Mom Life pt. 1

I wanted to start off this series so I can share life updates with a baby, mom life, and anything related! I want this to help any future mom who doesn’t know where to start or if they just need support. I’m so excited to start this so I hope y’all love it! Daniel and I have now had Alba for almost a month already! I can’t even explain how in love we are with her! There will be sleepless nights, but it’s all worth it. We’re learning that she has bad gas if we don’t burp her or feed her upright constantly. My mom has been such a huge help to us- we’re so thankful! She watches her at night during the week so that Daniel can get enough sleep for work, and I watch her during the days. This is so new to us but thank the LORT for my mom being here to teach us. I can’t even explain how amazing Daniel is too, he’s obsessed with her and loves holding her. So I’m writing this post while pumping (let’s keep it real) and I pump every 3-4 hours and I constantly have to keep eating and stay hydrated. Now for the postpartum talk...I did have a 2nd degree tear, but in all honesty it isn’t painful to me.. one thing I’m so happy I got was the Earth Mama spray off Amazon and I feel like it’s been so helpful. Another thing to get is a pumping bra! My mom got me one because I kept forgetting to get one and it makes all the difference so you can be handsfree to pump. I have to say my sister and brother in law are such angels because they made us soup, fried rice, and an oatmeal breakfast meal for us for when we got home. I’ll share the oatmeal recipe below because I SWEAR it craves my sweet tooth and helps with any milk supply! I try to eat healthy as much as possible but I don’t beat myself up over anything because my #1 priority is providing and pumping enough for Alba. While in the hospital I did breastfeed, but getting her to latch was so hard because she would be too uncomfortable or I would be. Plus she’d prefer one over the other. For now I’m mostly pumping, only because I get so swollen and uncomfortable that pumping is the only thing that helps me and you’re supposed to pump every time they eat unless you’re just breastfeeding. I would always stay open to breastfeeding, but with her gassy issue and me being too full lol I mostly just pump. I will say the Dr Brown anti colic bottle has been helping her so much! They’re the ones with a green straw inside. To top all that off the dr said she had a small mouth haha poor thing so that didn’t really help either one of us. 

Click here for the oatmeal recipe! I am taking lactation supplements that are all natural and fenugreek free! I’d research fenugreek as much as possible if you plan on taking it, it helps some people but for some others it actually decreases your supply. I’m currently taking PumpPrincess and TeaTas from www.Legendairymilk.com and they’ve worked so well. I only take 3 pump princess pills a day, not 6 and have 2 cups of the tea a day. Here are some food & drinks that have been helping me supply when I pump: -Banana and Strawberry smoothie with instant oats, and cashew milk -Anything with oats -BodyArmor drinks.. I love the strawberry banana and peach mango flavors -Good fats like avocado, cashews, eggs etc -Tons of water! How ever many oz you pump drink that much water asap after you’re done. Lately I’ve been cutting out as much dairy as possible so that it doesn’t upset her stomach. If I have 1 thing a day that has dairy in it I don’t beat myself up, but I’m not going to eat a cheesy snack. I do make these lactation cookies that are sooo amazing for everyone and it’s made from easy to get ingredients! I’ll post the recipe in a photo below. I Pinterest a lot of stuff to eat to help me and to stay healthy too! Don’t focus on how your body looks, I seriously look at it now and think “I can’t believe I created a human!” it’s so cool to me, and with time I’ll lose the weight. I’m not going to lie, I do have postpartum anxiety. Who knew that was even a thing?! It basically means that with any little comment I get from people, it would make me overthink and cause anxiety. I also worry (not 24/7) but still often, about what would I do if anything happened to her? I had the worst dream of something that happened to me when I was a baby, that the exact thing happened to her and I woke up crying. Anxiety is awful because any mother just wants their babies to be safe and healthy. One thing I’ve been beating myself up for the past few weeks is not exclusively breastfeeding. I’m pumping which is bottle feeding. I still breastfeed every now and then, but mainly bottle feed. It all started because in the hospital it was so painful, and Alba had too small of a mouth to fully latch properly or would prefer one side over the other. That meant I would get literally too full and super super uncomfortable. Once I got home I pumped every 3-4 hours and it helped so much! I’m always open to breastfeeding, but this is what’s easiest for both of us for now until she gets more comfortable. I say all this and I beat myself up over it because it’s not what people like to hear. They don’t like to hear anything other than “I breastfeed” which sucks because not all moms can produce milk so they have to use formula. I’m so blessed that I can produce, and I need to always remind myself that. When people tell me their inputs or even if I thought people were judging, I would feel like a bad mom and will breakdown. I know I would do anything for her. I know I’m a good mom, I just need to tell myself that everyday. Daniel and my mom have been so amazing through all this.. they know I worry because I only want the best for Alba. I feel way better now that she’s almost a month old, but in the beginning it was hard. Only because I’d beat myself up over anything because I want to be the best mom possible, plus I was exhausted! I swear taking naps when the baby naps will save you. Thank y’all for reading and if y’all ever have a questions feel free to ask me! I don’t know how often I’ll post in this series but I’ll make sure I do as often as I can. Xo, Natasha