Letter from the Editor

Getting pregnant at the time that I did wasn’t something I planned. Though now I can say it was a happy surprise, it felt like the farthest thing from that while it was happening. I cried every day. I was disgusted with my body changing. I hated the mood swings and random issues that would come out of nowhere. I dreaded doctors appointments. The tiredness that persisted no matter how much I slept, or the heartburn that brought me to tears almost daily. My husband, the salt of the earth, did his best to understand and would have done anything to take a little of the weight off my shoulders, but sometimes he simply couldn’t. He didn’t understand and he never would. 

Pregnancy and prepartum depression took a toll on me in every possible way. Mentally, physically, and especially emotionally. 

I felt ripped away from the things I loved to do most- hot yoga and pilates, wine nights with my best friends, traveling (though physically I was allowed to until halfway through the third trimester, doing so came with a laundry list of precautions and not to mention the anxiety of “what if something happens”). 

Some days, I didn’t even have the energy to put away the laundry. That pile on the floor slowly became a reflection of how I was doing inside. On my better days, it shrank to a few unmatched socks. But most of the time, it just grew.

And grew.

And grew.

I couldn’t look at the laundry pile. I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror. Both felt like reminders of how far away I was from feeling like myself. Physically, I had a strong pregnancy, but mentally and emotionally, I felt lost. 

I read somewhere, maybe while doom scrolling late at night, “When the world is wrong, write. When you feel hopeless, write. When you don’t know what to do, write.” So I did.

I wrote without any plan to share. I still don’t plan to. But that season, cracked something open in me. It made me want to tell my story. Not because it’s wild or brave or heroic. It’s not. It’s ordinary. Status quo. A version of something many women go through, not just in postpartum, but through any shift that reshapes who we are: a breakup, a move, a diagnosis, a change we didn’t choose. 

We don’t talk enough about that space. The blurry in-between where we miss who we were, and aren’t sure yet who we’re becoming.

But I want to.

I created 13 Fridays for that space. For the days when your clothes don’t feel like they belong to you. For the moments when getting ready feels overwhelming. For the times when a clean serum, a soft shirt, or a well-fitting pair of pants can feel like a lifeline. 13 Fridays is a small offering of support, a nod that says, you’re not alone, you’re still in there, and you deserve to feel good again. 

13 Fridays will hopefully be a little whisper of happiness for women feeling how I felt. For me, one of the hardest things was feeling good in the clothes I was wearing, so I took those feelings and curated collections with pieces that aim to make mothers, new or veteran, and women in general, feel good. Additionally, one of my favorite times of the day both pre and postpartum was the few minutes after my shower where I felt clean and refreshed, even if it was only for a short time. So I decided to also offer beauty and wellness products that are clean ingredient and don’t require a 12 step routine to work. 

Though 13 Fridays is inspired by and heavily rooted in motherhood, this is a space for all women who could use a little lift, a little ease, and a reminder of their own confidence.

Welcome to 13 Fridays. I’m so glad you’re here. This space has been such a joy to create, and I truly can’t wait to keep sharing more with you.

-Maddie