243 Likes, 75 Comments - Ali Juten (@ali_upnorth) on Instagram: "Christmas News! Baby Juten will be here in June 💜"
Throughout my life so far, I’ve had numerous titles used to describe me or what I do: Daughter, Sister, Friend, Girlfriend, Wife, Hunter, Angler, Outdoorswomen, Journalist, and Freelancer (among other job titles). Now, in my twenty-seventh year, I am adding a new title; “Mom”.
In my younger years, I never imagined that I would become a mom. I imagined traveling, writing about my experiences and living the life of a traditional journalist. If you were to ask me if I could picture myself married with a child on the way, I would have looked at you with wide eyes and an unmistakeable head-shake. Yet, here I am. Happily married to the love of my life, staring into my fate of motherhood in a little more than five months. And I am over-the-moon about ALL OF IT.
Me and my mom. I hope to be as good of a mom as she is :)
There is no doubt that I am nervous.
I am nervous to be a mom. Will I be good at it? Will my baby be healthy? Will I still be able to do the things I love? Will I still be able to go on hunting trips? How will I find my balance? Things will sure be different, but I do know that with change, comes excitement and growth.
I am nervous that I will lose work. Don’t get me wrong, I know I will want to spend every waking moment with my baby, however, I also don’t want to lose what I have built. I want my career, too. Is that bad? I don’t think so, but I sure as heck know that the “mom-guilt” thing is real.
For those who choose to be stay-at-home parents, you have my support. For those that want to work, too, you also have my support. I know that I am not quite there yet, but I don’t think that is an easy choice for a parent to make.
Being in control of my time and career is why I decided to freelance in the first place. As soon as I met my husband, I knew I wanted a family with him, thus, my plan to freelance was formed. So, while I’m nervous about what the future will hold, I am optimistic that it will all work out like I had hoped.
I’ve always been intrinsically motivated to be successful, not necessarily for monetary gain, but to do work that I am proud of. Putting my heart, soul, and creativity into my work is the most satisfying thing in world. As a freelancer, it can be tough. There isn’t consistent feedback and some companies don’t know what they need until you show them. It’s a constant battle with myself to show up, push myself, and deliver something great. These last couple of months have been extra hard to do so. I have had to push things, like this blog, my podcast, and my own social media pages onto the back-burner a bit so that I could focus what little energy I had into my paid work. But, I can proudly say that I did push through the first trimester, and even gained new client along the way.
Here’s five things I learned throughout my first trimester on how to get through work while lacking energy, motivation, and just feeling plain icky.
Make a plan for each day
The night before, write an outline of tasks you need to follow up with, people you need to respond to, calls you need to make.
Be sure to wake up at a set time. Tired as you may be, try not to press snooze.
Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize!
If it doesn’t need to get done, don’t do it. I am a perfectionist and tend to be an overachiever. But, some things you have to let rest for a bit. For me, it was my podcast. I love doing it, but knew that something had to give. It isn’t something that I make money off of, so it had to be put on hold. It will be back in action soon, though :)
Take a nap if you need it!
I fought taking naps due to the fact that I didn’t want to miss out on being productive. BUT, sometimes staying awake made me feel sick. So 30 minutes to an hour of my day was actually more productive for me.
Pamper yourself
It may seem small, but putting on cute outfit, and doing my hair and makeup changes my mood. I feel like I can truly take on my day. This may stem from working in a traditional work setting, but either way, I feel more confident when I’m not slumping around in my pajamas. I also went and got my hair done. MOOD CHANGER for sure.
Keep up with your fitness
Okay, to be honest, this one I struggled with. It was one of the things that was pushed way down on my priority list. However, I can say that when I did workout, I actually gained more energy back.
At this point, I am ready to take on my second trimester. I’ve heard that I’ll gain more of my energy back, which I am stoked about! I know life won’t be easy, but it will be beautiful. By maintaining a healthy lifestyle and good work ethic, the result will be a beautiful baby AND a career that I can carry on throughout motherhood.
Wish me luck, I’ll need it.