Before I gave birth to my daughter I had a lot of ideas about what it meant to be a mindful mother.

Internally, I believed that mindful parenting was about sacrifice. Sacrificing my own wants, needs, and even health in order to pour all of my energy and attention into my daughter.

Externally, I believed that mindful parenting was about using organic and sustainable products, from clothes to foods, and everything in-between.

And for the first 9 months of my postpartum journey, I did just that.

I exclusively breastfed, cooked and made organic baby food from scratch, tried my best to stay away from plastic toys and all the while worked full-time from home while taking care of my daughter. There was little to no time for self-care, or sleep for that matter.

As I’ve grown into motherhood I’ve learned that my view on mindful parenting couldn’t have been further from the truth.

Although it’s great to breastfeed if you can / want to, to give your baby organic food when possible and to be mindful of sustainable things when able – that’s not what mindful parenting is all about. Nor is it about sacrificing your own health and well-being so you can devote all of your time (and energy) to your baby.

From my own personal journey and through other women’s stories, I’ve learned that mindful parenting is just as much about taking care of ourselves as it is about taking care of our children.

At Expectful, we’re all about helping parents and parents-to-be live more mindful lives. Which is why we’ve created an event along with Little Spoon to discuss the role that mindfulness plays in pregnancy and parenthood.

Our event, The Mindful Matriarch will open with a guided meditation by Emily Fletcher, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A on mindfulness through all stages of pregnancy, new-parenthood and beyond. Featuring wellness experts Emily Fletcher, Colleen Wachob and Rebekah Borucki and moderated by Michelle Muller of Little Spoon as well as a very exciting surprise guest.

This event is happening on June 13th at 6:30pm, at WeWork Chelsea.

Want to attend? Get your tickets here. Space is limited so make sure to reserve your spot. 

Are you preparing to conceive, pregnant, or new to motherhood?

Expectful is guided meditation for hopeful, expectant and new moms. Each one of our guided programs is based on research that illustrates the benefits for your fertility, pregnancy, and motherhood journey.

Practice online, when you want, wherever you are, in just 10 minutes a day to improve your fertility and give your baby the best start in life.

Go to Expectful.com and sign up for your free trial.