Valuing heath-unhealthy. Quite the oxymoron.

With the right mix of a need for control and perfectionism, being a health-conscious parent like I am can be very harmful indeed. The following is a true story (hint, it’s my story after my first was born).

I had already been a health coach for two years when my first was born. I was immersed into the wellness world and devoured books and podcasts on any occasion. Needless to say, I had spent a large part of my pregnancy reading up on how to have a healthy pregnancy, a ‘natural’ labor (the brackets are intentional as I’ve stopped using this term for a while now, but it was very much how I described it back then) and for my baby to have the healthiest start in life. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s quite normal to want the best for your baby.

Here’s what I had decided would happen no matter what:

• I was not going to have a C-section
• I was not going to have an induction nor an epidural
• I was going to exclusively breastfeed my baby for at least 2 years
• I was going to eat only organic foods and would prepare everything for her from scratch
• I wouldn’t take any video calls near her because I didn’t want to harm her head with radiation
• I wouldn’t give her any medication if I could help it
• and more…

Except I had given myself no room for error.

Any seasoned mum that reads this list will know that the probability of following all these things to a T is small. I had to learn this the hard way. Not checking all the boxes on my list (duh) made me think that I was harming my baby, that I had failed her already. I wasn’t able to bond with her for the first few months because of it. The examples I gave were of my postpartum months, but there are many more  from the next few years of her life. Until one day, I realised I could do something about the self-inflicting stress that was making me miserable.

If you, like me, feel like you have to be perfect and get everything right, or that you can control every outcome, then parenting will be the most anxiety-provoking thing you will every experience.

Can you check all the boxes on your list? Sure. Do you have to? No.

If you don’t want the stress and overwhelm to be so debilitating that it literally takes over your life, schedule a call with me to see how I can help you.

Parenting doesn’t go away, and it’s full of unpredictability and imperfection. You deserve to live a life of ease and flow, while continuing to value health.