Almost a year ago, in the early hours of the morning I became a mother. We welcomed our baby girl in the peace and calm of our bedroom surrounded by skilled professionals.
One of the ideas that resonated with me while preparing for birth was to imagine all the women around the world that were birthing at that same time and then to imagine all those that had done so before me. There is so much power in the collective acts of women both large and small. And that morning I was ushered into the sacred space of motherhood.
I’m so thankful for the freedom to have chosen when and if I wanted to be a mother, where I wanted to birth and that we have access to resources to meet her needs.
As I reflect on my first year as a mom, I can’t help but think about the ways becoming a mom has connected me more to women I haven’t even met. It brought me deeper understanding of the ways we all need each other and that being a mom is one of the toughest gigs out there. This time feels simultaneously like the longest most exhausting year and the shortest most joyful one. I cannot believe how many emotions can be packed into the first year of motherhood.
Often when I’m singing and rocking Maia to sleep, I think about the women all around the world doing the same thing. I have experienced deeper compassion and empathy for those mothers in refugee camps, rural villages in Ghana, struggling with mental illness, caring for sick children or in homes where their partner is violent. And initially, I’m met with sheer gratitude for the place I currently find myself. And then I’m met with the question, “how can I impact the world to make it a more just place for girls, women, moms and their babies?”
It has been a journey to create the space to stay engaged in the issues I feel passionate about amidst the daily routine with a little one. Then I remember that I am raising a peacemaker, a world leader of the future. My actions as a mother are changing the world. Women and mothers around the world pour themselves into making life better for their families despite enormous obstacles. Even in the absence of a mother, women are strong and rise. As Ijeoma Umebinyuo recently said, “Bless the daughters who sat, carrying the trauma of mothers. Who sat asking for more love, and not getting any, carried themselves to light.” Revolutions begin in the huts and homes where women are educated, empowered and inspired. Women helping women brings light and healing.
I love staying connected to the spirit of women in the majority world through my work with Rural Health Collaborative. The Kekeli women are a shining example of women creating change in their villages in Ghana. My last visit was to train women on the Home Based Life Saving Skills Curriculum. As I listened to the stories women shared around pregnancy, birth and postpartum I was amazed at what many had journeyed through and witnessed. Their desire to learn and solve problems within their communities inspires me.
I’m working to find the beauty of creating balance in motherhood. To remember the ways we’re all connected and working to bring health and love to our families wherever they are in the world. Staying engaged and inspired while mothering is important to me so my daughter will grow up realizing she too can make a difference. As we celebrate moms today, may we ask how we can play a part in improving the health of women, mothers, babies and families within our own communities and abroad?
