On motherhood

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey
Reader Staff

Welcome to the world, Liam. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey.

This missive has made it into the pages of the Reader against all odds from a world so far removed from reality that time and space lack any meaning.

That world? First-time motherhood.

My husband Alex and I welcomed our son, Liam, on July 18. Born with the help of three incredible midwives at the Sandpoint Birthing Center, all 22 inches of our nearly nine-pound baby boy arrived without incident — notwithstanding the 24-hour labor that coaxed him into the world. 

It’s true what many women say about labor being forgettable by design. Just a week removed from the experience and it is mostly a blur of abstract pain, peppered with walks around the block and along Sand Creek; uncomfortable car rides to the Serv-a-Burger drive-thru and Cedar Street Chevron; an evening visit to City Beach to stand with my feet in the water and manifest the kind of relaxation that allows babies and gravity to join forces; plus plenty of inside jokes and moments of serious doubt with Alex by my side the entire time.

We met Liam just before noon on Day 2 at the birth center, and his arrival affirmed what I’d known for many months — he was a boy (a hunch, but a strong one) and he had limbs for days (something that my tight and lopsided belly had already confirmed). 

His wrinkly feet stretched beyond the sling as the midwife weighed him and, a few hours later, we were home. He met the pets; stared wide-eyed in blind, newborn awe at the chickens; and Alex gave him a tour of our garden. Suddenly the pumpkins we’d planted with our baby in mind — “They’ll be 3 months old for Halloween!” — belonged to someone. Liam’s pumpkins. Liam’s crib. Liam’s mama.

That’s me now, I guess. I’m still wrapping my head — and my sleep schedule — around it all.

It was always the plan to step away from my work at the Reader when the baby came. It was a decision I didn’t make lightly, and one that has seen unwavering support from Ben and Zach. They were kind and accommodating about my wishes to keep my pregnancy out of the pages of our paper. They sought my replacement without revealing my special secret, and I will always be thankful for that. 

This job requires us to give up so much of our personal lives, whether against our will in the form of hours or because we fill the pages with what we know best: our own experiences. This experience was one I wanted to keep close, until now.

My time as news editor might be wrapped, but I’m certain you’ll still be seeing my byline in the Reader from time to time. I plan to keep writing, but having typed this particular article on both my computer and phone over the course of five days between the demanding and sweet work of being Liam’s mama, I can confirm that it’s time for me to shift gears.

It has meant everything to me to have this job and work with these people. Liam will be raised knowing the importance of supporting an informed community. Thank you for reading the Reader.