Life with Blakey

When I started this during quarantine (2 years ago?) as a creative outlet my husband told me I was never going to keep up with it. I told him I absolutely was, mainly because I was determined to prove him wrong. Looks like he was right because it's been over a year and I forgot I even had this. Since I'm on maternity leave and a little stir crazy I figured I would tap into my creative outlet, and share my experience and all the things I've learned having baby Blake. First of all the most cliche statement of "the days are long but the years are short" is very accurate because I can't even believe she's going to be 10 weeks next week. I feel like I just found out I was pregnant. So far I've learned that showers as a mom are a true luxury, you can actually function on very little sleep, and every decision you make will leave you wondering if you should have made a different one, a better one for your child (moms are actual superheroes). I feel like all the things you experience during your postpartum and breastfeeding journey aren't talked about, not in detail at least. You just get the generic blanket statement "it's really hard but it's also so beautiful" and I don't feel like that's helpful for anyone so I wanted to shed some light on this. My labor and delivery was actually fairly easy, the movies just like to make it seem very dramatic, but I'm also going to attribute an easy delivery to only having a 6 pound baby (thanks Blake). Thankfully an easy delivery meant I didn't have a long journey of recovery ahead of me but I know that's not always the case. The thing I found the most difficult was breastfeeding and I didn't expect that to be such an emotional experience. It seems like it would be so easy since it's such a natural thing, but there is definitely a learning curve. You get to meet with a lactation consultant in the hospital, but to be honest they really weren't very helpful and the advice/information they gave wasn't accurate. They gave zero information about supplementing, proper latch, or checking for mouth ties. It took over a week for my milk to come in, which is actually very common for first time moms so just know that if yours doesn't come in within that 2-5 day window they tell you about, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you! I cried multiple times because it made me feel like a failure as a mom. After reaching out to a friend, I ended up seeking out an IBCLC (International board certified lactation consultant) who was amazing. I highly recommend everyone do this. We went through Oasis Lactaion Services and have met with Kjersten several times and it has made a world of difference. I think IBCLC's do a great job of meeting you where you're at, and supporting whatever your breastfeeding goals are. When I said I was experiencing a lot of pain with Blake's latch we immediately checked her for mouth ties and she had a full mouth tie (breastfeeding shouldn't be painful so don't believe that lie). If you're experiencing pain, highly suggest getting baby checked for ties, IMO they should be doing this in the hospital. We took Blake to Life Smiles In Plymouth to have her revision which is a fairly quick process, they use a laser to release the ties and you're able to feed baby immediately after to soothe and the difference in pain was immediate, it was such a relief. Having mouth ties actually causes restriction all throughout the body so we worked with our lactation consultant, and our chiropractor along with doing craniosacral therapy to help release the rest of the tension in Blake's body and make her more comfortable. You guys, she is high maintenance. I had no idea having a baby was so much work! Taking care of a baby is a full time job so maternity leave is definitely not a vacation like I thought it would be. I told myself I was going to have the cleanest house, organize all the things and start a business on my leave. What a naive thought. During my pregnancy the book and through postpartum Real Food for Pregnancy has been my bible, Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietician and does such an amazing job of shedding light on outdated nutritional advice in pregnancy and postpartum and how you can use nutrition to optimize your whole experience during pre-conception, pregnancy, postpartum and breastfeeding along with baby's lifelong health. So many people spend time preparing for the birthing experience and bringing baby home but not the postpartum period. When Lily talked about you not having any time for anything after, I totally thought she was exaggerating. She wasn't.

Postpartum Prep Essentials

One thing I did before Blake (when I didn't have mom brain from lack of sleep) and found extremely helpful was meal prepping. Studies have shown that proper nourishment leads to lower levels of postpartum depression so this was wildly important to me. I found a list of easy to freeze meals from Lily's website and I think we were able to go an entire month without cooking which was amazing. I also suggest keeping snacks around that are easy to grab while feeding babe. We did a lot of protein balls/bars, nuts, dried fruit, and beef sticks (chomps is my go to brand for beef sticks). Bonus points for all these snacks helping with milk production and enhancing the nutrient content of breast milk. I also found prepping smoothies the night before extremely helpful. I use Kelly Leveque's recipes for a balanced breaky of fat, protein and fiber. It was easy to eat while feeding Blake and kept me full for hours. Bonus point for smoothies being an easy thing to add extra nutrients into. Choline needs are at an all time high during breastfeeding, studies show that the ideal amount would be 950 mg. This is shown to increase memory capacity and prevent age related memory and attentional decline. Eggs and organ meets have the highest sources of choline, I don't love organ meats so I chose to supplement with Perfect Multi Organs which has high amounts of choline and other beneficial nutrients you need for breastfeeding like vitamin B12. As far as eggs go, I tend to keep those to a minimum as well. Being someone who is acne prone, an excessive amount of eggs (due to the albumin protein in them) can be hard to digest leading to an increase in acne and breakouts. To get adequate choline in my diet, I substitute with Sunflower Lecithin Powder, I just pop 1 TBSP. in my smoothie every morning. Definitely something to consider when breastfeeding as this can also help prevent clogged ducts. I'm only 10 weeks into being a mom so I'm no expert, but here are a few other things I've found helpful in this season of life. Jigsaw Adrenal Cocktail has been helpful in keeping me energy levels up while running on small amounts of sleep. Your adrenal glands play a significant role in hormone and energy production and excess amounts of caffeine, stress and lack of sleep can wreak havoc on your adrenals (hi motherhood). This cocktail combines Wholefood Vitamin C, Potassium Bicarbonate, and Redmond’s Real Salt in a formula designed to support healthy adrenal gland function. It doesn't taste great alone so I mix it with about four ounces of orange juice and 4 ounces of water. The Bloom Method workouts for slowly getting back into workouts while also nurturing your pelvic floor. It should come as no surprise that even on the days I couldn't find time to shower I never skipped my skincare routine, I just got creative. Vivant Skincare has Daily Repair Pads that I would sweep over my face if I couldn't find the time (or energy) to wash it. These have Mandelic Acid in them which are great for preventing breakouts, brightening skin and helping with melasma which is common in pregnancy. Serums are one of the most important things in keeping your skin in check so I would quick throw on the Vivant Skincare's 8% Mandelic Acid to get some actives on my skin, help with breakouts and just overall dullness in my skin. I also had the Le Mieux Iso-Cell Recovery Solution with me at all times. It's full of beneficial hydrating ingredients (the dehydration from breastfeeding is reallll) and it's acne safe so more bonus points. I'm still learning about all the mom things but I found a couple of things extra helpful for Baby B. This yoga ball has been a lifesaver. Anytime she's fussy, bouncing on it seems to instantly soothe her and it's great for bouncing her to sleep as well. Blake also struggled with gas and some upset tummy's so I found these Earthley drops extra helpful to have on hand. For gas and general discomfort for babies I've also found the DigestZen Essentail Oil from Doterra helpful and the I Love You massage. I've also found the app The Wonder Weeks super helpful in knowing what's happening with Blake's development. It gives you a rundown of all the things you could be experiencing each week with each "leap" she's taking, along with activities to honor that phase the best. In just 10 weeks life has changed so much. Is being a new mom hard? Yes and I know it isn't for everyone which I completely understand. It totally changes your life and gives you a whole new level of anxiety. Should I swaddle her? Should I give her a pacifier or will she think I never want to listen to her when she cries? I mean the what ifs are endless. I miss having time to do the things I love. I miss sleeping through the night, reading books, having time to cook and workout without having to tailor it to nap time, and I really miss long strolls through the aisles of Target. Like all things in life I know this is just a season and all those things will be attainable again. Being a mom has given me far more than it's taken from me. While this season of life is an exhausting one, it's also a beautiful one and one that I know I'm so blessed to be in. It's taught me so much more about patience, grace and selflessness along with thinking extra hard about the decisions I make because I now have little eyes watching me, I want to show up as the best version of myself for her. I think having a kiddo and choosing to go back to work after her has also given me so much more respect for working momma's. I knew keeping my career was important to me,I want her to see that you can still follow your passions, keep things for yourself and be a very present momma. Having a baby is such a complex thing. I want her to grow up and stay little all at the same time, but I think she's the best gift god has given us, along with the caffeine he also provided us with ;)