Emotional Q&A About Motherhood | How I Style My Hair! | Kendra Atkins

Emotional Q&A About Motherhood | How I Style My Hair!
Happy Monday! I thought this would be a lighthearted hair tutorial and I got all emotional!! Answering some of your questions, also make sure to watch part 1 here: • Get Ready With Me Q&A ...
Products Mentioned:
t3 blow dryer bit.ly/3cHn0jp
aveda phomolient bit.ly/30xEVSn
aveda damage remedy bit.ly/3pW6Oyw
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t3 straightener bit.ly/3vs9IOm
t3 curling iron bit.ly/33ZyWqd
aveda texturizing cream bit.ly/371vNaZ
teasing brush bit.ly/2TWqeJm
kerastase oil bit.ly/2TyCwrq
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Hi everyone! My name is Kendra and I create videos to help motivate you in different aspects of your life. I am a mom to identical twin girls who are 3 1/2 and a little boy who is almost 1! I hope all of my content can serve you in some way. Whether that's entertainment, encouragement or just to feel like you have someone who knows what you are going through. I am a stay at home working mom and going through all the same things all of us moms go through! Thanks so much for stopping by and I will see you soon!
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[@kendraatkins]

Time for an updated hair tutorial along with a q&a! Didn't expect some of these answers to get so heavy! Grab some coffee it's a long one!

[@bcecilee]

Wow that really hit home with me. I’m a first time mom and every other women in my life had/has an attitude like “I did it it’s not that hard”. Having a new born already felt overwhelming and at two weeks old we found out my son has a heart defect. He started refusing to eat and I had to exclusively pump while tracking all the ounces he was eating and reporting back to his doctor. Then at 6 weeks pp I started a new job wanting to provide more income for us. My anxiety was through the roof. Everyone I talked to down played my feelings I was made to feel like I’m just a little bit dramatic. It really was people like you, other moms online who share stories of struggle that got me to feel like it will eventually be okay. It’s a great way to find support and not feel like a failing mother.

[@kendraatkins]

gosh I am so sorry you are having to go through all of that. it is so much to handle and sometimes can feel very isolating, just know you are not alone in how you feel!

[@thejohnsonfamily9930]

I was a surrogate for my best friend in 2018&2019. I had my two babies already. When I went into labor with their first one, it was three weeks early and two nights before my sons 5th birthday party. I birthed their baby that night and went home the next morning and still had his party that day. I wanted to just be strong and not act like I had just given birth. Everyone was asking how I was and I just kept saying “great!” Holding back tears of pain because I JUST pushed a baby out not even 24 hours before. It was also very weird that I gave birth, went home empty handed(which I planned on obviously but it was still very weird walking out with no baby) I got home and wasn’t showering and worrying about a baby crying. I was getting ready and doing a party, my make up, leaking milk and have no baby around. It was weird to say the least. That whole party I kept it together. After everyone left I bawled my eyes out. I was in so much pain. My mental health was all over the place. All I wanted to do was crawl in my bed and cry. I felt so weak. Weak in my body and my mind. I look back now and I shouldn’t have tried to be so strong. I should have sat down more. I should have napped when I wanted to. I should have cried to my mom when I wanted to. But I didn’t. I thought I had to be strong. I didn’t want anyone to look at me with pitty or think I’m upset because I missed the baby. It wasn’t about the baby. It was about me. But I didn’t want to be judged- even though I’m sure NOBODY would have judged me. Women need to be talked to more about these feelings. You don’t need to be strong all the time. You need to be you. Feel what you’re feeling. It’s ok to feel and show feelings.

[@ajr.9683]

LOVE this. As someone who works in Maternal Mental Health, it’s so important to see vloggers and instagrammers talk about this! New motherhood is hard!

[@kendraatkins]

yes it is!

[@michaelalindsay8397]

This is why you will always be my favourite You Tuber. You are real xx

[@lcn706]

We’re NEVER alone ladies. I remember how I would just stare out the window when I was up in the middle of the night feeding the baby. I took comfort knowing there were millions of other mothers out there doing the exact same thing as me. Made me feel a little less isolated.

[@beautyandthemigrainebeast6287]

Your story is going to help SO many women! I love when you said that the social media bounce back is just so not true. My first birth was especially hard, trauma filled and I had a horrible recovery. NOT what I expected at all.

[@kendraatkins]

ya I just hope people can realize that most people aren't going to post the hard moments on their social media

[@jennaglaubitz7062]

Thank you for being so vulnerable. After my first baby I tried to keep it all in and pretended I was ok for like 5 months and I was miserable. And like you said you don’t want to admit that because everyone makes it seem like you’re supposed to feel 100% blissful and euphoric and that’s not always the reality. ❤️ love your honesty and chatty videos!

[@kendraatkins]

yes 100%! You think, where is that blissful feeling everyone talks about?? I never really felt that and had a hard time realizing it's okay. For me that deep love grows over time with my kids, I never felt it right away and I think that's totally fine now!

[@sherrijohnson9377]

Your heart is so big! When you got teary there ,I felt it so much,how kind and truly desiring you are to help mom's out there. As moms we want to do it all,and feel happy knowing were making everyone else happy,but we have our lows. That doesn't mean we are any less . Thank you so much for sharing so much,it really touched me☺

[@hswick100]

I just wanted to let you know that your videos were a lifeline for me after both of my births. I had two c-sections, both a couple months after yours. I would watch your videos all the time to reassure myself that I would feel better and more like myself eventually . I can’t tell you how much that helped me get through those tough first months!

[@kendraatkins]

that really means so much to hear that

[@melissaarauz4830]

I was about to comment the same thing! I did experience grief from having c-sections and not getting to experience natural birth, it watching Kendra’s videos made me feel less alone.

[@Jrod_paloma]

Love love love thank you!

[@helenah2402]

Thanks for sharing ❤️❤️❤️ I‘m so proud of you!

[@JessicaMyrose]

Hey Kendra! Here checking out your video and I have been super emotional lately!! ❤️

[@hannahlee9733]

Hi Kendra. I cried with you while watching this video. Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing your experience. I can relate a lot and appreciate you. I acted like I was ok and “strong” for a year and ended up getting post partum depression from not being honest with myself. I also agree, I didn’t focus on my body until after about a year. Our bodies don’t ever go back to normal.

[@kendraatkins]

agreed! they will always be different!

[@healthybrittany2645]

Great video! Thank you so much for sharing ❤

[@MuseMaribethh]

I got so emotional with you. I’m happy you’re in a better place now and I am so sad to know how hard those times were! 💛💛💛💛

[@JessicaMyrose]

Yes becoming a mom makes you see things in a different way and almost su real vision you had in you like and all the sudden they become so real!! 😍🥰

[@jomn295]

Hey Kendra. You give us twin mommies a lot of strength & inspiration. Thanks :)

[@kendraatkins]

😊 thank you

[@bmacarons]

You did your job Kendra. I remember the first video I watched was about you finding out you had twins. I found out I was pregnant with my first and your video was one of the first few to come up from a search. Fast forward 3 years and I have a 3 and a 1 year old. Watching your videos parallel my own kids growing up helped me get through some tough days. This video hit many of the same things I experienced myself and I’m sure many more out there. Thank you for being open and keeping the conversation real.

[@bowkerfamily4625]

Love all your videos I always like before I start watching. ❤️

[@kendraatkins]

aw thank you so much!

[@rmantini1]

Oh gosh Kendra! Ty for sharing, your channel is amazing because of how authentic you share your vulnerabilities! I have two grown sons and i can still relate to everything you shared. Mothers need a lot of support after birth and some of us just don't ask and wear that tough exterior! I had post partum depression and struggled with diactus rectus with my second after 2 c-sections! But when i turned 40 I chose to have abdominoplasty! No regrets there either! Most importantly You & Andrew are doing everything right! Seeing the twins thriving at school is indicative of your parenting, so just cherish that! Love your hair ! xoxox

[@madebysahana6172]

Wow I love this. Preach. I had a very traumatic birth as well, and all people wanted to know about was the baby and not me as much. And I felt like I was grieving some things too after. Thank you for this video

[@PinkOrbz]

Thank you for your vulnerability and honesty; it is so helpful and so needed!

[@MarykateBoring]

Thank you so much for sharing! You have no idea how much this hit home with me. I tried to have my first naturally and labored for 32 hours and ended up having a c section anyways. My second was only a year after that so I had to have another c section and every time I would feel like a failure or feel cheated out of that experience. Knowing I am not alone really helps! I am now pregnant with our 3rd only 9 months after our 2nd and I am very nervous about another c section. Hearing you talk about your experience really gave me some peace❤️ much love to you and your sweet family

[@shannonfargey7598]

Thank you for your honest discussions on postpartum. You are a millions times right in that we (moms/society) need to speak the truth about all our feelings. It’s so hard and you feel so alone. Just hearing that someone else went through thing I did and I know others did too is so liberating. The weight/pressure gets lifted up. Thank you for sharing. Also your hair is gorgeous! Lovely to learn the process.

[@samanthasissom9930]

Thanks for sharing this! As a fellow twin mom you really inspire me!

[@kendraatkins]

I'm so glad!

[@alifirth3548]

Thank you so much for another amazing video. Your advice is always so timely. My twins start school next year and time has sped up. I need to constantly remind myself to enjoy the moment and stop being so focused on the next task to get done. Your birth story really hit home as well. The more I look back on the birth of my twins more shocking I find it. It really upsets me. Thanks for sharing your story.

[@MsMegancarter]

Awww thanks for sharing, and your hair looks amazing 💕

[@kendraatkins]

thanks!

[@rachelfitzgerald6210]

Kendra you are so amazing. Thank you for sharing your struggles. I think every mom feels this on some level. I had the “perfect” birth with my first and I still thought it was awful, it’s traumatic and people don’t share that part. I’m 38 weeks tomorrow with my second and last. I plan to try and savor those moments with this baby more and I’ve made a lot of decisions to help myself mentally after birth. Anyways, thank you for always being so honest!

[@LizBy021]

This is so true. Everyone asks everyday when you’re pregnant how you are and the min the baby is out. It’s all about the baby, going through a traumatic birth, recovery and all the emotions. No one asks a thing. I felt the same at my PP appt. i remember lying on the questions and just smiling through the pain

[@kendraatkins]

ugh so hard!

[@allisonlavalley4986]

Thank you for speaking so candidly about birth and postpartum. I was also a “failed vbac” ans that was sooo hard for me to process. Solidarity 💛💛

[@abelle3642]

Not me over here crying when you were crying 😢 😭 I had a crash c section with my son and your videos helped me soooo much more than you will ever know. I finally felt like I wasn’t alone. Like you completely understood everything I was feeling and it was honestly like a saving grace. And YES to a women’s clinic for postpartum. We just get tossed to the side and we need just as much care as our babies do ❤️

[@kendraatkins]

yes I think that would help out sooo many people!

[@fambam1892]

This video resonated with me so much. I started crying with you! Thank you being honest and sharing your story. With my 2nd baby, I waited 9 months to get help and couldn’t even finish the depression questionnaire at my doctor’s office and had a total breakdown. It was a relief for me to be around people who knew how to help me and it confirmed I really couldn’t hold it together for one more second on my own. I’m so glad I scheduled that appointment when I did and in hindsight I probably should have gone sooner.

[@Crystal-ky4yd]

I love that you are so open about your baby blues! I had them too and it made me feel like the worse mom. Hormones can be a lot, I never expected that I would ever have baby blues. I planned our baby, I dreamed of having this baby, I couldn't wait for her to be born but the baby blues still came and it made me feel horrible because no one ever talks about it. Thank you for making me feel normal ❤️

[@divyaramos]

Birth is always portrayed as beautiful (the end result can be) but yet hardly anyone talks about the trauma. Thank you so much for sharing your heart and for your honesty ❤️ Thanking God for you, your health and all your beautiful babies!

[@LeighLanders]

Thank you for being so honest. Pregnancy, labor and deliver, and recovering from all of it is so hard.. everyone’s experience is different, but it’s challenging in different ways for everyone. I had my first child during the peak of the pandemic and that was craziness, not to mention a difficult labor with a very painful recovery, I had no idea I was going to need to be taken care of.. I was suppose to be the one taking care of my new baby and my family. Nobody talks about that. I’m so thankful for your channel and your honesty, and I’m sorry you had to go through what you went through, but when I watch your videos I always think what a great mom you are, so great Kendra! 😘😘😘

[@kendraatkins]

yes everyone has something they are going through! so I think it's just important to give everyone a little grace!

[@KrystinaCams]

Thank you for sharing your heart. Your videos were such a huge support for me during my twin pregnancy and after my girls were born. I had no one else in my life who understood what I was going through.. My girls are 3 now and I couldn't agree more about the word "fleeting." I sometimes cry about the fact that I barely remember the first couple years of their lives becausewe were just in survival mode, but I try so hard to just soak up every second I can with them. Sending hugs to you, Kendra!

[@kendraatkins]

Yes!!! It's kinda like you enter an age that allows you a little time to reflect. Trying to take it all in!

[@meagandow8096]

Hi Kendra! I so appreciated this video. I experienced a lot of this too, and no matter how much time passes, I still get emotional when I talk or think about it. I think the word you used, “grieved,” is a perfect word. Grieving the perfect birth, the perfect postpartum experience. It can be so tough when you pictured it one way and it turns out so different. Thank you for sharing!

[@kendraatkins]

yes it can be tough for sure!

[@heidimorgans2546]

I really appreciate you! It’s so great to be a support and place of wisdom for other women. I had postpartum anxiety, which I felt no one ever mentioned. So now I try to really help other moms and use my experience to hopefully get them to a better place faster. ❤️

[@kendraatkins]

yes that is so wonderful!

[@MegaJansue]

Wonderful video!!♥

[@kendraatkins]

Thanks for watching!

[@tisha1990]

Thank you for sharing this, I completely identify with the c-section feeling I had two c-sections and although I know it was medically indicated I still mourn the loss of experiencing a ‘normal’ delivery. I cry whenever I try to explain it to people. You are such an amazing inspirational person and an incredible mother. Sending love xxx

[@kendraatkins]

Aww yes I totally understand that feeling

[@allieclark7863]

I'm so happy you share these things. I feel like I'm better prepared to reach out for help from doctors etc if I feel extremely down after birth

[@andreasamaniego8182]

I appreciate you so much! You were such a life saver when I had my twin girls, I would literally tell my husband "Kendra and Andrew did it, we can do it!" It's so hard to be a mom and now that I know I always try and take the time to talk to new moms and ask how they are.

[@kendraatkins]

that makes me so happy to hear!

[@nataliek3957]

Thank you for talking honestly about the wide spectrum of experiences women have bringing their babies into the world. I have had a really hard time processing my daughters birth and still do at times 15 months pp. These types of conversation are so cathartic

[@kendraatkins]

yes so many different types of births and everyone is so different!

[@CorynnODea]

I'm crying with you 😢😭💙💜 I just love your soul 🥰 as a mama of 3 year old (as of today 🎉🎂) twin boys and we're thinking about one more baby to complete our family, I felt every word you said! I LOVE the idea of a PT for recovering mamas! How is that not already a requirement (as someone who also had diastacic recti and struggled recovering from that). So you ARE making a difference in our lives and I cannot thank you enough for being so real and genuine. 💜 You're doing great mama!

[@kendraatkins]

thank you so much! happy birthday to your boys!

[@nicolepinkerton961]

Just wanted you to know you have helped me. You are the first person I ever watched on KZbin. I found you after I had my twins in 2019 and it was so nice to watch someone who had gone through similar things. I appreciate you sharing your life since I really didn’t know any other twin mommas.

[@kendraatkins]

means a lot!! glad I could help in some way!

[@lindaliberty2632]

I really like watching your beauty videos like this one!

[@kendraatkins]

okay yay!!

[@lindaliberty2632]

@@kendraatkins oh my gosh, I posted this at the intro (because i love watching your beauty vids) and then when you started talking about Owen’s birth and your post-partum, i cried with you. Thank you for sharing and making me feel like i’m not alone. 💕

[@jenniferhawkins5746]

Awww...Kendra, you are such a blessing. I love your mom talks and they totally speak to my heart! I'm three months post partum with my third daughter now and I feel so much pressure (from instagram) to get my body back, etc. That, and trying to help my husband provide for our family in a creative way, so I don't have to leave my home. It is so hard. My brain is weighed down with so many things and ideas and it's hard to make good decisions and prioritize. Going back to the video, I'm just so thankful for you and your videos. You'd make a fantastic friend in real life! Lol!

[@kendraatkins]

thank you so much for sharing, YES it all can be so hard! just know we are all feeling those same things!

[@AP-fr4pl]

Ahhh Kendra!!! 😭😭😭 there is such a sisterhood in motherhood!! So grateful for you and your channel. You’ve helped me through so many things and made me feel like I’m your friend. Forever grateful🙏🏻

[@kendraatkins]

I LOVE that!

[@kendraatkins]

and thank you so much

[@carlim6356]

I had to have a hysterectomy at 28. I went to pelvic floor physical therapy after surgery. Best decision!! It's been 4 years and I still do the exercises. Highly recommended! I wish more doctors would encourage PT!

[@lmef26]

Thank you for your honesty and vulnerability. 🥰 We all need to share our real stories so that the whole picture is seen. There’s a lot of good and there’s a lot of really hard in postpartum.

[@kendraatkins]

Absolutely!!

[@nanaronhano337]

Your csection videos helped me too.

[@milenaclemson1718]

Omg this video. I’m so glad you talk about this stuff. It’s so true. I had an emergency c section with my first and a successful vbac with my second but I tore so bad. I was in pain both times and didn’t really understand how to manage the pain. I didn’t want to take the pain medication unnecessarily so I’d wait too long before taking the next dose and I’d be in so much pain. I cried hearing your story not bc it was the exact same but bc I can just relate. As a mother. The fear with the emergency c section. The baby blues. Everything!!

[@kendraatkins]

yes I was the same about the pain meds, I didn't want to take so much and I suffered from it!

[@martinezs707]

Just had baby 3 via c section. First pregnancy was twin c section also. I so desperately wanted, was convinced I would have a Vbac w this third one and they advised against it. I can honestly say that I am grieving that. I wanted that so badly. Yes baby is healthy, yes I’m grateful but I wanted to experience my body pushing that baby out! So emotional talking about it. And I feel like no one that I talk to truly understands that

[@kendraatkins]

yes I completely understand

[@heatherhaslam-smith413]

Pelvic floor physiotherapy was the best thing I did the second time around!

[@zubie23]

This really hit home for me. I had my baby girl during the pandemic. So if you think the postpartum care is bad normally it was pretty much non-existent during Covid. I was not able to hold back my tears during my post-partum appt and my doctor just stared at me in shock. I don’t think he knew what to even do…

[@donnapeek3962]

Hi Kendra Idk if maybe I didn’t relate to what you were saying about vback-bc I had 3 C-sections and never felt less of a woman because of that….. I just felt after watching your video that the biggest thing is that you are soooooooo hard on yourself- talk about give yourself some grace!!!!! We are moms always but the key is balance. I think meditate on that and RELAX!

[@kendraatkins]

enneagram 1 over here!! biggest self critic!

[@anamartinez7489]

Thank you for sharing this Kendra! I wish women wouldn’t romanize motherhood to the point it makes new moms feel like crap sometimes. Is so hard to cope sometimes when expectations are not met.

[@amberward1300]

I’m currently almost 30 weeks pregnant with my second child. After my first, I was so unwell. His birth was so traumatic and I’ve been worried this birth will be rough also. Thank you for this video ❤️❤️

[@lfox2289]

I can relate to your “perfect world” ideal that it’s always just you with your husband and kids, that’s me and my husband is totally the more social one like Andrew! I’ll never understand it, but certainly learn to accept it lol

[@tesscurrier9166]

You are so tough. It is so hard mentally emotionally and physically to have a baby, and I think there’s a lot of the you should just be thankful mentality without people realizing that of course you are thankful but also there’s so much that goes into growing a human and then bringing that human into the world. That’s a huge thing for them and a huge thing for you and your body and hormones have such an effect on your brain that sometimes it’s just a really really hard thing to go through. You are such an amazing mom and an inspiration through life in general.

[@kendraatkins]

you phrased it perfectly

[@ryanashleystoller3184]

Thanks so much for sharing! My boy Asa is just a month or so younger than Owen so I related so much to your experience! I had a successful vbac after an emergency c section with my first where I was put under. And I totally get the grieving when we compare ourselves to others’ experiences! I think my vbac helped me come to peaceful terms with my prev traumatic birth and birth in general, that it can be painful and hard either way, c section or not. And that you have to take the good and the bad, when it comes to birth. And to take each pregnancy and birth and trust in the Lord, bc it’s so unpredictable and we don’t have much control how things will go. In some ways my emergency c section was easier bc I progressed sooo fast and I didn’t labor long etc but in other ways it was so bad bc it was traumatic & didn’t see my baby until hours after. And so I thought, oh, my vbac will be a few hrs and it took 18! Not only that, my vbac epidural didn’t take all the way and I got a spinal headache afterward for days. It was not the cake walk I was anticipating. Tbh the recovery pain between the two wasn’t much different. In fact, I feel like my c section pain got better quicker, but being able to move good was much slower of course. With the vbac I was sore for months but it was so nice to be mobile in the first days! So take it for what it’s worth....and thanks for always being so relatable with your content! 😊 -Ashley

[@kendraatkins]

Ya isn't it crazy how we think things will go one way and God shows us it is not our plan but his! And I just try to learn from whatever that experience is.

[@B..103]

💟💟 thanks for sharing

[@B..103]

... the difficult parts of the birthingstory

[@margaretjean668]

Thanks for being so honest and raw! I am only 20 but know I wanna have kids and I appreciate you being honest on what could happen during and after birth. Also can you come to Michigan and style my hair daily ? Haha!

[@beth90]

Ok so I had a wonderful birth. A beautiful, calm, peaceful water birth attended by a midwife. So I can’t speak from personal experience, BUT I have to say I SO appreciate you being so open and wanting to make other moms feel less alone. I have been part of mom circles and listened to traumatic birth stories, and have many friends who’ve had traumatic births themselves. The commonly-used phrase “all that matters is a healthy baby” infuriates me! It is so often used to invalidate a new mother’s experience and her emotions thereafter, leaving her feeling alone and as if what she’s going through is unimportant. But it’s not. Because MOMS MATTER TOO! Our physical health, of course, but also our mental and emotional well-being matters! A friend of mine, while she was having a hard time processing the emergency c-section of her baby, was constantly told “but it’s over now! you have a healthy baby! move on and just enjoy motherhood!” and it only made her feel worse. Like her [real, raw, & human] emotions were wrong. It’s so incredibly sad that this is done to women so often. That we are told that, when it comes to the birth of our children, we aren’t allowed to feel things/to desire certain things/to be upset by our experience or mourn the experience we wanted but didn’t get. So thank you Kendra for showing us that it’s okay to not be okay! We matter just as much as our babies. Let’s never forget that!

[@kendraatkins]

yes I heard that SO many times! At least they are healthy! And of course you are so incredibly grateful for that but at the same time it doesn't negate how you feel.

[@nanaronhano337]

My VBAC failed too. All the praise goes to God though because my csection was WAYYYY less traumatic than my first in every way even though I still had complications (low fluid, induction, hemorrhage, gestational diabetes). Also, the recovery was a lot smoother physically and emotionally. Now I have to scheduled csections with future kids since I apparently cannot get past a 6cm since both labors stalled there and they both turned posterior trying to get in.

[@melaniehill5468]

Oh my goodness, you are right more needs to be invested in postpartum care. I am 5 months postpartum from having my twins and I still feel like I got hit by a truck every day. I went into labor naturally at 34 weeks but after 5 hours of pushing they still wouldn't come out and I had to have an emergency csection. Scariest moment and hardest thing I have ever gone through. All the doctors just say it's normal to feel like crap but why isn't there any support for this transitional period after having a baby? I cried when you cried 💜

[@kendraatkins]

Yes! You should have some support to get you through it an know that it IS normal an okay to feel those things. But also ways of helping you get better!

[@daninite23]

Love this video! When I curl my hair I always seem to get ringlet curls is this because I’m holding the heat on to long? I can never seem to get beachy curls 🙄🤦🏼‍♀️

[@megankyle1853]

I’m feeling less alone in the way I feel about my unplanned c-section. Heading into my second pregnancy and a lot of feelings are coming up about tolac/vbac. This was timely.

[@cincinmoon]

Wow 😳 who knew... thanks for sharing your ups and downs of giving birth and being real! You poor gal. Best idea ever! Physical therapy for women who gave birth! Oh yes, the hair looks great! As always! I have hair envy! Have a good week!

[@hannahbentson9374]

Yes ask how the mom is doing after baby is born. I feel this so deep. I’m 3 weeks pp and it’s been really hard.

[@kendraatkins]

oh I am so sorry! it will get better!

[@robyn3083]

Watching this and seeing how emotional you were getting makes me so annoyed that people would message you about having more kids! You never know what someone went through/going through!

[@katapapp388]

♥️

[@AJ8828]

Gosh, Kendra, I'm sorry you went through that. Honestly, this is why I wish movie stars, social media, and just regular people in general would STOP putting so much pressure on new moms to get back to "normal". It seriously pisses me off (sorry for the language in this conversation). Once you have a baby, shoot, once you get pregnant, you are not the old you, and you never will be again. And I'm not saying I haven't struggled with this concept, because just getting older sucks, but we are never going to be who we once were. We are constantly changing, just like our kids. That is so hard to grasp, but we really have to, and I think especially if those female stars and social media stars would relay that message, moms would be in such a better post-partum mental state. God gave us (women) the ability to conceive, carry a child within our womb, feed our children with our bodies, and we really should take that to heart, the best way we can. Of course some moms have to go back to work 6 to 12 weeks after having a baby, but in every moment possible, enjoy that little human in your cuddles, while you are feeding them or putting them to sleep, and especially if you are going to be home with them, just be in the moment. Yes, of course, we want to feel good about ourselves, but I honestly think we could find a more subtle way to do that, rather than try to be a beauty queen or gym guru just weeks or even a couple months after having a baby. That being said, I do think it is important for you to feel beautiful, loved, appreciated, and have time to yourself, but to put too much pressure on yourself and not being ok just being in the moment is what I feel to be not such a good thing. Anyway, I will stop ranting, lol. I appreciate this post. Love you, Kendra. I hope you (and all moms) are able to: allow yourself to grieve and get past it, allow yourself to have your moments, and allow yourself to make lots more beautiful moments with your kids, even if it is a struggle some days. Thank you for sharing, much love from Ohio. :)

[@kendraatkins]

thank you so much for that

[@gashley24]

I never wanted a baby around the holidays either and now I'm due Christmas Eve 😅 it took us WAY longer to conceive our rainbow baby than we thought, so at this point we're just happy to be pregnant. But definely dreading future birthdays

[@kendraatkins]

of course it worked out that way!!

[@madisonetl8023]

Where did you find the research saying running tightens skin? I'd love to read about the science behind it and haven't been able to find anything!

[@kendraatkins]

Andrew is a physical therapist and has his cscs in personal training so he's full of knowledge!

[@Emily-om4nw]

I am at a point in my second pregnancy where everything hurts, I am extremely tired and my body is just not capable of doing the things I want to do and my 3 year old doesn’t understand why I can’t run around or sit on the floor for extended periods of time and it is the saddest time of my life. I’m really hoping my postpartum isn’t awful but I’m really nervous. Just want to be the best mom and feel better physically and emotionally!!

[@kendraatkins]

yes it can be so hard on our bodies! praying for healing for you postpartum and time for your body to recover!

[@Emily-om4nw]

@@kendraatkins thank you so much 🥲 wishing the best for you and your family!

[@yasminst.martin7723]

What shampoo and conditioner do you use?

[@kendraatkins]

i've been using bondi boost for the past 3 months

[@yasminst.martin7723]

@@kendraatkins thank you!!

[@malerielindsey8816]

You should consider homeschool, with a charter. Check out Sage Oak.

[@kendraatkins]

yes we actually are considering it!

[@EFrey-xz4pu]

When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter I wanted to be like all the natural instagram mamas. Reality check was that I needed a c section after a failed induction and hated breastfeeding. I'm expecting my second child next month and feel so much shame for choosing a second c section instead of a vbac. There is so much judgement for c section mom's online unfortunately and I can't help but wonder how we would feel about our births if all that noise didn't exist.

[@kendraatkins]

what a great point. but I get where you are coming from because I felt the same. It's like we aren't part of the club or something which is so sad to even say as I type this out. But it's the truth. I think just knowing that all births have their own story and also knowing it's okay if you are sad with how it worked out. I think the problem is when we try to mask how we feel since we have our little precious baby.

[@achristine2195]

I love your hair, but it looks like that takes forever 😧. Does it at least last for a couple days with dry shampoo? Also, I got tears when you were talking about your hospital experience with Owen and the checkup after. Mom's definitely get neglected after having a baby and need more support.

[@kendraatkins]

Ya it does last a few days. And I don't do this all the time maybe once a week. That's a main reason I want to grow my hair out. With long hair I can get away with way less heat. When it's shorter it looks so much worse when it's not styled.

[@nanaronhano337]

I agree that no one cares about the mom really once the baby is out.

[@theogala1]

You shouldn’t beat yourself up about the births of your children. Owen is a beautiful little boy, but I don’t feel any woman would have been able to give birth to him naturally. His head going through would have really done more damage to you. You are an amazing Mother and person. We want everything to be perfect, but not everyone could have same experiences. Then life would be boring. You are doing a great job raising your children.😊

[@kendraatkins]

Yes I fully know that I shouldn't but I can't really help that I feel that way. It's helped me to realized we all have different circumstances but it still is hard for me.

[@AnaJimenez-hd2fz]

💕