Hey there! I’m Petra!
And, like you, I somehow find a whole lot of ways to keep myself busy. On my professional side, I’m a board-certified pediatrician, lactation consultant, and entrepreneur. But in my personal life, I’m a wife, mom of 5, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend.
My many roles keep me pretty occupied, and my time gets eaten up every single day. I have a love for dance, DIY’s, working out, and binge-watching Netflix. And finding time to do the things I love is definitely a priority for me.
But, that never comes easy.
I struggled with time management and prioritizing myself and my family for many years. I’m talking years: through medical school, residency, and since I’ve worked in private practice as a physician. For a long time, I felt overwhelmed, frazzled, stressed, and exhausted because I just couldn’t seem to strike the balance that I needed in my life.
My family was only getting the “leftovers” of my time and energy when I got home from work. I couldn’t focus or be “present” with them because I was constantly thinking about what else needed to get done.
This wasn’t the perfect life I envisioned when I was younger.
I knew something had to change.
I realized that if I could get my home life under control that I all the other parts of my life would be a lot less stressful for me.
So, I started developing new habits, routines and systems in my home and life to streamline whatever I could. And to keep myself accountable, I started writing at Wifey Mommy Doc in 2019 to help frazzled moms, like myself, tame the chaos in their life and find time for the things they love. My goal was to pass on what I was learning and to be a resource for frustrated wives and moms out there who felt like they couldn’t possibly do it all.
A lot of people look at my life right now and wonder how I do it – how I make it through my day-to-day and keep everything straight. But, believe me, it has taken a lot!
And it has paid off.
Now that I have systems in place and my home life is under control (at least most of the time), I can focus on the things I love to do every day. My family now has more of my attention, I’m able to take better care of myself, and I can actually make and accomplish goals that I’ve dreamed of for years.
Wifey
When I was 13, I met my husband through my church’s youth group. He was truly my first love, but we went our separate ways after high school. I got married, divorced, and in 2012 I came to my senses and married my “Boo”. We’ve had our ups and downs along the way, and while we’re still figuring this marriage thing out, we work daily to make our bond stronger. He’s been a huge supporter of me throughout my career, and my partner in raising our kids. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without him.
Mommy
I have a starting basketball team at home – 5 beautiful children who gave me the privileged title “Mommy”. Their ages range from 3-16 years. I’m one of those crazy ones who didn’t wait until I was done with my schooling to have kids – having one at each step of my training. Our awesome kids all have very different personalities, which sometimes requires different parenting styles for each. Needless to say, I have a lot of experience with a lot of different childhood behaviors. Raising happy, healthy, responsible kids is no easy feat.
Doc
I’m a Board-Certified Pediatrician and Lactation Consultant and absolutely love what I do in both roles. I started my career with a large and very busy Pediatric practice, but after 3 years realized it wasn’t for me. The schedule was too demanding and wasn’t conducive to a happy marriage and playing an active role in my kids’ lives. I’m now satisfied at a smaller practice that allows me to be what I need to be to my husband, kids, and patients.
I have 16 years under my belt as a mom, and 9 years as a Pediatrician. I admit that I don’t have it all figured out and am still learning as I go!
A little more about me:
I’m a Christian and I love Jesus Christ! I’m the only daughter of two hard-working Jamaican parents. I have 3 brothers, and I was (admittedly) spoiled rotten growing up. I get excited about my kids’ dance and gymnastics competitions, band concerts, softball, football and soccer games because I just love to see them pouring their heart into something and doing their best. My weekends are spent at kids’ activities, Miami Dolphins and Hurricanes football games (though I’m always a Gator at heart!), at church, and the occasional brunch with friends. I love naps. I love food. Just about any kind. Our household is (luckily!) filled with great eaters! We’re huge Disney fans! And have just about every Disney membership there is!
But, that’s enough about me. After all, this site isn’t all about me.
Here’s what YOU’LL get from hanging out here:
Let’s get connected!
The best way to stay connected is through my weekly e-mail newsletter, which provides you with advice and encouragement right in your inbox. In it, you’ll also get my latest blog posts and my personal lessons learned as I go.
When you sign up, I’ll send you my Balanced Mom Starter Guide as a free gift to get a jumpstart on conquering the chaos in your home and life. It’ll provide you with easy steps you can take today to get more balance. Nothing complicated. Nothing elaborate. Just simple ways to manage your time and go from overwhelmed and stressed to organized and confident. Because the reality is that once your home life is in order, you’ll be able to focus on and get the rest of your life in order, too.
You can also follow along with me on Facebook and Instagram or e-mail me at petra@wifeymommydoc.com just to say hi. I’d love to hear from you!
I know you can do this. Are you with me?