Baby Steps: Rediscovering Herself Post Motherhood

" I didn't know I was this strong" - Nyssa Ducharme Favaro

Building herself and her family one day at a time

Becoming a mother can be a big adjustment for many women regardless of their feelings on having kids.  But for one woman who said she would never have kids, life, as it often does, had other ideas and motherhood required a reframing of how she saw herself.

Nyssa Ducharme Favaro first became a step mother to a daughter before becoming pregnant with twin boys. Two chapters arriving almost at once, each one asking her to give more of herself than she knew she had.

Almost three years later, she’s trying to find herself outside of being a mother, a struggle many mothers can relate to.

As a recent winner of an 11-week self-defense class for women, Ducharme-Favaro says this win is the first step for her to give back to herself while providing for her kids.

“I want to get healthier and stronger for my kids. This class represents a new beginning for me, and I’m very happy for this opportunity.”

She sees her role as a mother as part of building a healthy community by devoting time to making sure her kids are healthy through keeping them engaged with cooking, art classes, walks in the park, and more activities. But in addition, she is more than a mother. While her goals and dreams are hard to define now, in taking this step and doing something for herself, she is moving forward despite the challenges.

“I’ve come a long way and I’ve had to learn a lot postpartum,” she said, tears forming in her eyes.

“I didn’t know I was this strong,” she added, a reflection of the inner strength often found in life’s difficult moments.