Hi, I’m Kalie.

Welcome to An Unexpected Motherhood.

I’m a mom of three, and like so many of us, motherhood didn’t quite turn out the way I imagined it would.

When I became a mom, I never expected that so much of my life would revolve around medical appointments, surgeries, medications, hospital stays, specialists, therapies, and learning how to advocate for a child with needs I never knew how to navigate.

But somewhere along the way, I realized that while I couldn’t change the road we were on, I could share what I was learning with other moms walking a similar one.

That’s really what An Unexpected Motherhood is all about.

This space was created for the mom who is suddenly learning a whole new language of motherhood, the mom carrying a diaper bag that doubles as a medical bag, keeping track of medications and appointments, advocating in doctor’s offices, researching symptoms late at night, or simply trying to figure out how to make everyday life work when it looks different that she expected.

What you’ll find here:

• Practical tips for navigating medical motherhood
• Hospital & appointment organization ideas
• Helpful resources I’ve discovered along the way
• Free printables and tools for busy moms
• Encouragement for the hard days
• Stories and updates from our own journey

When I created this webspace, I had very little intention of diving deep into the medical motherhood part of my life. I think I’ve had a deep-seeded fear that I’m not experienced or knowledgeable enough to share on it. I wanted to keep things light. Share favorite recipes that I’m always asked for and the basics of motherhood for new moms out there.

But something wasn’t feeling right. 

I started feeling a strong tug at my heart that this unplanned, complicated part of my life is exactly what I need to be talking about. It’s hard, it’s uncomfortable, and I’m not an expert at this life. I’m still learning how to be the best mother I can be. Especially when one of my children requires so much of me. And all of that has made me feel unqualified.

But God calls the unqualified. 

So here I am taking a giant leap of faith, praying that God gives me the right words along the way. My greatest hope is that I can be the source of information and support that I desperately needed when this unexpected motherhood of mine first started. That I can give some insight to some of those Google searches made when a new mom enters the medical world with their child. 

That our story can bring hope…something I desperately needed in our first days.

If you’re in the middle of your own unexpected motherhood…

I want you to know that you don’t have to have everything figured out.

Some days you’ll feel like you’ve got this. Other days, you’ll wonder how you’re going to make it through the next hour. Both are okay.

My faith is a big part of how I navigate the unexpected. I don’t have all the answers, and I certainly don’t have motherhood figured out. And sometimes I like to think that I can control what happens if I just stay on top of everything. 

But I’ve learned that in reality, I’m not really in control of anything. God is. And there’s a great peace that can come with laying down that false sense of control and letting Him take the reins. He meets us in the middle of the messy, uncertain, exhausting parts of motherhood. 

Remember that sometimes the motherhood we never expected becomes the place where we discover just how strong, capable, and deeply loved we really are.

With love,