When Life Hits Pause: Laid Off 7 Weeks Postpartum

We're all dealing with so much.

The Pretty Real part of Your Me-Time Fix is about that. The parts of life that don't fit neatly into reels, routines, or mood boards. But are just as important. It seeps into our me-time, these feelings can eat at your mind making it impossible to relax, impossible to find joy. It's vital that we address them in any way we can. My way is through writing.

So what threw me for a loop? It started with a text message.

My daughter was 7 weeks old when a co-worker reached out to warn me: layoffs had just been announced at work. A few hours later, I got the call. My job — the one I'd held through fertility treatments, doctor appointments, and endless "what-ifs" — was gone.

I had my baby on my chest when they told me. I remember feeling her tiny face against my skin, my mind racing, my body still recovering from an emergency C-section just weeks before. It felt like it was happening to someone else.

To say I was scared is an understatement.

It had taken me three years to have my daughter. I'd faced infertility, loss, and so much uncertainty before finally getting to hold her. Becoming a single mom by choice was the biggest leap of faith I've ever taken, and in that moment, it felt like the ground had been pulled out from under me.

✨ The Pause I Didn't Ask For, But Embraced

Thankfully, I still had my maternity leave, and I decided right then that I wouldn't let fear take this time from me. I had waited my whole life for this moment.

So I made a promise to myself: I'd worry about the future in the future.

I let the fear sit in the background, quiet but present, and focused on the one thing I could control, soaking in every minute with my baby. I knew this time was fleeting, and I didn't want anxiety to color the thing I had wanted most in the world.

But the future has a way of catching up fast. When my benefits ran out, reality hit again. I had to make decisions, find a way forward, and build something new out of what had fallen apart.

🌿 What I've Learned (So Far)

We've all had moments that blindside us — times when everything we counted on changes in an instant. You lose your footing, your plans, your sense of certainty.

What I've learned is that worry doesn't really help you get through it. It just steals the moments you still have. It was a lesson I had first realized when I was going through infertility.     

That's what led me here — to Your Me-Time Fix.

It started as a way to find small moments that remind me I'm still me, even when life looks nothing like I thought it would. And maybe that's what we're all doing — learning to find joy, calm, and connection in between the hard parts. So if you've ever had life hit pause without asking, this space is for you, too. Because even when everything changes, you still deserve moments that are just yours.