How Motherhood Has Changed My Body And My Marriage

How Motherhood Has Changed My Body And My Marriage my story postpartum depression postpartum anxiety after pregnancy Unveiled WifeSix months ago I gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy, by God’s grace.

Motherhood has changed my life, from my body to my marriage.

I have shared a little about life after pregnancy, but I have yet to share what I have been experiencing the last few months. In February I became very anxious. Fears gripped my heart regarding my health and how my dependent baby would fare if anything happened to me. I heard that those thoughts are normal among new moms, however, these thoughts spiraled out of control, debilitating me.

I am still wondering how I was able to continue posting on Unveiled Wife with all that I was enduring, again only by God’s precious grace. I am in awe of how God was still able to use me despite the anxiety that coated my heart. Read Full Article

May 11, 2013
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My Husband Is My Help

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When my son joined our precious family, I thought I would be a natural!  I had so much experience with children as I grew up, caring for my siblings, my nieces and nephew, cousins, and especially in my position as a teacher’s aid at a preschool.  I really felt like I was really for motherhood.

However, when my son finally arrived… I felt pain!  Yes physical pain that comes during labor… but I also felt a different kind of pain.  The pain of realizing I was responsible for such a young child and that I was capable of hurting him because of my own imperfections.

This triggered post pardum anxiety that worsened my feelings of being overwhelmed.  Please join me over at The Better Mom to read more of this story.

March 19, 2013
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A Baby Dedication Poem

On February 2nd, 2013 my husband and I dedicated our son Eliott to the Lord.  Among family and friends we committed to raising our son according to God’s ways!  Below is the dedication ceremony notes from our pastor and friend, Bill Heydorn, including the commitments we vowed to and a baby dedication poem that we wrote for our son.

Eliott James Smith – Baby Dedication Ceremony

Why do we do Baby Dedications?

  • An opportunity to thank God for the precious gift of Eliott
  • An opportunity to publicly declare your intentions to raise Eliott in a Christian home.
  • A benchmark you can return to time and time again.
  • A family dedication, where parents and family commit themselves to abide by biblical principlesand to raise Eliott according to God’s standards.

{PRAYER} Read Full Article

February 12, 2013
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Reflecting On 2012

This year has been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling years of my life!

Reflecting On 2012 my story reflecting Unveiled WifeIn January my husband and I celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary. We reminisced over the first 5 years of our marriage and chatted about what we hope to see in our future.  Spending quality time with my husband and communicating in an intimate way reaffirmed the love we share and confirmed the direction we were heading in our relationship. Read Full Article

December 31, 2012
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Baby Birth Story – Introducing Eliott James

Baby Birth Story Introducing Eliott James my story labor baby Unveiled WifeOn November 7th 2012 my life changed forever!  I woke up early from an excruciating headache – the kind that prevents one from lifting their head off of their pillow.  With my expected due date being November 8th all I could think was I hope I do not go into labor with this headache!  I drank some water and forced myself to go back to sleep.  I was able to rest until about 11am and when I got out of bed I was incredibly thankful that the headache subsided.  Around noon I sat down in the living room eager to eat the subway sandwich my sister had bought me.

Within a few minutes I had this thought that a contraction may be coming.  I had never felt one before so I didn’t know what to expect, but sure enough one came!  Within 5 minutes another one followed.  By contraction number four I called my husband to let him know that we may be meeting our son soon! Read Full Article

December 18, 2012
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A Message To The Unveiled Wife Community

The month of November has always been a huge reminder to be thankful!  More than ever before I have an overflowing heart of thankfulness for how God is working in my life.

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Thank you Unveiled Wife Community for supporting and encouraging me as I passionately pursue marriage ministry!  My goal for UW has been to provide a platform for wives to love each other, advise each other, and remind each other to build one another up in their role as a wife according to what God says about marriage!  Thank you so much for being an integral part of this ministry, interacting with one another, and pouring out blessings through prayers and encouragements!

Please watch this video below!

Read Full Article

November 5, 2012
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The Smith’s Maternity Shoot With Gary And Courtney

The Smiths Maternity Shoot With Gary And Courtney my story photoshoot maternity having fun Unveiled Wife

Gary and Courtney have a booming photography business that takes them around the world to photograph amazing weddings!  They have a gift of being able to capture people’s stories through the lens.  They usually do not shoot maternity photos, but when we found out that we were expecting we were eager to ask them to capture this milestone for us!  Read Full Article

October 16, 2012
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A Beautiful Baby Shower

I am a blessed woman to have amazing family and friends who love and support me!  This past weekend I enjoyed a beautiful baby shower in honor of my little boy Eliott James!

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First let me start by showing you how incredibly cute the invitations were!  I love the idea of natural browns and lace doilies. Read Full Article

September 13, 2012
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July Cover Story For PINC Magazine

I had the honor of gracing the front cover of PINC Magazine – July 2012!  I share about my heart on the issue of marriage, as well as about the purpose behind the Unveiled Wife Community.

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I had a great experience with the girls from PINC Magazine!  We traveled to Bolsa Chica State Beach to capture these lovely images above, shot by Michelle Yejin.  Then I had the privilege of participating in my first interview ever with Kristin Kline.

Here are a few snippets from the article:

I shared a little honesty, as far as being a Christian wife encountering issues in my marriage.  It was always a challenge to let down walls and be real with others.

“It was really hard for me to be vulnerable.  I always had to come off being the ‘good Christian’ or like I had everything put together. To look weak just amplified the insecurities that I had and it was just hard to go to that place.”

Now that I have exposed my weakness with others and have sought after accountability to be better in my Christian faith and in my marriage, I feel free from the weight of insecurities and failures.  Much of what I learned – and am still learning – to let go of was my pride.  Humility is never easy, but when we experience it, God is glorified!

I also touched on the topic of sex and intimacy in marriage.

“Growing up Christian, sex and intimacy wasn’t talked about in church. And for me and my husband, because that was a tension spot in our marriage, it was very hard to talk about sex with each other, but also with anybody else.”

My husband and I struggled in this area for years, and very often we still experience challenges.  However, being able to communicate with my husband about our sex life and praying over it has definitely impacted it in a positive way.

My passion for marriage ministry and sharing marital resources that will equip wives is my mission!

“One of the reasons I wanted to start Unveiled Wife was to also be able to be more open in the Christian atmosphere about sex and intimacy.  If I was a struggling new wife, unable to talk about it with anybody, even a close friend, there’s got to be other people out there who feel the same way.”

I hope that these small excerpts encourage you in your marriage today!  Please know that you are not alone in your struggles!  If you have a moment please check out the full article HERE!

I encourage you to follow PINC Magazine an online magazine for young women!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pincmagazine

Twitter: @PINCmagazine

July 23, 2012
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Listening To The Lord – Lessons For Life & Marriage

Listening To The Lord Lessons For Life & Marriage my story devotionals for wives and marriage wealth discontentment Unveiled Wife

The morning sun shining through my window woke me up. I tried to roll away from the light eager to get my beauty rest, but I couldn’t fall back to sleep. Hunger pains began to rumble in my stomach. I crawled out of bed quietly to not wake up my husband who was still sleeping soundly.

Stumbling to the kitchen, I fix myself a bowl of cereal. A thought flew across my mind to grab my Bible, but for some reason I ignored it.  It seemed like too much work to go fetch it.  I finished my cereal and then prepared our lunches for the day. The entire time I continued to push out the thought of reading God’s Word, thinking the things I chose to do instead were more important.  With 30 minutes to spare before the alarm would ring to encourage us to get up and get ready for work, I slid back into bed next to my sleeping husband.  However, as hard as I tried to keep my eyes shut, my body resisted sleep.

Then I heard His voice.  It was more of a voice I heard inside my head, but distinctly not my own.

God said to me, “Please Jennifer, I want to show you something.” Read Full Article

May 25, 2012
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