mom – Page 2 – Just a Dash

Welcome To Your New Postpartum Body

September 8, 2015September 4, 2015by SymoneF2 Comments

On my Instagram, I shared two photos (1, 2) showing my postpartum body and a few thoughts. Today, I’m sharing my thoughts on everything. Get your drinks and a snack. Yes, I posted this after eating a lot of crap this Labor Day Weekend. I don’t feel guilty for what I ate. I love food. Some of it at least…

One Week Postpartum

Everyone is so quick to tell you their labor story. I try to wait for people to ask or I correct them if they assume I experienced certain things. I frankly didn’t care to hear anyone’s story but people think it’s something they must share. And I did not find a polite way to tell people over 50 I didn’t care to hear their story. Listen to me carefully. STOP SHARING YOUR STORIES WITH FIRST TIME MOTHERS. You know what I would’ve appreciated? Someone telling me I MUST get postpartum underwear to hold my jelly belly together when I scoot my sore self around home and to appointments during that first week. Going into week three, I was feeling better or I got used to it, but ain’t nobody tell me how that shit was going to feel! The first time I got out of bed at the hospital after delivery I freaked out. “What is going on with my stomach!? Ain’t nobody tell me bout this shit!” Man I sure as hell bought those panties to keep everything from feeling like it was going out of place on the inside. I took long to get them but they did help when I did.

~~ For the record, I endured 24 hours of labor and as far as I’m concerned, I had the most amazing experience ever and I was quite impressed with myself and what my body was able to do. Labor isn’t a walk in the park for everyone, and everyone has different pain thresholds. So don’t assume because you had it oh so hard that I did too. I was probably able to tolerate just a bit more than you.~~

Body Image

This is what I’m still dealing with. No matter what, I am sure every woman goes through a period where she is absolutely depressed with the state of her postpartum body. We tell ourselves we took 9 months to create this amazing little human and we should give ourselves no less than 9 months to attempt to get back to where we were before. But the truth is, some things will NEVER be the same. EVER. My big A/ small B-cup tatas barely nursed for 12 weeks and they feel so deflated. Yes deflated. Like someone let out all the air of my tiny balloons. I also no longer like bras with bones because I went over 9 months not wearing them. Wireless all the way but I make sure they make they keep the girls looking up to the sky and not at the floor. The least they could do is look good in clothes.

My husband could tell you how much I lather my body with creams. I have more creams/oils than the average person thanks to eczema and dry/sensitive skin. During my pregnancy, before I started showing, I was lathering my stomach with oils/creams. I did the cocoa butter stick as well. After 30 weeks, I was fortunate to earn my tiger stripes. I’ve been alternating between Pure Vitamin E oil 70,000 IUs, Honest Co. Belly Balm and Bio-oil on it since giving birth. They’re getting better but I don’t expect them to totally disappear, I’m just trying to reduce their appearance as much as possible. I’m learning to see them as badges. The only thing I can do otherwise is try to work on my stomach as much as possible that it’s not flabby and stripey.

That brings us to clothes.

When pregnant you focus so much on maternity clothes and baby stuff. After baby comes out, you don’t want to see another maternity outfit. Even if it was normal clothes you wore in a bigger size. It was your uniform while pregnant and you’re dying to get back into what you wore before only to realize, that shit ain’t happening today, tomorrow or 3 months later. Accept that if you aren’t focused on losing weight, you need to get a new wardrobe to hold you over on your journey to “coming down”. I started losing weight soon after but then came to a standstill. I had every intention of being a certain size by my trip home in July but that never happened either. I bought tons of spanx to wear with clothes just in case. (Yummie by Heather Thomson is my brand of choice.) My stomach got to a point where I was comfortable and didn’t need it but I’m still not anywhere near where I’d like to be. In other words, prepare a budget for new clothes here and there. You don’t need a full wardrobe but maybe when you come to a standstill like I did, a pair of jeans that aren’t baggy or too tight and fit just right would be worth every penny spent on them because you’re comfortable.

Honestly, everyone will tell you it takes time and don’t beat yourself up about it, but I’m on a mission. I intend to have #2 soon and I want to be down to a certain weight that I don’t have to lose twice as much after. Also, this extra weight was not helping me sleep at night. I sleep on my side and I’d wake up sore on whichever side I slept on the most. However, exercise was not on my mind. I was too tired and I was never in the mood for it. Diet? What diet… I ate whenever I could and whatever I could. The other thing no one tells you about – when you’re scarfing down food during your pregnancy because “now is the time to eat what you want”, your body gets used to it. That switch doesn’t turn off after baby comes. They tell you the same thing if you’re breastfeeding. But you have to train yourself to eat better.

I saw my dietician last Wednesday, because she gets me back on track. I was told recently that I could make decisions for myself with regards to what products I try, but I honestly do not trust myself and do better under the guidance of others, namely my dietician and trainer. Anytime I need a boost or guidance, I go to my dietician, she knows what my diet is like now and always makes the best suggestions to go with my very picky palette. If you don’t have one, try seeing one. My goal on that day was to have a breakfast alternative and suggestions for dinner as I’m now getting to a point where I can do dinner that doesn’t involve a lot of prep. I know you’re all anxious so I really did this post to share the info she passed on to me. And flood your brain with my thoughts.

Breakfast Muffins

During my first weeks as a new mom, my dietician suggested using egg white protein and Barlean’s Omega Flax oil with 1 cup of rice milk for a balanced breakfast shake to also help with the production of milk, while helping to shed the baby fat. I’m also lactose intolerant so this protein was chosen as it wouldn’t cause a problem for me. My dietician promotes 1:1:1 — 1 carb:1 protein:1 fat to help lose weight. When you do 2:1 (2 carbs: 1 protein) you are looking at maintenance, not weight loss. I can say for sure that this has worked for me. But please, seek your own dietician and help, I’m only sharing my story.

So, I realized during the early weeks that baby got constipated whenever I had egg. It was mainly hardboiled eggs but I came off of all eggs just in case. I’ve been left with the protein powder and I’ve had a craving for homemade muffins. I told her my dilemma and she was able to provide me with three websites. One is a banana protein muffin and the other two are websites that have recipes for anything you want to make with protein powder.

As for dinner, she recommended the cookbook Before Baby by Autumn Hoverter, another dietician. The book mainly deals with meals to cook and freeze before baby comes but it also works for after baby comes and they are crock pot meals. It also has alternatives for vegetarians. Any first time mother knows how important it is to have a many one pot recipes at their disposal and this one is good because it follows the same protein:carb:fat ratio and will help with coming down post baby. It’s only $5.99 on the Kindle. I got it and maybe you should too!

All of this is to say, it’s a journey, and the least you can do is attempt to make changes as hard as they may be. To try is better than not doing anything at all. I’m trying to increase my daily water intake by filling a water bottle and keeping it close. That way if baby falls asleep on me, I can’t use him as an excuse for not getting up and getting water. I’m drinking on average half to three quarters of a (24/32oz) bottle now, and I hope to make it to a full bottle soon. It hurts to think this is such a chore now when I was guzzling water up until delivery. But I know drinking water helps with weight loss too so I’m trying to give it my all.

At the end of the day, I’ve given up on trying to get back into certain clothes and I’m just trying my best to feel good about how I look and not what’s on the scale. Let me say that again – I’M TRYING MY BEST TO FEEL GOOD. I will forever remember what it was like to be 125lbs and be happy and even though it’s nowhere in sight, the least I could do is get my body to look how I want it to regardless of what the scale says. I like this prego booty that stuck around and losing weight may mean losing that. So I’ll just keep squatting.

Leave those comments below! I know I’m not the only one feeling this…

Thanks for reading.

Uncategorized

Mom + Baby Must-Haves/Reviews

April 20, 2015by SymoneF2 Comments

It’s been 4 weeks since I had my lovely little bundle and I think that’s enough time to share my first post on products that I have grown to love and can’t live without. I’m using this blog for these posts and using my other blog for all things related to mummy fashion etc. I should really just join my blogs but I don’t have the time or patience for it right now. Sorry! Shall we?

Like so many other women out there, breastfeeding didn’t start out being the smoothest ride ever. I’ve alluded to it but I’ll say outright now that my baby is an IVF baby. One of the challenges this presented for me is not producing enough milk up front as needed to sustain my little one because of hormones. For me, this meant that he was very fussy my first night with him, and as a new mom, just wanting to comfort her new baby, I left him on the breast way longer than I should have. The result – nipples so raw they were not only sore but also bleeding. This, plus a miserable baby and no sleep led to sheer frustration. Not only for him but for me as well. Things have definitely improved since, thanks to lactation consultants and supplementing, and a few products I’ll mention below to help revive my broken nips.

Medela Lanolin – this was the very first product I used and it was in the hospital. I’m aware there are lots of products out there, but this was given to me by a friend at my shower, and I also received a sample pack in the breastfeeding class I attended. It definitely helped relieve my nipples during those first hours with my newborn. I would advise you to always use this with a nursing pad as the oils tend to stain your clothing.
Medela Tender Care Hydrogel Pads – I was given these at my first lactation appointment and told to give my worst nipple 24 hours off. After 24 hours with these pads and lanolin, I was able to nurse again. The instant cooling feeling made them worth every penny.
Medela Nipple Shields – also another must have for sore or broken nipples. You place the shield over your nipple to allow baby to breastfeed and still have some protection. I was told if I end up using it for an extended period of time, I’d have to come back and learn how to wean baby off of the shield as latching my be a problem for them when it comes to your nipple.
Medela Nursing Pads – I started off using the Lansinoh Ultra Soft nursing pads but I found these to be even more comfortable. It all boils down to personal preference but I will tell you, as was told to me before, the regular Lansinoh nursing pads feel almost like cardboard on sore nipples. You can always get samples of these things so try them out and see what works for you.
Medela Hospital Pump – I used my insurance to get a breast pump but after my lactation appointment, I decided to try a hospital grade nursing pump. To all first time mothers, pumping hurts. However, after using my hospital pump for a few weeks, I decided to try my pump again (both are Medela) and I realized that the lowest speed was very high on the hospital pump. This meant that instead of being able to ease into a higher speed, you’re immediately starting on a very intense one that feels like it wants to rip your nips off. I’m easing back into mine though as I don’t plan on renting the hospital pump forever and it’s also very cumbersome. The hospital pump is also quieter. With that said, pay the money and try renting the hospital pump if you ever find you’re unable to handle your personal pump.
Honest Co. Lactation Plus – When your milk isn’t enough to satisfy your baby, you’re advised to start looking into taking supplements. Fenugreek is the one that keeps coming up at every turn, but what isn’t followed by the name is how often you have to take it. 6 times a day?! NO THANK YOU! You mean I have to look after a newborn on no sleep as it is and remember to take 6 capsules a day?! PLUS my prenatal? My lazy self wasn’t doing that and furthermore I’m not a fan of taking that many tablets. Since I became a bit of an Honest Co. fanatic I decided to try their Lactation Plus capsules. The best part? I only had to take TWO a day! Even better? I saw results the next day. I try to pump at least 3 times a day and in between there I’m nursing baby to sleep several times. This helps because my body realizes that we still need to produce milk. I’m not saying I get 2oz a pump but it went from under 10ml/day from both breasts to 1.5-1.6oz/day from both. It’s still a work in progress and it’s only been 4 weeks. I just need him to have at least 1 oz a day to help him poo as the formula can make him constipated. I love that he still prefers nursing over his pacifier to get to sleep sometimes and I love that he still wants to nurse in general!

All of that is to say, so many women have problems breastfeeding, and so many other women will make you feel inadequate if you are unable to. My goal is to make sure my baby gets what he needs and do what is best for him. Not other moms. I’d take supplementing any day over a baby who is losing weight and becoming malnourished because I only want to breastfeed him. Put your baby first.

Other products I need to mention:

Baby Brezza One Step Sterilizer Dryer – I was adamant about not getting a microwave sterilizer. I’m just not for them. I wanted an electric one and I couldn’t find one on Babies R Us and those other popular websites with enough good reviews to persuade me to get one. So I asked a friend and she recommended this one. It has been a lifesaver! I love that you have options for how long you want to use it for 30/45/60 minutes and you can sterilize only, dry only or do both. Definitely worth every penny! The only “con” is that you HAVE to use filtered water because anything else leaves a film/buildup on the inside.
Dr. Brown’s Bottles w/ Preemie nipples – with a newborn, we started on the preemie nipples. These bottles definitely reduce gas and my baby feeds way better on their preemie nipples than on Avent level 1 nipples, which left him with ¼ of the formula on the bib/his clothes. It was recommended at my breastfeeding class just incase breastfeeding wasn’t going well or you started pumping so I only bought two. We ended up with 6 of the 2oz bottles now my little Chubba Wubba is on to the 4oz bottles. I still use the preemie nipples as he’s not ready for Level 1 and I use the 2oz bottles to give him milk that I’ve pumped.

Honest Co.

There are a few products from this brand that I love besides the Lactation boost. Before I mention them, I’d like to suggest trying one or two of their trial boxes. It only costs $5.95 for shipping for 5 sample-sized products.

Organic Belly Balm – I was using this from November last year and I just finished it last week. It is very oily and moisturizing. I loved it in the winter because it meant my stomach stay moisturized for the whole day. Towards the very end of my pregnancy I started to get stretch marks. My sister, who is a massage therapist, suggested I use Vitamin E oil 70,000IUs to help my skin. The oil was very thick and I wasn’t able to rub it smoothly onto my stomach, so I chose to mix a little of it with a little of the belly balm. I’ve been using both for a few weeks and even though I’m still waiting to get a better picture of how my stomach is going postpartum, I’m happy that it’s staying moisturized during the day. I started another jar and I’m going to keep this as a staple for my daily routine.

Organic Healing Balm – I first received this in my trial box. I asked my friend about it and she said she likes it and mixed it with the Diaper Rash Cream whenever her daughter had a sore bum. When my baby had quite a day of #2s I mixed the two and within 24 hours I definitely noticed a change in his skin. It looked so much better! I hate Desitin and those other diaper creams leave a thick white coating on baby’s skin that is so hard to wash off. When you mix these two, and change a diaper, it just glides off. On an average day, I’d use only the healing balm. If things are picking up in the poo department, I double up. Also, when my son’s skin was peeling, my mother put it on his leg to get rid of some excess she’d taken out and it left his skin looking less dry and flaky. Even though there’s nothing you can do about the peeling, his skin did look better after using it.
I will say I wasn’t buying into this stuff during my pregnancy and thought I’d always be practical and use whatever is easiest to purchase but I’ve grown to love her products and can’t help but use them. I also use the Dish soap in lavender for cleaning his bottles, the Multi-surface cleaner for cleaning out his tub after a bath, Stain remover for accidents on his clothes and the Oxy boost in his laundry.

I think that’s my list for today. I visited my dietician last week to get an idea of how to eat to help milk production but also get on track to losing baby weight. Everyone is different with their diets, but I can always share in another post the outline of my diet and give a few suggestions. I managed to do the majority of this post while pumping so I think I’ll dedicate pumping time to also writing for my blog.

Here’s a shot of my little pumpkin from his newborn photo shoot with Shih Photography. He’s changed so much since then 🙂

Thanks for reading! Please feel free to leave any comments/suggestions below!