Baby showers, schedule changes and overwhelming emotions. These were just a few of the things teachers Leslie Heise and Kassandra Trevarrow experienced with their newborns this past summer.

Heise and her husband welcomed their first baby on Apr. 9, 2022, and named her Charlotte Rae Heise. Although it was a nerve-wracking process, Heise felt that they were ready for the journey of parenthood because of the support she felt from both family and friends from the start of the pregnancy.

“I had a baby shower thrown for me by the staff here at school since I’m a first-time mom, which was really nice of the other women teachers here at school,” Heise said.

When the time finally came to have her baby girl, Heise felt all kinds of emotions, but one stuck out to her the most.

“It’s like you really get hit with gratitude of having a healthy, happy baby to call your own,” Heise said.

Heise was thankful that summer break was right around the corner because it gave her the chance to put all her focus on Charlotte.

“It was great to be at home and not be worried about my kids here at school,” Heise said. “I probably had the most fun this summer than I’ve ever had in my life.”

As the month of August rolled around and school began for another year, Heise’s amount of time to spend with her baby was limited.

“I really only get to see Charlotte for a couple of hours when I get home before she goes to bed, so the days are short, but thankfully the weekends are long,” Heise said.

Along with Heise, Trevarrow gave birth to a newborn on May 27, 2022 and was named McKenna Lynn Trevarrow. However, this was Trevarrow’s second pregnancy, so she knew what to expect going forward. 

“Your life changes so drastically,” Trevarrow said. “You lose a little part of yourself and that freedom, but at the same time you’ve gained so much more.”

The new challenge with this baby was having to find a balance of quality time with her other daughter, Blake.

“There’s a lot of guilt not being able to be with Blake all the time,” Trevarrow said. “It becomes the new normal, and we’re both learning that we can’t be together all the time.”

Ultimately, both Trevarrow and Heise are embracing their new journeys that have only just begun.

“It totally flips your world, but at the same time it has been the best thing that has ever happened to me,” Trevarrow said.