trying to fill everyone else's cups & checking off the to do lists without ever thinking of what I need.
Filling my own cup is one of the hardest things to do as a mom but its not selfish. It's not a betrayal. It's probably the most loving thing I can do for myself & my daughter. When you fill your own cup, you have more love to pour into everyone else's cups. So although, it may be hard, choosing YOU is the most radical act of self love you can ever give yourself & your kids.
Thank you for taking 20 minutes to listen to my story. Hoping it can help you realize to put YOURSELF first for once!
My insta handle is @danikamb! Its the place where I share my truth about motherhood & my love for all things food! See you there
Before I became a mom I could never have understood just how much my mom loves me. I had zero appreciation for her and didn't realize all that she did for me.
Having my own daughter gave me the opportunity to heal that part of me.
Today, I talk about my relationship with my own mom. I have a whole new perspective when it comes to my mom. I recognize all that she did for me & realize that she did her best. I talk about ancestral trauma & how I manifested Elena through my relationship with my own mom.
Elena has made me realize that my mom was conquering motherhood everyday. & it took having my own daughter to realize that.
My mom conquered motherhood... & you do too!
EVERY DAMN DAY!
thank you for tuning in & listening!
rate, review, subscribe & share!
you can find me on insta @danikamb
I was a stay at home mom for 18 months. Now? I'm a working mom & let me tell you..... it is HARD. Being a stay at home mom was hard. Being a working mom is hard. No matter what, being a mom is hard.
Tune in to listen to my experience with going back to work after 18 months of being glued to my baby, developing a very intimate routine and connection with her. The transition has been one of the hardest of my entire life (yes, more difficult than having a baby!)
I've experienced both sides of the coin and I bow down to all moms, working or not. Raising kiddos is no easy task and no matter what kind of mom you are. Just remember that you are the best mom for your baby. You are bad-ass. You are conquering!
find me on IG @danikamb
Us moms have a TON of weight on our shoulders. From work to taking care of our kids, life can sometimes get straight up overwhelming. It can get easy to forget to take actual time to BE with our kids. Just BE. Kids have this incredible ability to live in the present moment, soaking up all that life has to offer. For adults? Its not as easy.
Today, I share the epiphany I had this past Mother's Day. My daughter, Elena is my greatest teacher & it's important to drop down into the world of presence to really appreciate all that life has to offer. Remember to take a step back today to actually smell the roses!
Hoping this resonates with a mama out there! Thanks for tuning in. Enjoy!
IG handle: danikamb
hoping to connect with YOU, beautiful mama.
Welcome to She Conquers Motherhood! & Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's conquering the hardest job in the world.
As a first time mom, I spent SO much time planning and preparing to bring my new little life into the world. I went into motherhood thinking that I was ready for it all & then..... I gave birth to a baby. AN ACTUAL BABY! & my whole world was flipped upside down. Everything that I thought I knew about motherhood went right out the window & with it came so much emotion.
The thing is, motherhood is not something that you can prepare for. Yes, you can prepare to take care of a newborn but motherhood doesn't end at the newborn stage. It is a lifelong commitment that takes so much work and can be so overwhelming (especially for us sensitive mamas).
It's not only about taking care of a newborn. As a mom, its my JOB to yes, take care of my daughter but also, to teach her everything! Talk about PRESSURE!
Our children look up to us for guidance and support and its our job to heal ourselves from all that we are so that we can be the best moms that we can be. So that we can teach our kids how to be good, decent, confident, loving human beings.
We are guides, mentors, teachers & a shoulder to cry on. WE ARE MOMS! & we are ALL conquering motherhood, whether we feel like we are or not.
Thank you for tuning in! You can find me @danikamb on insta.