Music has been an integral part of my life, of my husband’s life, and of our life together, so it came as no surprise to me when I realized that each part of my journey to motherhood has had some sort of anthem, whether I’ve recognized it at the time or only in hindsight.

There were constantly playlists running in the background of our lives - starting from the early days of trying to conceive at home, in the old-school, “natural” sense. Then, of course, there was the music that comforted us on our early morning drives to the fertility clinic, day after day, month after month, the songs that pumped us up during injection seasons, the lyrics that sat beside us in grief and the ones that we shouted in celebration, once we finally made it into the “safe zone” with my pregnancy in 2018. There was the song that I listened to over and over again when I was in labor, and there were very specifically curated playlists created for my daughter when she was born. 

This most recent season has looked no different for me, or for our family, when it comes to music. I have often been grateful to lyrics that say what I cannot, or express more eloquently what I am feeling, especially in the wake of loss, or grief, trauma or hurt.