Dria | Firefighting • Fitness • Health

Hey it’s me again. This is not a recovery flex either. After going through a c section recovery, I know for FACT 3 months is not enough, but 3 months is pretty standard for America. FMLA gives you 12 weeks.

What I didn’t realize is the physical part is hard, yes, but the mental aspect is harder.

Yeah, I went from barely being able to walk without pain to putting gear on and doing everything I did prior to a baby in 12 weeks. That takes dedicated work.

Whys that make me stronger?

Well, yeah, being pregnant and birthing a human is hard. But basically jumping right back into the job while still battling postpartum, a new life, a new body, and a new mind, has been the greatest challenge of my life.

People don’t really get it. My close friends do but there is a level of loneliness that comes with being a mom but also being in a high risk, male dominated work force. And I get it, I chose this career. But I had noooooo idea what this part entailed. So here I am, sharing this to let others know fire moms know, you aren’t alone and it IS possible but it’s not for the faint of heart.

What 3-5%(?) of women make up the fire service in my area and an even smaller percentage have children. So it’s hard to know what’s normal.

Here’s the super power. I can learn an entirely new life and still show up to work more passionate than the day I started the academy.

Being a mom is so cool. It pushed me to not settle, to strive for more and while yes the mom guilt is there, so is the drive that when I walk out that door, I am making dang sure it’s filling my cup and meeting the needs of my family.

Motherhood wasn’t meant to be easy and it looks a million different ways for different women. But in my story, I’ll continue being a baller mom and a great firefighter.

I realized how much more I’m capable of.