Breastfeeding after Reduction
My original intention was to revamp old breastfeeding blogs after reviewing them.
I can’t do that. I’m honoring who I was when I wrote the original blogs, and I need to write another one honoring the growth and wisdom I have gleaned since those experiences.
Boundaries
It’s such an interesting conversation to navigate as every family is different, read for my recommendations that I suggest to the families that I work with!
WE MOVED OUT OF THE 5TH WHEEL
Breastfeeding…My Second Time
Drop the breastfeeding cover, and let others see you use your breasts for what they were designed for. Talk about it! Join a support group, be around other breastfeeding women - especially if you are pregnant for the first time / never breastfed!
Winds in the East…
“Winds in the east, mist coming in, like somethin' is brewin' and bout to begin.”
Happy Birthday Olive
Evie has been talking about you more lately and still insists you were her little sister and I think she’s right.
What’s in a Name: Atlas Wade
I knew at 6 weeks pregnant that I was pregnant with a boy. Maybe it was the masculine energy I felt from him, or the fact that none of the go-to names we had been sitting on for 5+ years felt right.
To my husband, and father of our children, Zach
I am unable to express how much I appreciate you. You heard me. You heard my heart, my concerns, my fears, my needs. You rose to the occasion. You have far exceeded my expectations of how supportive you have been during this pregnancy, birth, and 4th trimester…
“Why don’t you post pictures of your daughter?
“Why don’t you post pictures of your daughter?” What first started me on this thought process was, we live in a sick world with sick people. I do not like the idea of someone using pictures of my daughter for deviant behavior- she is so innocent and pure and the idea of images of her being used in that type of capacity makes me physically sick.
Maternal Mental Health
This is something that I feel we (women specifically) have been conditioned to do over the generations - stop listening to our instincts, and start sacrificing how we feel for the sake of others. I honestly feel this is a big part that plays into maternal mental health.
I see the Light
I listened to I See the Light which is a love song between the main characters, and all I could hear was a love song to my daughter and how much I ached that I watched her first two years of life through a heavy fog of postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety.
“do your best”
I came across a piece of paper with the tiny words “do your best”.
At that moment with still a handful of pieces of paper left to go through I already knew this was the winning piece of paper. I asked who the paper belonged to. A sheepish little hand popped up. The tiny hand belonged to a little girl.
“Mommy Juice”
“I just need a break!” She yelled not at anyone in particular, but as a cry out of desperation.
Mother Registry, not Baby Registry
When the focus is on the decor and cupcake flavors and everyone wants to help plan a party, but no one shows up to help with dishes, laundry, and meal prep 3 weeks postpartum our priorities as a society need to be reevaluated.
PAIL - Pregnancy & Infant Loss
“Your hCG levels have dropped by half since your last beta test, and there was nothing on your ultrasound. I’m sorry but you’re no longer pregnant. Do you want to schedule a D&C now or call back?”
Dressing Room Confessions
My whole life has been spent so much like other women, unfortunately - hating what I looked like.
Self Advocate Pt. 2
Informed consent is so incredibly important and you deserve to be knowledgeable before you’re in labor.
Self Advocate Pt. 1
You owe it to yourself to be in control of your health, and your life.
The Fruit Tree
For Christmas last year I was gifted a citrus tree and an avocado tree.
Our Breastfeeding Journey
When I was 12 years old I made the decision to get a breast reduction. I was a 36DD and miserable. I couldn’t run and be as active as I wanted to, and would go to bed at night in excruciating pain. One of the questions I had pre-op was “will I still be able to breastfeed?”