Hi! My name is Gabrielle, but most people call me Gab (not Gabby!)

However, the most important person in my life calls me “mama”.

(Okay, he doesn’t call me mama yet. We’re working on it, okay?!)

My journey to/in motherhood so far has been quite chaotic to say the least. Therapists aren’t blank slates, so here’s a little more about my story and what got me here today.

When I was about 28 weeks pregnant, my husband received a job offer for a position that he had worked SO hard for and wanted so, so badly. Great, right?

Yes, it was great. AND, it was incredibly overwhelming, as this new job would relocate us 1,000 miles away from all our friends and family and take us from New Jersey to Tampa, Florida.

Oh yeah, and I was in the third trimester of my pregnancy!

My husband had to start his new job pretty much right away. That meant that he moved down to Florida while I stayed in New Jersey to finish out my pregnancy with my doctors and hospital. There were a few blips along the way, but we welcomed our beautiful baby boy at the end of 2023. By early 2024, we were starting our life together as a new family of three down in Florida.

My son is many things. He is kind, funny, goofy, curious, loving, and honestly just a really cool person to be around (I know it’s weird to say that about a baby, but it’s true!)

He’s also what you would call a “high-needs baby”.

Reflux. Feeding and oral function issues. Sleep issues (oh, so, so many sleep issues). A very sensitive temperament. More reflux. More sleepless nights.

As a result, my postpartum and early motherhood journey has been vastly different than what I expected. The days and the nights have been full of Googling, soothing, sitting in a dark room, comparing myself to other moms (and comparing him to other babies), and, well…..quite a few tears.

It is overwhelmingly isolating at times to be the default parent to a high-needs baby. There are so many emotions swirling around at once - anxiety, guilt, shame, confusion…but also gratitude, awe, love, and bliss. It’s exhausting to be one little person’s everything. And, it is also such a blessing.

I want to always support my son through everything - big and small. Because to him, it’s all big things. Our attachment and our bond is not something I take for granted.

But the person who is giving the support also needs support sometimes.

You aren’t meant to do this alone. And you don’t have to. I’ve been in your shoes - heck, I’m still in your shoes some days.

If you can relate to all of this - I am so glad you’re here. You’re in the club now - a club that nobody understands until you’re in it. But now you don’t have to feel so alone.