Hello! I’m Mary Moran. I’m a mother of two toddlers who have inspired my passion for motherhood. The pregnancy and birth of my first brought a deep feeling of not knowing who I was anymore. I thought I was well supported, but I didn’t feel like I had anyone to talk to about the feelings that I could barely articulate. I didn’t know what to do or what I enjoyed, I barely ate or showered, I didn’t know how to communicate with my husband, and I didn’t feel like a functioning member of society. Holding it in resulted in a depression that permeated everything in my life. I didn’t want anyone else to ever feel that way and I wanted to find a way to support other moms. By the time my second was born, just 14 months later, I was enrolled in training to become a doula, a non-medical support person for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. It’s been a journey of taking ownership of my mental wellness, rolling with the challenges that raising two small children brings, and pushing forward into my passion, all while being the best wife and mom that I can be.
Even with the work of healing, motherhood isn’t what I thought it would look like. I am not the kind of mother I thought I would be. I have done a lot of work to escape the shame of not being the perfect mom in my head and embrace the mom that I am right now. I’ve accepted that some things aren’t my giftings, even if other mothers seem to do it just fine. I think that is something we all struggle with. We all have that perfect mom we want to be that developed deep in our minds, from how we were or were not mothered, from the ideals of our culture, or from things we think we value but don’t actually serve us. We all need help dismantling those perfect moms that don’t exist. We all need help embracing the mom that we are NOW.
Because of this, it’s my goal to support mothers to simply be who they are. I believe that when mothers are well supported physically AND emotionally from the time they discover they are pregnant, they are able to navigate the changes that motherhood brings with confidence and joy. They are able to adapt to the identity of mother more easily. They can be secure in who they are and in their community. The village doesn’t exist in the way it used to, but I believe that we can work towards adapting our village to modern times. When we just show up as we are, we not only give ourselves freedom, but give others the freedom to just be who THEY are! That is how we can bring the sense of a village back.
As you can tell, I love starting conversations about womanhood, motherhood, raising children, mental health, and how culture shapes how we mother. These themes are usually the foundation of my posts for Idaho Falls Moms Blog! I also love discussions about marriage, partnering in parenting, faith and theology, sexuality, self care, passions, and more. I love having the uncomfortable conversations that might be a little taboo.
I believe when we discuss these things and are honest with how we feel about them, we make room for freedom. We pave the path for others to have those conversations themselves and for it to grow into cultural change.
Most of all, I value connection. As an outgoing introvert, I love groups and being around lots of people, but I also need quiet time and connect best with people one on one. Idaho Falls Moms Blog has given me the opportunity to connect to so many through my posts. That alone has been an amazing part of being on this team. This blog connects so many amazing women that would probably not be connected otherwise. We have found a way to relate to one another more than the ways we don’t. We, the contributors of IFMB, have found ways to relate to you, our readers, in ways that were daunting before this blog existed. We’ve found a way to transcend the cultural barriers we have to one another and are always working harder to overcome more. I think I can speak for all of us when I say, I’m so glad that YOU are here. Stick around and join our conversations.
Because I talked about all the big stuff, here are some other facts about me: I love iced coffee, This is Us, and Cheetos hot fries. I have a hard time with playdates because my need for socialization trumps my children’s need for it. I’m always down for anything, but I don’t always think to initiate. Birth and postpartum on tv shows really irritates me because of my knowledge as a doula (that is NOT what birth is like! Where did that preggo belly go after baby was born?!). I will always do my best to help if someone is in need. I’m a recovering people pleaser and I have a hard time saying no, but I’m working on it. My husband and I really like food and our appetites are bigger than what Idaho Falls can satisfy. I’m definitely that enabler who will encourage you to get dessert, even after a giant meal (sorry not sorry). I’m basically that mom friend that will be a little pushy about you taking care of yourself (You haven’t eaten yet today? I’m getting you food. Haven’t slept? Go take a nap, for goodness sake!).
I know it’s a little intimidating reading all this about me on a screen, but please, feel free to reach out to me just to chat a while or to even meet in person. That is exactly why I’m here. I hope to get to know you soon!
