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Meet Courtney Renee from Atlanta!

 

Welcome! How are you feeling today mama?

Today I am feeling ok. Had a stressful day at work yesterday that has pushed me to pursuing my LLC and being a full time, hands-on stay at home mom. These jobs not worth the added stress! 

How many children do you have?

1

How old were you when you had your first child?

28

Do you remember your initial reaction when you found out you were pregnant?

 My menstrual was late and I just figured it was a day or two off because it was Christmas of 2018. My child’s father told me to take a test but I was for sure that my menstrual was coming because I was experiencing the symptoms. When it didn’t come, I took 2 tests because I just didn’t believe the first one was right (silly me). Overall, I was calm and realized that I was about to begin the most important journey of my life.

What first comes to mind when you think of mental health?

Peace. Not allowing outside factors to disturb your overall state of peace; Being able to choose what you allow into your space and having the courage to walk away from anything that is not aiding to help you become a better version of self; having the courage to say that you’re not ok all the time.

Do you suffer from any mental illnesses yourself?

No, I do experience mild panic attacks when overwhelmed but they happen very few and far. 

How was your mental health before you became a mama? How has motherhood changed or improved your mental health?

Before I would say my mental health was excellent. During, I would say it went down with the hormone changes and stresses of insuring I was doing everything properly to deliver a healthy baby. After, things are starting to look back up. Those 2 weeks postpartum were the toughest to get through. 

How do you self care?

This is harder now than ever before. I’m a simple self carer. Showers are my thing, but trying to do that with a 4 m. old is not easy. I’ve also realized that I feel guilty when trying to do things for myself because I feel like I need to focus on my daughter and her needs all the time. As if caring for myself is selfish in a sense

Advice for other mamas:

It’s ok not to be ok! – seek and receive help with its available; you don’t have to be super mom. Although it is hard to walk away from this belief, you can.

ALSO…

DONT allow other people to load you up with their expectations on how you should raise your child. Raising children is not a one size fit all type of thing. Do what you feel in your heart is best for your child, not what previous generations tell you is simply because “that’s what we did and y’all turned out fine”.

 

More About Courtney Renee!

What’s your drink of choice? 

Stella Rosa Berry is a new favorite 

Do you have a favorite TV show?

Snowfall

What’s the cutest thing your kid has done?

Everything! Lol. I’m just so obsessed

Do you prefer salty or sweet?

Sweet

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Interested in being interviewed for Mothers & Mental Health?

Your voice and your story matter. Send me an email at tianiangelax@gmail.com with the subject INTERVIEW and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

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As always, thanks so much for reading! Questions, comments, and feedback are always welcome. If you enjoyed this post, please comment, like and share! Make sure to check out my Instagram; @T_scorner 💋