Name: Veronica Johnson
Child & Age: Austin, 1 year & 1 month
Hometown/Current Location: San Jose, Ca.
Quick Bio: Like all other moms out there I wear many hats. I am a full time mommy, full time consultant in the healthcare industry and host a support page on Facebook for mothers young and old, those working on becoming pregnant and those who have influence over the lives of children. It is called My Village Ministry, because it truly takes a village to raise a child. (https://www.facebook.com/groups/myvillageministry/). My motherhood journey started with a traumatic birthing experience. An experience I will never forget. The doctors called a code blue and it took 5 minutes to revive my son. That was the longest 5 minutes of my life. It was at that time, that I realized how precious life was, how to truly cry out to God, and how to love like never before. The first time I saw my son was briefly as they wheeled him away to the NICU. I did not get to hold or even touch my son until 3 days after his birth, and even then, I only had enough strength to reach out my hand to touch him, I did not have enough strength to hold him. That was the beginning of my journey into mom-hood, though traumatic, I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way, this is his story.
Q: What is your favorite piece of advice to new Moms?
A: Each child, each parent, each situation is different. There is no cookie cutter way about doing things. You do what works best for your little family. It may not be what other moms or other families do, but if that is what works for you, that is ok. (As long as it is not endangering the health and well being on the child or yourself.) Take time for you, you cannot be an effective, healthy parent or significant other for your child or your family if you are not healthy, happy and rested.
Q: How do you incorporate fitness into your daily routine?
A: Working 8 hours a day, sitting in traffic to get home and making dinner or tending to your family does not allow for much fitness time. However, to incorporate fitness I play games with my son that allow me to do squats or stretches, or I put music on and we dance, jog or jump to get the heart rate going.
Q: What’s your most memorable Mommy moment to date?
A: A most recent memorable mommy moment is when I told my son “I love you” as he was leaving with his daddy, in his baby talk response he said something that sounded similar to I love you. He melts my heart!
Q: As a Mommy what is it that you feel you do “right”?
A: As a mom, especially a new mom, you always question your parenting.. Am I doing this right? When I read this question, all that kept popping in my head was what I feel I can do or be better at. One thing I think I do right, is making sure that I tell my son I love him, that I am proud of him, and that I speak life over him daily. That I encourage him to be the best little baby he can be.
Q: Share something you have learned about yourself since you became a Mom.
A: I’ve learned that parenting is tough and not as easy as others make it seem. I’ve learned that I am strong, I am capable, I am vulnerable. I’ve learned to have compassion for other moms. I’ve learned that a nice word or gesture to a mom, could mean the world to them at a trying moment. I’ve learned patience. I’ve learned to love in ways that I have never imagined. Most importantly I’ve learned that it truly takes a village to raise a child, I’ve learned that I need my village.
