Baby is home, now what?

Okay new mama, I’m sure you’ve been given a million suggestions and more advice than you know what to do with while in the hospital about what you need to do for yourself when you get home. You’re probably so tired that you don’t remember or even give a rat’s ass about any of it. So I’m going to break it down into the top 3 you need to do for yourself: Sleep, Eat, & Self-care.

Sleep? I know, it sounds as foreign as a pedicure on Mars, but LET. ME. TELL. YOU. Sleep is where it’s at. When someone says “I can come hold the baby so you can take a nap” TAKE them up on it, girlfriend. When your partner is home or a family member you trust is visiting, hand that little bundle of bewildered joy over, put some ear plugs in, draw the drapes, turn a fan on, and SLEEP. You may have a hard time getting to sleep at night as you will be waking every two hours to nurse. If you find yourself in that situation, drink a small cup of strong sleepy-time tea or take a quick hot bath with some lavender essential oil. The best way to bounce back from the labor and delivery is to get rest.

Eat. I had a hard time eating after I had my daughter, mostly because of postpartum depression, but I knew I had to eat something if I wanted to have enough milk for her. What helped me with my lack of appetite were smoothies and milk shakes. Those first few weeks home make sure your fridge is stocked with quick high calorie snacks that will help you get the most nutrition. Here’s some healthy suggestions: organic yogurt smoothies, organic cheese sticks, whole grain crackers, fig bars, fresh fruit, nuts, energy bars, and Amy’s hot pocket sandwiches and frozen dinners.

Self-care? “Are you on crack?” You might ask. No, darling, I’m not. Self-care is sooo important. As you get caught up caring for your baby, you’ll forget to shower, brush your teeth, or even use the bathroom. Guess what? It doesn’t have to be like that. Your partner can hold the baby for ten minutes so you shower or brush your hair and put some makeup on. And if you are in desperate need hygiene care and find yourself alone, you can put the baby in a bouncy chair or carseat and bring them into the bathroom with you. Often times the sound of the shower is very soothing for the baby. You don’t have to take half hour. Even 5-10 minutes can do wonders to your spirits and give you a much-needed boost of energy. 

Congrats mama! I know it’s hard, but you can do this. Just remember to ask for help.

3 Must-Have Nursing Products

http://www.twiniversity.com/2013/breastfeeding-in-public-what-of-it/

There are so many products out there for everything that you need and don't need when it comes to nursing so I'm going to keep this short and share with you my favorite 3 that I've gone to time and time again. In my opinion these are pretty much must-haves.

1. Night Nursing Bra. You want a bra that is comfy to wear at night, doesn't have underwires or too constricting, and easy to access your breasts. Trust me when you're tired and have to nurse in the middle of the night the last thing you want to deal with is clasps and hooks. If you're worried about leaking milk, just insert nursing pads (see #2) before you go to bed and keep a couple of extra by the bedside.
Majama's has a great organic easy bra and tank. I love their nursing products because they are so practical, plus they are made in the USA and organic.

http://www.majamas.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=productdetails&virtuemart_product_id=1356&virtuemart_category_id=90&Itemid=105

http://www.majamas.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=productdetails&virtuemart_product_id=1897&virtuemart_category_id=90&Itemid=105

2. Nursing Pads. If you're a first time mom, you will very likely need nursing pads because when the newborn nurses on one breast the other will start to leak. I tried several different types of pads including organic cotton reusable ones, but in the end I used Lansinoh disposables, especially during the period when I had thrush and sore bleeding nipples. Reusable ones are great too. You choose what is right for you.

http://www.amazon.com/Lansinoh-20265-Disposable-Nursing-60-Count/dp/B002TLU5JO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377706060&sr=8-1&keywords=nursing+pads

http://www.amazon.com/TL-Care-Organic-Nursing-Natural/dp/B002MN3JY2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1377706220&sr=8-4&keywords=nursing+pads

3. Milkies Milk-Saver Breast Milk Collector. Okay, so you might not think this is a must-have, but if you're leaking milk every time you nurse think of all the milk you could be collecting without even having to pump! I didn't leak as much as most women did and I collected in one day during daytime feedings enough for one feeding. By doing so I built my milk supply in the freezer pretty quickly so when I had to go back to work I didn't have to worry about my girl's food supply. Why not save those drops?

http://www.amazon.com/Milkies-Milk-Saver-Breast-Collector-Storage/dp/B001SMBRWO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377706269&sr=8-1&keywords=milkies+milk+savers

Happy Breastfeeding!

My Top 3 Nipple therapies

This is for you new mommies out there in honor of Breastfeeding Awareness Month. By now, you've discovered how painful breastfeeding can be. If your nipples are sore, bleeding, cracked, and tender, here's the top 3 remedies that helped me.

1. Breast Milk. It's true. Breast milk is loaded with all sorts of antibodies and healing properties. My nipples used to get really sore after a full day of pumping at work, but I started to express a few drops, rub them on the sore parts, and then let them air dry. Within a day they healed and looked as good as new. If you're dealing with an yeast infection or thrush, then you might not want to use breast milk until the yeast has cleared (speaking from experience.)

2. Gel pads. The lactation specialist brought me two sets when I was in the hospital. I used those puppies around the clock for weeks! Tip: put them (in a plastic baggie or container so they don't dry out) in the fridge to cool them off and when you put them on, you'll feel like you're nips are getting a spa treatment.

3. All Purpose Nipple Cream. This is a prescription so ask your provider if your nipples just don't seem to heal and are cracking or bleeding. APNC is a compound that includes anti-yeast and an analgesic to help with the pain. If your dealing with thrush on top of sore nipples, this is the miracle magic solution. Make sure you slather it on generously.

It does get better. I promise. My nipples didn't feel "normal" until after eight or so weeks, so give it time. You're doing great, mama. Happy Breastfeeding!

"Morning" sickness kicking your butt?

It seems like a lifetime ago when I found out I was pregnant, but I do remember thinking after a week, “Meh, this isn’t too bad.” Jinx! The following day I woke up feeling like all the contents & organs inside my abdomen decided to pose a revolution against me. Never once did I puke, but the never ending nausea made me wish sometimes that I did. Oh, and the whole “morning” sickness is BS, because I had it 24/7. 

After scouring dozens of blogs, websites, and forums dedicated to all things pregnancy related, I learned a few things that helped me endure the first trimester. Here are my top three:

Exercise: You’re probably thinking what the heck am I drinking, right? No, seriously, exercise helps. Part of the nausea comes from being so tired as your body adjusts to the new hormones and starting building a new human. Exercise helps boost your energy level. In my case, I worked 4/10 hour days/week. I needed all the energy I could get and then some. My exercise of choice was swimming. It was gentle enough, but still a great workout. I learned that 20 minutes in the pool every morning before work, helped me get through the day and reduced my nausea.Going for 15-20 minute walk worked too.

Ginger: My two favorite ginger tricks are the gum and fresh ginger slices in my water bottle. The gum I kept in my purse for emergencies. The fresh slices I would put in my bottle in the morning and drink it all day long and then put new slices in the water bottle by my bed at night. The volatile oils inside the fresh ginger helps with nausea. 

Motion Sickness Bands: I bought a pair right before our 7 year anniversary vacation to Victoria, BC. The capital of British Columbia is located on an island, in case you didn’t know. Plane or boat are the only two ways to get to the island. We usually take the ferry over. You can imagine the dread I was feeling about going on this vacation 8 weeks into my pregnancy. Despite my anxiety, I still wanted to go. This would be our last real vacation before the baby. Plus Victoria happens to be one of my favorite cities in the world. 

We took the train up to Seattle and then caught the ferry from there. Between train and boat, I knew I needed something. Ginger gum and the motion sickness bands were my best friends on that trip. Not once did I experience any unbearable discomfort while we traveled there and back, besides itchy wrists (the bands are pretty tight). I wouldn’t recommend continuous wear, but if you’ve got a trip coming up or need to drive somewhere but aren’t feeling so hot, they do help. 

All of the aforementioned tips never took away my nausea 100%, but the reduced it significantly enough so I could function throughout the day. Something is better than nothing in my option.

Comments welcome. Don't forget August is breastfeeding awareness month. :)

Every woman is a Goddess

You may be wondering why this blog is called Urban Goddess Revealed. There are many reasons, first being that I want to target every day mothers who work outside the home, as well as take care of the their families. You don’t have to do yoga for an hour a day, meditate for two hours in the morning, eat sprouts, and wear hemp clothes to be a goddess. Not that any of the aforementioned practices are bad. If you have time to meditate even an hour a day, more power to ya, but I live in the world of cell phones, internet, fulltime jobs, a small condo, and a family to care for. Finding time to do yoga for 20 minutes a few times a week can be challenging. Urban life is insane.

Second, I truly believe every woman is a goddess. Tall, short, blond, brunette, white, black, tan, thin, stout, young, old, and everything in between. It doesn’t matter what your age is or what you look like. You’re a goddess. You are a creator and giver of life. Inside you resides a wellspring of beauty, strength, compassion, and love. 

Whether you are a maiden, mother, queen, or crone, you are beautiful in this very moment. It doesn’t matter how many greys thread through your hair, or pesky little pimples plaguing you teenage experience, or the squishy soft belly your pregnancy has kindly gifted—you are the embodiment of grace, beauty, and love. You might not feel it most days—heavens know I don’t, but know that you are gorgeous regardless. 

As you transition from maiden to mother, allow yourself time to adjust and even mourn your “loss,” but know that you are transforming into a new stage of being a goddess. Motherhood will challenge you to go beyond your comfort zone and step into the unknown, yet you’ll discover you are so much stronger than you imagined and somehow you know what to do in the right moment. Trust your intuition. Listen to your gut. Follow your inner compass. There is no right or wrong way of doing things except what is right and wrong for you.  

Embrace the new journey revealed before you, dear goddess, and know there are thousands of women just like you traveling down similar paths. You’re in good company. On this Full Moon, celebrate the amazing person you are. Take a moment for yourself and go outside this evening. Turn your face up toward the night sky and let your skin absorb the silver moonlight. Give thanks for the blessings in your life. Take a deep breath and release any tension in your body. Allow the moon to fill you with her glowing energy. You are loved. Blessed be.

Welcome!

Hello,

I've been blogging at fangs, felines, fins, & fun fiction for several years now, but I decided to start a new blog that focuses on pregnancy, parenting, and the fine balance of it all.
Last year I became pregnant with my first baby and everything in my life changed. My writing, how I spent my time, with whom I chose to hangout with, what I read, what I watched on TV, the music I listened, how I ate, and even the types of clothes I wore shifted. Did I change who I was? No, I wouldn't say so. The person I am today was there a year and 1/2 ago before I took that first positive pregnancy test. She was just hidden within the layers of the type of life I lived at the time. With pregnancy I had nine months to peel away each layer back and when my daughter was finally born, I shed them off.
At first I felt I'd lost pieces of myself, that I would never be the same again. That is true, but I discovered new parts of me I never knew existed but somehow they'd been there the whole time. So join me on this journey as I post my ups and downs, but also tips and ways to feed the goddess within and make her shine.
My goal is to post every other week on Monday. I will start with pregnancy and share what helped me get through those nine months. Then I'll move to post-labor and delivery. My objective is to provide useful information to all you mommies and mommies-to-be.
If you are interested, you can read my birth story here. Thanks so much for stopping by. See you soon!