17/12/2024
Stressed.
That’s the word I would use to describe myself when this photo was taken. I was four months pregnant, working at a hospital, and terrified of what the future held for me. As a midwife, I often spent entire days on my feet—lifting patients from one bed to another, helping heavily pregnant women walk, sometimes going the whole day without eating.
To make things harder, my pregnancy was risky. I had hematomas on my uterus, which meant there was bleeding between the uterine wall and one of the sacs (the chorion) that surrounds the embryo. I had to be extra careful with lifting and physical activity. Thankfully, I had an incredible doctor who was on top of everything and, soon enough, she gave me sick leave.
Still, it wasn’t easy. I had to go for ultrasounds three times more often than most expecting mothers, get blood tests almost every week to monitor my hormone levels, and give myself injections in my belly to keep my pregnancy going. Let’s just say the first few months were chaotic.
I’m so grateful that in the end everything went well and I had a healthy, beautiful baby girl who we named Lily.
From then on I was constantly thinking about my baby and how I couldn’t see myself doing this job while raising a child. Maternity leave here is generous, but I still hoped to find another way to live and earn—something that would allow me to be the mother I wanted to be.
I loved being a midwife, but something felt off. Like I was missing something. I realized I wanted freedom: the freedom to choose, the freedom to be myself, the freedom to spend as much time as possible with my family while still doing work I love.
And then the universe delivered. At the beginning of this year, I found an opportunity that gave me everything I was searching for, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
So if you ever feel like something isn’t right, take a chance. Change something. Don’t be afraid. We’re only here for a brief moment—make it count.
