I Am Woman: Uncaged

I feel this burning inside of me. A desire deep within rising to the surface. Years of suppressing a faint voice in the distance. A familiar voice screaming to be free. Her voice approaches closer as the desire burns deeper. Her will to break free overpowering the fear that kept her contained. The taste of freedom at her lips becoming an addiction. Craving for more to be released from this cage. Her voice becoming so loud I drop to my knees. Compelled to follow her lead, she rose to the surface and was free.

My second pregnancy brought on a whirlwind of the unexpected. Full time nursing school, raging hormones and a separation. To say it was the polar opposite of my first pregnancy would be an understatement. One life living in two entirely different worlds. Here I was at another happiest moment of my life, yet spiraling in pain and fear of the unknown. Initially I didn't have the desire to do a maternity shoot as I did with my first. I struggled to find happiness when I feared how different life would be moving forward. Despite the doubts, I realized I was the one in charge of my life. I remember this overpowering emotion of truly wanting to step into my power. Finally use my voice that I have silenced for too long. I began to envision the woman I wanted to be and step out of my comfort zone. Yes, there was a lot of sadness in a failing marriage, but there was so much joy growing within me.

For once I wanted to stop shrinking myself to conform to everyone around me. It was during this time I realized the only person you ever truly have is yourself.

So I vowed to myself to transform that pain into something far more powerful. A force to add to this world, a reminder that pressure only inspired me to evolve. To becoming the woman I always imagined. I connected with a good friend who beautifully captured my pregnancy. Photos that I am eternally grateful for. A reminder of the woman I am. The woman capable of so much that she ever so blindly missed. A beautiful reminder that the pain I have felt transformed me into the woman I am today. That I redirected that energy to my advantage to learn about myself entirely. Inside and out. Who I am. What I like. What I stand for. And from the lowest point in my life I blossomed into a beautiful new beginning. A new beginning where I was free.