My Why Recap

If you have talked to me at the store for more than five minutes, odds are I have told you the story about the life-changing experience I went through after having my son. Well, this week marks three years of healing from that time, so I want to share it with the rest of you because it has been a huge part of my "why" for opening Almost Sunday.

I want to share this story because I don't want other moms to go through something like this and not know why or what is happening, like I did. After my son was born, I had lost a significant amount of blood. The next day, I developed a severe migraine that wouldn't go away for multiple days. I was drinking bottles of coconut water and bottles and bottles of regular water, too. Painkillers weren't even touching it. My son was only a few days old, and I could barely hold him, and my milk hadn't come in.

I could go into more detail about the next few days, but to save time, I'll give the highlights. I went to the hospital multiple times. The first time, I was sent home and told to take iron. The second time, they decided to give me blood transfusions, but they caused vomiting. When I got home from the transfusions, I became very ill and called 911. When they arrived, they told me I was having a panic attack and left. After more scary symptoms, we called 911 again and had them bring me back to the hospital. This time around, they finally drew more labs and found my sodium level was 107 (which is critically low).

Sodium... sodium?! Yes! Drinking all of that water, getting multiple bags of fluids, and receiving blood caused my sodium to drop drastically. And my electrolytes weren't checked during all of those trips to the hospital. I had lost function in my mouth, tongue, lips, face, and throat. Essentially, it appeared as though I had a stroke. After some time, I was sent to the ICU. There, I had a seizure due to a rapid sodium spike and was intubated for a few days so they could lower my temperature and get my sodium under control.

This sodium regulation took another five days. Yep, if you do the math, my son wasn't even two weeks old, and I had barely gotten any time with him. I was still pumping to try to get my milk to come in, but being on medication and barely eating made this nearly impossible. On top of that, I was working with PT and OT to get back on my feet, walk, write, eat, and get my mind back to handling daily tasks. It was the scariest time of my life.

I prayed relentlessly for God to heal me and give me the strength to get better. I remember focusing on future days when I was healthy again and able to spend time with my boys and my husband. That day eventually came! But it also came with months and months of sadness, discomfort, anxiety, and PTSD. Aside from healing, working on my milk supply, and taking care of my boys, my biggest priority became making sure no other moms ever had to experience this.

It brought waves of loneliness, disappointment, sadness, confusion, and guilt. It took me until recently to be able to share my story in a positive, hopeful way. I never want a mom to have to go through those feelings alone.

When you step into Almost Sunday, we strive to always be a listening ear (if that's all you need), but also to offer advice and recommendations on non-toxic products that have helped one of us in some way on our own healing journeys. Anxiety? Been there! Ashwagandha and lemon balm. Trouble sleeping? Sleep was so hard for me after the hospital, and magnesium has done wonders. Skin issues and scars? I've been working on scars for three years, but castor oil and frankincense have helped drastically!

I could go on and on. All of these items I have been using regularly were nowhere to be found locally. This is why Almost Sunday exists: to be a place where you can find hope in Jesus and products rooted in God's creation. I also happened to be making jewelry for five years, so you can find plenty of that here, too!

Now that you know a little more about my story, I hope you can see and feel the passion and purpose behind every product on our shelves. I am beyond proud to see the fruits of a scary season being used to support other moms, women, and families in Baker County and the surrounding areas.

This week we are celebrating being healthy and cherishing time together as a family. Plenty of beach days, trips to see family, never taking anything for granted and always counting our blessings, and enjoying aallllll the little things. Thank you so much for being a part of this story and hearing about my why!