"When my son falls asleep in my arms, I close my eyes and try to soak in that feeling because I never want to forget it."
Caryn's Family Portraits, Pittsburgh, PA
I first met Caryn and her family at Millie's in Shadyside. As Caryn said, "our personalities clicked." We spent the next 20 minutes capturing loads of fun family portraits while Bryon, their son, smashed his face full of delicious chocolate ice cream.
Caryn also shared her experience as a mother - the one thing she wishes society talked more about, one of her biggest challenges as a mom and the little moments she hopes she never forgets.
Caryn launched her business, OBA Design, in September 2016 four months pregnant! She says "looking back, that was crazy" - but crazy is what we need to make our dreams come to life. Caryn knew that she wanted a job that would give her the flexibility to have a career while also having more time to spend with her son.
Her business is thriving, and her son Bryon is the cutest little guy but before she was blessed with Bryon, Caryn lost a baby at twelve weeks, this is something she rarely discusses outside of her family but wishes more women talked about.
I hope society will one day...
Before Byron in March 2016, we lost a baby at 12 weeks. Our society still doesn't make it comfortable for people to talk about miscarriages, however, they are deep losses that many families experience. In fact, we never really talk about ours outside of our own family, even though it is so common.
But I do think it's an important part of the motherhood journey. As a woman, your heart changes as soon as you find out you're pregnant. It made my pregnancy and life with Byron all that more meaningful and appreciated since he is our rainbow baby. :-)
One of my biggest challenges...
Mom-guilt is real. It was challenging to find myself at the beginning stages of motherhood. You devote so much of yourself to your kids that it's easy to lose track of who you are. I used to feel bad spending time away from my son for myself. I've learned that self-care is important (regular workouts, pampering or just alone time) in my happiness and actually makes me a better mother.
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