One of the best parts of having your 2nd baby is having an idea of what baby Items you really need and the ones you could do without. This isn't a list of everything you need, just my go-to items. I figured I would share my personal faves to help any pregnant or new mamas out there. This is not a sponsored post and none of these brands even know I exist. ;) 1. Receiving blankets! We got an inexpensive pack from buybuybaby and some as gifts from Target and we use them for a ton of things. I actually use them most for nursing. I keep one on our boppy pillow and use it to wipe up overflowing milk (that happens more than you know) and then I use it as a burp cloth. I also pack an extra in the diaper bag to lay over either a changing pad or changing table. It helps keep germs away and allows for a change anywhere, including the front seat of our car. https://m.buybuybaby.com/1/1/15681-receiving-blankets-pink-set-of-5-from-be-basic.html 2. I mentioned my Boppy pillow above, and while I know other people may have different favorites for nursing, I have used this one for both girls and I found a system that works for me. In bed, I usually have a 2nd pillow I prop underneath so that it's high enough to support my arms. However, it's become a fave for propping up baby. She feels comforted in it and it's a nice thing to have when I want her close but need both hands for her big sister. 3. A cradle. Sleep was my big worry when I was pregnant the 1st time. We knew we would have baby girl in our room for awhile and do naps in her room in her crib, but what would she sleep in in our room? We originally thought pack n play, but I just didn't feel settled about it. The day before my water broke, my parents ordered us this awesome old school cradle that's tiny, on wheels, flat, and is a safe sleeping space. We have loved using it with both girls and I love that Brynnen is about a foot away from me and then I can pull her next to me to grab her and nurse. Sorelle Dondola Cradle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S7E7APE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_trvvzbH16M9SR It is also sold at Babies R Us. 4. A carrier. We love our Lillebaby all seasons, but my go to is a ring sling. This is the Maya Baby padded shoulder sling. I started using it when Calista was 6 months old and going through a super clingy period. It's really fast, very cozy, and comfortable for all. Brynnen has loved this baby from day one as it cups her as close to being in Mommy's belly as possible. I would love to invest in a brand like Sakura Bloom or MyWildbird and skip the padded shoulder all together, but this one works for us. If you decide to babywear, be sure to check out safe babywearing guidelines. https://babywearinginternational.org/what-is-babywearing/safety/ It is also a good idea to join a FB group for babywearing and check out buy, sell, trade for inexpensive slings. 5. Breast pads. If you are nursing this is a MUST. I love my Bamboobies reusable bamboo pads for later on, but for the first 2 months or so, disposable is best. Now, I'll be real. They don't lay super flat and you have to make sure you have a thick shirt or bra or you will see them. I avoid wearing white. Anyway, I've tried Avent, Medela, and Lansinoh and by far Lansinoh is the most discreet. You can find them at Target, buybuybaby, and Amazon to name a few. 6. A meal train. If anyone asks you what you need. Ask them to set up a meal train. This was my first time ever experiencing this awesomeness. A friend from church set it up so that for 3 weeks, every other day, a sweet lady brought us dinner. It was a huge lifesaver. It was amazing to meet new people. It was encouraging and on many days saved me. My husband works nights so you can imagine how hard it was to find time to cook every night with 2 under 2. Lifesaver. Do it. 7. White noise. We bought one that plugs in, otherwise you pour through batteries. We also bought one that isn't marketed for babies. They are generally less expensive. Big Red Rooster BRRC107 Sound Machine, 6 Sounds https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H6WXUX8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_keVkdS9Lkyasl 8. Swaddles. Our girls are always swaddled for sleep until they can roll. We use SwaddleMe swaddle pods and Halo sleepsacks as well as giant muslin swaddle blankets. Make sure they are 44x44. Always check HomeGoods for expensive brands on sale. 9. Blooming Bath. This item was out when I was pregnant with Calista and I seriously thought it was dumb. Then after trying to balance her on one arm in an itty bitty sink and wash her with the other... awful. We made it through and then switched her to 2 different baby tubs, but this time, oh this time I wanted this silly flower. It's comfortable. It's soft. It fits all types of sinks and Brynnen doesn't cry. It's machine washable and dryer friendly and it's the best gift we received this baby. Get it at Target, buybuybaby or Amazon. The old version has more petals, the new one has 4.
10. Support. You can't do this mama thing alone. Whether it's your spouse making sure you eat, get a 30 minute break, or extra sleep... or it's your parents or friends or church family. You will need breaks. You will need someone to message in the middle of the night. You will need to be prayed over. Reach out. Ask for help. If you feel like you have no where to turn, call me. Seriously. Send me a message. You are not and never will be alone. You can do this mama. You are more amazing than you know.
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Brynnen Clare Eskew
8 lbs 1 oz 20.5 inches 5.13.17, 7:51 AM Name means: Salvation from God, Clear/bright One week with our 2nd little girl and I need to get this story down before I forget the details. This will probably be TMI... you've been warned. 😜 Friday the 12th I had a doctor's appointment at 40w3d. As some of you know, I had been having contractions since 32w5d. I was even on modified bed rest until 37 weeks so we could make sure she didn't come too early. The fact that I went over my due date was a little 🙄. An important thing to note here is that we make GIANT head babies and I have a small pelvic structure. Hence, 4 hours of pushing with Calista, bone on bone. This coupled with being overdue made me nervous about my ability to deliver vaginally. Anyway, we decided that we would strip my membranes, which basically separates the cervix from the amniotic sac. The goal here is to release a hormone that can stimulate labor. Since I was already 4CM dilated and 70% effaced, we all felt like it was a good option. I'll also be transparent and say that I did not want to induce labor before 40 weeks. I also had a really hard time making this decision, but I did and that's that. Since the procedure is only 24% effective, we also scheduled my induction for 41w1d. Tim went to work around 4pm. At 9pm, as it had many weeks before, my contractions picked up. I tried the usual tricks... lay down on the left side, sit on the ball, take a hot shower. Instead of easing up as they usually did, these got worse. Around 11pm, Tim left work early to come home. At this point contractions were about 7-8 minutes apart. We decided to try and get some rest... it never happened for me. I started having rolling contractions which is what I had with Calista, where I would have a contraction, it would act like it was done but then come back with a vengeance, repeat. At 3AM I called my doctor. They originally told me to wait to come in until contractions were 5 minutes apart; I was still 6-7 minutes apart but in WOAH pain. For those of you who don't know, I ended up delivering naturally with Calista after the epidural wore off, so I know what these feel like. Dr said to come in, but we had to wait for my parents to wake up and drive to our house to stay with Calista. Fast forward through back labor that I couldn't sit or lay down through, we got to the hospital at 4:30AM. In triage, I immediately asked for an epidural. My contractions had me repeating "help"... my poor husband. My water broke and I was 6-7CM. They moved me to L&D, all which had me sitting on my booty, the worst possible position for me at the time. The anesthesiologist came in quickly, yay! By the time he was done I had been at the hospital about an hour. I have to say trying to sit through an epidural while contracting the ENTIRE time was incredibly hard. But blessed relief came and I was at 10 CM. Around 6AM, they had me push. Brynnen's HR dropped so we went into "recovery" which typically lasts an hour. This was my favorite part because after 30 minutes or so, I could feel my body working to labor B down. I really wanted my body to do the work and to trust that B and I knew what to do. At about 7:25AM, I felt like I could push, still no pain, yay! So we pushed about 4 times per contraction and in less than 30 minutes she was here! We were able to do immediate skin to skin and delay the cord clamping, just like we wanted. They then left us alone for an hour. I don't think it really hit me until she started to nurse for the first time. All of a sudden I realized that I get to love a new precious person and my heart already knew where she would fit. Just like with Calista, I feel like I've always known her and was just waiting for her to be mine. God always knows what He's doing and I can't help but be awed by His timing, His grace, and His forgiveness. We ended up going home from the hospital after just 34 hours, on Mother's Day, just like all those years ago when my parents brought me home. It was incredibly special. Well, week 32/33 did NOT go as planned. Last Sunday after church, I noticed that I was having more Braxton Hicks than usual. That's actually saying a lot because I had a lot with Calista and have been having them for weeks this pregnancy already. I've even talked to 3/5 doctors I have about what would be a cause for concern. Each one said if there were more than 4/5 in an hour, give them a call. So, I started tracking. I'll call them all contractions because at this point the difference between a contraction and a Braxton Hicks gets a little hazy. Hour One- 5 contractions. Hour Two- 7 contractions with one of them not going away with changes in position, etc. So, I called. They had me come in to triage and that 3rd hour, I had more than 5-6. While I was hooked up to the machine, my doctor came in and noticed that these weren't Braxton Hicks, but real contractions. Cue panic. They did a FFN test which basically measures a protein that can determine whether or not you will go into labor in the next 2 weeks. It took 1.5 hours for it to come back and during this time I was given what I call "the jitterbug drug" to stop my contractions since at this point they were ranging anywhere from 2-7 minutes apart. Once the FFN test gloriously came back negative, aka less than 2% chance of going into labor barring my water breaking, they sent me home. Strict bedrest. Feet same level as your hips bedrest. 😳 Needless to say that is a doozy for a mother of a 21 month old who teaches fitness classes. I was able to get into my follow up appointment within 18 hours and this doctor, who saw me through my entire pregnancy with Calista, was very reassuring. He modified my bedrest orders to be a little more realistic but stressed the need to get to today, 34 weeks. He said that because of the FFN and the condition of my cervix, he has no reason to believe she will come before now. However, we have NO way of knowing that if these "preterm contractions", not preterm labor, mean that she will come early at all. If she does, at this stage of the pregnancy he wouldn't interfere with her making her appearance. So, I've been stressed. I've been struggling with peace as I contemplate a preterm birth and NICU stay for my girl. I've been worried about not being able to teach classes or keeping up with Calista, BUT God is so good. He has shown us that we are surrounded by people who want to help in any way that they can. Tim's mom came in to help us get last minute baby items done and to help with Calista. We've had friends bring by food. My parents helped us with Calista while I was at the hospital. We've had more messages than we could ever imagine. I have to say that I'm incredibly grateful. At the the end of pregnancy, there is always uncertainty. You never know how this baby will enter the world, but now that the biggest cause for concern is past us with this 34 week marker, I can breathe a sigh of relief. I am still having contractions, oh yes I am. They vary from 20 minutes apart to every 5 minutes for over an hour. This makes it hard for me to imagine her waiting for 6 more weeks, even though it's possible. So we are waiting. We are waiting for my contractions to be 5 minutes apart and painful, like whoa painful. So far, no dice. I have a doctor's appointment Thursday and we pray that everything looks good. After that appt, I may try to do some light movement because not working out is making me bonkers. I'm not considering anything intense, but being able to do some gentle yoga or a few squats would go a long way. It's mentally hard on me after working so hard this pregnancy to stay strong and healthy that I might lose it all at the end. Prayers for peace here would be much appreciated. 😍 Note: I would love to make it to at least 37 weeks if not further, but pray that it's not over 40. 😘 Contractions all day and night for over a week is already exhausting me, let alone 3-6 more weeks. It's good news that 80% of women who go into preterm labor (I'm not even technically preterm labor, just contractions) do not deliver before 37 weeks! Priority number one is always baby B's healthy, safe delivery. I can't wait to give her kisses and hold her sweet little hands.
These updates seem few and far between, but I was warned it would be like this. :) Let me try to keep it organized for all of our sakes. This may seem more like a journal than a blog, but these days I'm just happy I'm documenting something somewhere. 😜 Overall, I'm incredibly grateful for this messy, precious, hard, and special life I get to live. Calista: She's 20 months and in the last week and a half has cut her bottom two 2-yr molars, which aren't even supposed to consider coming in until 23-31 months. 😳 She's on a bedtime and naptime strike and we've had to re-institute the 3, 5, and 10 minute check ins. She's also getting really good at taking her clothes and diaper off at naptime and has even been known to rip some blinds so she can watch the birds out the window. Her words. We've moved her crib to the middle of her big girl room and now it's a favorite game to play peek-a-boo all the way around it. 😂 She's combining words to make short sentences and also gets really frustrated, as in flailing on the floor frustrated, when she can't explain herself, but such is toddler life. On my favorite notes, she has felt her little sister kick, calls her by name, and asks to kiss my belly. She even tried to feed my belly a few times. It's pretty sweet and I'm getting really excited to watch her with the baby. She just learned to say "love", which resulted in my favorite mama moment ever... "mama, I love you." 😍 She loves bows, picking out her own clothes, saying "no" followed immediately with "yes" and is newly loving the potty. Today she even asked herself to go and went 3 times, so I'm thinking in the 8.5 weeks we have before baby sister gets here I might be potty training. 😳 Baby Girl: She's roughly 3-3.5 lbs and instead of slowing down, she's speeding up. This child is so strong and constantly moving. Seriously, Calista moved A LOT, but this one, wow. It makes me really curious as to what her personality will be like. We already know she looks more clearly like me than Calista, and Calista is becoming more easy-going like her daddy, so we may have a trouble-maker, wild thing on our hands. I am pretty confident that they will both be stubborn and headstrong just like me. :) This one will be a Taurus just like her mommy since her due date is my bday. She wakes up when I wake up. It's like she hears my heart rate change and boom, awake. It doesn't bode well. 😂 I'm carrying more in front and not as wide in the hips, and she's head down so that's good. The concerns over the placenta location are gone and my cyst is out of the way and will be dealt with at a later date. Workouts: Up until this past week, I've been teaching 3 classes at a local church. I teach an advanced Barre on Wednesday nights, a yoga/Pilates/bodyweight class Thursday mornings, and Barre on Friday AM. I've been doing BOD Active Maternity on Mondays, resting Tuesday, and doing 3 Week Yoga Retreat on Saturdays. I am no longer recovering well enough to teach Thursday, so I'm dropping down to 2 classes a week. I will need to either do Active Maternity or another Beachbody On Demand workout on Thursdays and I'm grateful to have such a large selection from which to choose. I get out of breath very easily since the baby is moving up towards my lungs. I'm still lunging, squatting, and planking as long as I feel stable and my form does NOT suffer. Physical: My ribs are almost as wide as they were with Calista which means they have separated approximately 5-6 inches. This causes me near constant pain and I've tried wrapping my belly and it doesn't really help. I'm using a heating pad and trying to strengthen my back through my workouts to counterbalance the weight in the front. It's better this pregnancy, but it isn't good. I'm not having as many hip problems this time around and I'm grateful. However, I'm swelling and this is early for me. It's just normal swelling and my BP at the last visit was 118/68. I'm rocking some Braxton Hicks contractions but the doc isn't worried as long as I don't have more than 5 full uterus contractions an hour. At that same 30 week visit, I had gained 36 lbs. That is faster weight gain than with Calista and my total with her was 49. I have to say, I freaked out a little, okay, maybe a lot. I have honestly been sooooo healthy this pregnancy. I've barely had any chests and my workouts are seriously happening and I'm not just coasting by. I did NOT keep this pace with Calista. I was really hoping that these healthy choices would lead to less weight gain, but apparently my body needs it. I want to be clear, my recommended weight gain was 25-35 lbs. I have tried incredibly hard to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle this entire pregnancy. Since I have, my doctors are not worried, but mentally it's daunting to face that type of gain and ponder the postpartum work I will have to do. I am convinced however that it will be easier this time because I am way stronger than I was with Calista and I'm also praying this makes pushing less than 4 hours. 😜Speaking of pushing.... I seriously think this girl is coming a week or so early or maybe that's wishful thinking. Tim thinks I'm nuts but I'm entering delivery the same way I did with Calista, let's see how long I can go without an epidural and if I can do it unmedicated, which with C was not really an option (her birth story is on my YouTube), then I'll go natural. 😳 I've lost my mind. Nutrition: Still rocking the 6 servings of carbs a day like recommended and I need every single one of them. I'm loving finding healthy versions of treats and overall, I'm craving broccoli and taco salad. I am crushing on some veggies this pregnancy and that's wicked weird to me. I'm still drinking vegan chocolate Shakeology and taking my Rainbow Light Prenatal One. I recently ran a group where I did research on the majority of the ingredients in Shakeology and I'm convinced it's why I feel as good as I do. Having girls takes a lot out of you and I'm grateful for as many nutrients as possible. I also had to take my glucose test not once, but twice, and then do the 3 hour test. I passed, but it was interesting to learn that the way that I eat plant-based, high healthy fats, and mainly gluten-free complex carbs has changed my body into a sugar burner, which is why I spike at one hour. Life lessons: God is awesome and He has really surrounded me with some wonderful friends who encourage, listen, and support me. This has allowed me to make tough decisions like quitting teaching a class 6 weeks earlier than planned. It's kept me from losing my mind when I did a side by side comparison and saw the size of this belly. They've sent me essential oils to help with my feelings of anxiety that I can't tell if they are coming from not being able to physically take a deep breath or because in less than 9 weeks I will have 2 children and a husband that works odd hours. I've learned that no matter our financial situation, our careers, our house, our cool baby things, fancy nursery or not, the list goes on... no matter any of that, we are incredibly loved, blessed, and God's plan is truly better than anything I could ever have imagined. I don't know how I'm going to do 5 bedtimes a week by myself, but I'll figure it out. I don't know how I'm going to nurse through a growth spurt with a toddler, but I'll deal. I don't know when I'll get back to actively working on building my Beachbody and training business, but I will. God has shown me that this season is to be treasured. Today is all that matters. Now is the time of salvation. Now is where He wants me, and so, I will be here. I will love every crazy hard challenging second. I will embrace the tears of pain, struggle, joy, and sheer wonder. I can't believe God loves me so much that He has crafted every aspect of my life and I will choose to see each moment as a blessing, hard or easy, because He calls it all good, me included. Just for fun... nursery and first initial sneak peek!Imagine you are trying to lose weight and finally decide how you want to do it. You decide you will do a Beachbody program like 21 Day Fix. You buy it. You do it. You crush it. After round 1, you do another round. Crush it, but now you are bored. So what's next? Now you have to start the process of deciding all over again AND you have to pay for something else. Next thing you know, it's been months and you haven't worked out and you've gained some of the weight back...
What if you didn't have to buy a different program? What if you had access to thousands of dollars worth of workouts for just one price? It would make it easier to keep your momentum going, huh? I only mention this scenario because I've seen it happen SO MANY times. It breaks my heart to see someone invest so much into themselves and to get thrown off by something sucky like more $ or not knowing what to do. This is one reason I'm so excited about Beachbody's new ALL Access Pass to Beachbody on Demand. It's structured so that you can stay consistent, not get bored, and have access to thousands of dollars of workouts, meal plans, cooking shows, etc. :) It gives you access to ALL, yes ALL, of the programs Beachbody has in their library for a FULL year, plus any new release for 2017. This includes new programs like Core de Force, Master's Hammer & Chisel, Insanity: Max 30, BOD Exclusives like 3 Week Yoga Retreat, and old favorites like PiYo and P90X3. There is even an Active Maternity series! This is a LIMITED TIME OFFER, so be sure to jump in on this and share it with your friends and family. I want to give you all the details upfront so here are a few key points:
Please feel free to ask questions. Send me a message. It's okay, I only want to help. I want to know your goals so I can help see if this plan is a good fit for you. So now, let's imagine a pregnant woman, like me. She doesn't know what to do for workouts as her pregnancy progresses, but she has BOD. She is 22 weeks pregnant and starts doing Active Maternity: 2nd trimester and some barre and a little 21 Day Fix, and maybe a little TurboFire. Now she's in her 3rd trimester and pretty much does Active Maternity: 3rd trimester, some PiYo, Cize, and Country Heat. She has the baby. Guess what?! There is Active Materntiy: Postpartum and PiYo, which is my fave program postpartum. The baby is 4 months old and she wants to do 21 Day Fix and then P90X3, then.... you get the picture. Every single one of those workouts is included in the All Access Pass. Pretty good, huh? One of the most common comments I get from pregnant women is "when I'm not pregnant I'll get back to working out." Barring doctor's orders or conditions that stop you from working out, there should be NO reason that being pregnant stops your workouts. In fact, working out while pregnant has MANY health benefits for both the mom and baby. Now, I am not a doctor, but I am a personal trainer who is pregnant with her 2nd child. I have spoken to many doctors and done a lot of research on this topic, but please don't just take my word for it. Talk to your doctor before beginning any workout routine, especially while pregnant. Below are some tips and summaries of what to expect while working out during pregnancy.
I have found that the first trimester can be the hardest time to workout during pregnancy. Between morning sickness and sheer exhaustion from your body producing hormones and blood, it's just hard to do anything but the basics like eating and sleeping. However, a workout can be as simple as a 20-30 minute walk and the boost of endorphins has been known to help our energy-depleted bodies. Make sure to not do any quick start and stops because of your changing blood pressure, you may get light-headed. To avoid this, simply walk side to side, a la toe-taps, in between exercises or while taking a break. The 2nd trimester is known to be the best trimester because you have more energy and some women feel amazing. I've never gotten a huge boost from this trimester, but I do notice that I can function almost like normal. As far as workouts go, you can continue whatever workouts you were doing pre-pregnancy with few modifications. Remember that our bodies store more fat while pregnant, our joints loosen, and we lose muscle mass more quickly, therefore staying consistent with building muscle is key. Seriously, lifting weights is safe. You may need to lower the pounds or lengthen your rest times due to blood pressure changes, but you can still do it. You can still run and jump as long as that baby isn't on your bladder. ;) You do have to be careful with twisting the abdomen and will need to widen your stance as the baby gets larger, meaning during squats your feet will be a little wider than shoulders-width. Most women have a big concern about core exercises during pregnancy. Any exercise like a crunch or sit-up will become next to impossible around 20 weeks due to abdominal separation. However, anything that works your pelvic floor like a hip bridge, planks which work your transverse abdominus, aka your human girdle, and side planks that work your obliques, those are all safe! Also, at this point you can still lie on your back if it's comfortable, but I don't recommend being there for longer than 3 minutes. These small changes keep you and the baby safe, but still allow you to do all of your favorites. Exercises to focus on are squats and lunges (you need these muscles for delivery), planks (done with proper form and modifications like dropping to your knees), and isometric exercises , aka holding, to prepare for long hours holding the baby, but also pushing during delivery. The third trimester required the most modifications and this is where walks as workouts become more regular. Your stance on squats will most definitely be wider. You may notice that your balance is off so please use the wall, a chair, or something for support during lunges and even squats. Any weight bearing exercise for your core or upper body, like push-ups or bird-dog, should be done on all 4s or on an incline. This is to remove pressure of that growing belly on your spine. You can still strengthen your lower back and pelvic floor while on hands and knees vs. on your back. Leg lifts are a big favorite in preparing for delivery. You may also want to start sitting on a stability ball in order to let your hips naturally widen as you get closer to your due date. The old standby of walking is great for this as well. No matter how tired you are, safely try walking 3-5 times a week. Even you doctor will say this is a great way to prep for baby. Here's the thing. Safety is key. You know your body and if you don't recognize this changing, moving, growing thing that is your body simply try and pay attention and alter your plans as needed. With my first pregnancy, I hated jumping starting at 8 weeks pregnant, but with this pregnancy I am still doing limited jumping exercises at 22 weeks. I had severe hip issues my first pregnancy and nothing relieved them, while this pregnancy I have found that working out and stretching carefully with yoga and Pilates has really helped alleviate similar issues. Also, be gentle with yourself. There is no need to go 100%, your body is already working overtime. A little goes a long way with a pregnancy workout and it will also make your recovery postpartum MUCH easier. Always drink a lot of water; I try for an ounce per pound. Be sure to talk to your doctor and when in doubt listen to your body first. I just wanted to write this because I don't want women to be scared of being active during pregnancy. I want the fear and stigma of working out during pregnancy to go away, because the benefits are too great to be ignored. 18 WEEKS with Little Lady Eskew #2! Y'all, I have to say it... I told you it was a girl, lol! We are so blessed and feeling more excited everyday. I've always wanted to have 2 girls in the mix of children, so I'm feeling extra blessed.
I started feeling her move VERY early and now feel her on a daily basis. Tim also felt her kick this past Sunday. That's a good 4 weeks earlier in my pregnancy than with Calista. It may have something to do with Calista having an anterior placenta, aka a pillow between my hand and her. I also am showing SO MUCH FASTER. I kind of love it though and am grateful I popped right after Thanksgiving. No awkward "is that a baby bump or did you gain weight?" comments. I now have to make modifications in my workouts. Wider feet, no full abdominal exercises, and less jumping. I couldn't jump at all with Calista, so this is a huge plus. My goal each week is to do 4-5 workouts. Generally, I do yoga, barre, weighted interval training, and walking. We do have a name, but Tim won't let me share it on social media yet. :) A mom friend and I joke that when you become a mom, you immediately turn into a hippie, or try to. ;) All jokes aside, I do try to steer clear of chemicals especially when Calista was a newborn. Calista was blessed with her mama's super dry skin and we tried everything. Coconut oil, straight shea butter, every lotion/cream under the sun... I even layered them and would seal it with Vaseline or Aquaphor. We even tried the miracle bath of breastmilk. Nothing. I mean really, how hard could it be to take a freshly bathed baby and lock in the moisture? Answer: HARD. That is how we ended up with this homemade body butter that has now replaced my face lotion, body lotion, and pretty much anything we used to use. I still love my Origins Plantscriptions face cream, but this usually goes under it. As for Calista, I still typically put Cerave or Aquaphor on top of this body butter to create a seal. Ingredients: 1/4 cup organic unrefined coconut oil 1/4 cup 100% raw pure shea butter (Got it on Amazon) 1 tbsp Vitamin E oil 10-12 drops lavender essential oil 1 tsp vanilla extract Directions: 1. Usually the shea butter and coconut oil are solid, so I simply warm it up in a jar in hot water or use the microwave. 2. Place all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and mix for 5 minutes. When done, pour into container of choice. *Note: I studied all the Pinterest recipes and couldn't make mine look fluffy like lotion. Since I had warm oils it stayed in liquid form and created a slight whipped effect. I tried placing it in an ice bath and continued to whip and it did firm into a nice solid that melts right when I put it on. I think you can skip this step and simply pour into a jar of your choosing and it will solidify on its own. **This is also my anti-itch belly stretch mark lotion even if it's all genetics anyway. ;) Do you see it? I certainly do. Baby #2 shows so much faster. I don't know how I would have kept it a secret if we were tried to wait until the 2nd trimester.
We just got back from a trip to Louisiana for my best friend's wedding and it was amazing. However, I only worked out once and totally gave in to the Louisiana food goodies. This week I am tracking my food and my goal is 5 workouts. I just know I have to get on top of it or I will have serious guilt. A long time ago, I realized that as long as I control the controllable as far as eating healthy (80/20) and working out 4-5 times a week, well, then I'm okay mentally. It protects me from freaking out over every little thing in the mirror and it for sure helped me through my 49 lbs weight gain with Calista. I mean, imagine if I only put stock in the number on the scale... I would have lost my mind and felt horrible about myself. Instead, I focused on eating as well as I could, minimizing my pregnant treats, and being as active as my pregnancy would allow. That's all I can control anyway and for me this is a safe plan. So, this week is about tracking my food, making sure I'm eating enough calories (I'm still nursing), and getting my body moving and stretching. I am having some pretty intense hip pain, but it's not as bad as it was with Calista. I'm also really feeling the stretching pains of my uterus. Other than that, there is of course fatigue, but I actually feel pretty decent and I am NOT taking that for granted. :) We had a 10 week doctor's visit that was basic lab panels and everything was awesome. We also attempted to hear the heartbeat via Doppler which is iffy at best at 10 weeks and this little nugget (I'm calling girl) was unbelievably easy to find. Instantly, we heard her little heartbeat thump thumping away and it was the most reassuring sound. Our next appt isn't until 15 weeks, so we can do a quick ultrasound to find out gender. 5 weeks is a long time, but it's good for me because it makes me rely on prayer. This baby makes her presence known in growing pains, nausea, and this belly and I'm totally okay with that. So, mark your calendars (lol), November 16th is gender day. We probably won't do anything fancy for a reveal because we are impatient and Calista is too young to care. ;) Until then, what's your gender guess? Forgive me for a moment while I reminisce and mourn the end of a season.
My doctor has suggested that I wean Calista before the 2nd trimester, and while I completely understand and agree it's still emotional. I didnt even know if I was going to enjoy nursing and we didn't have an easy start. Sobbing in the middle of the night for weeks was never my idea of fun. However, I was determined to make it to a year and I was blessed to have found a way to make it work. Not everyone gets that opportunity and I promise that I have relished it for all of you who wanted to but couldn't. 😘 So, here we are at 15.5 months and she only nurses about 3 times a day. I had started to think that weaning between 16 and 18 months would be good for us, so I'm not against my doctor's recommendation. I mean, the caloric intake needed for 2nd trimester nursing mothers is close to 800 calories if my La Leche League research memory is right. That's a lot of eating. So I agree, but I'm sad. As of tonight there will be no more bedtime nursing sessions. 😭 We've been following the "don't ask, don't refuse" policy with a few "do you want water instead" checks. So when 3 nights ago she didn't ask before Tim put her to bed, no biggie. Then the next night, she didn't ask after I read her her books. Yesterday, she didn't ask again before Tim put her to bed, and tonight, nope. So just like that we are done with this one and down to two nursing sessions. Why am I writing a post about this? Well, they say it goes fast. They say that you may not remember the last time you did something and just one day it will be over. Well, it just happened. It's like when she stopped sleeping on my chest. I didn't know it was the last time or else I would have enjoyed it more. Things become routine and maybe if I would have known I would have held her a little closer or prayed a little longer. It's just a reminder to soak in every single moment, even the ones that you want to rush through so you can go eat. It just goes too fast and just like that seasons are changing. |
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