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Author: Admin

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Postpartum life series: reflections at the 2019 NAMI women to women brunch

I had the honor of speaking at this beautiful event earlier this month. It was a privilege and I was thrilled to speak about a topic that is so near to my heart, and which I’m currently living–namely, finding balance & thriving in postpartum, and bringing awareness to the many challenges faced during this beautiful, fragile and absolutely life-changing season. Of course we focus on the milestones of a babies first months, but we must similiarly acknowledge and celebrate/support a mother in all her milestones of postpartum, and what she’s experiencing. I have seen all too often that women “suffer through” these tiring months without support, balance, joy or healthy habits that make them at their best. And as a culture and society, sadly PPD and PPA instances are on the rise, as we pressure women to get “back” to their perfect body, their normal levels of activities, and to rush back into work away from baby. Basically–to ignore the special needs, pace and blessings of this phase of life. Let’s change all of this. We’re flipping the script on postpartum life, I know as a community and society, that it’s important and possible.

*So, if you were there, you’ll know that this is NOT the speech I actually gave word for word—I always find in the moment that speaking from my heart rather than reading is the way to go, but since I prepped these notes, I wanted to share, and get your reactions to them. I know it takes a village and we’re all finding ways to voice just what we, our friends, and the mothers around us, truly need in postpartum. All of our experiences and stories deeply matter. The world needs to hear and be shaped by them*

Blaise made his stage debut with me, it meant so much that I could have him there as part of my presentation–the very representation of what I’ve become so passionate about advocating for and modeling; mothers can be mothers AND make an intentional impact, it’s not an either/or. It’s time for society to recognize and embrace these new models for work & mothering.
A captive audience…
Beautiful and inspiring friends whose own paths and work (and friendship) brought us together; they are wonderful advocates for healthy motherhood, prevention, and a focus on the whole person.
I’m always and continually inspired by courageous women–mothers and now grandmothers–who have forged the path of courage and authentic truth-telling. Their legacy is where we pick up, and their important work is echoed in all that we undertake. Barb is a true hero of mine in women making a huge impact through their work and business ownership, nutritional counseling–it was an honor to precede her on stage.
Indeed we are.

Talk given at the Woman to Woman event, Saturday, May 18, 2019

Event supporting NAMI (National Alliance Mental Illness)

Tomorrow Starts Today…with how we flip the script on thriving motherhood in postpartum

Good morning, my name is Madeleine Pidel, I’m a wife and mother of 4. I am also a health and business coach, and my postpartum experiences have completely transformed my outlook on life, my own career, and the trajectory of my life and our family. I want to share some reflections about why I believe that we can flip the script on mothers thriving in motherhood (which begins in the fragile days of postpartum), and thus create a better tomorrow, today.

I will start with my experiences in postpartum, and draw out some important conclusions based on stories that many of you here may be able to relate to, or know someone in your life who’s going through this.

With my first daughter, born 9 years ago this summer, I was working hard at a job I loved in NYC, when all of a sudden, it was time for her to be born, and maternity leave started…

…After a challenging (and beautiful) natural birth experience, I found myself completely overwhelmed, exhausted, life upside-down, no way of knowing how to care for this little human in my arms, or myself. I remember some days I didn’t get dressed, didn’t leave the couch, but I had a super supportive husband, and community of first time moms, so it wasn’t too lonely or tough (comparatively). But I definitely struggled with my identity, my feelings of self-worth (when I was focusing all my time on a baby, which didn’t feel “productive” to my career driven self). I had tinges of postpartum depression, and by 8 weeks, was actually relieved to have found an amazing nanny and to be going back to work part time–my brain needed it, and I needed a reason to get dressed and feel like a normal human. Of course, once I was balancing part-time (almost full-time) work and a child, I was getting frayed thinner than ever before. This is the reality for so many women. And rather than asking for more help, I just pushed harder and began to experience burnout when I was around 1 year postpartum. I had a health crisis, was very nutritionally depleted, no extra energy to workout or “care for myself” which I had decided was “selfish” at this point. It was my own crisis and wake up call I needed. I was fired from the job that was draining me, and I was given the gift of time to focus on being “just mom” while looking for another job.

At this point, my friend Melinda reached out to me and supported me, and shared this opportunity of business ownership that she was just discovering as a new mom like me. I was given a ray of hope to create a beautiful future for our family, and to dream again, all in an instant. What a gift to give a mother—to believe she can be truly present to her babies and kids as they grow, while being fully ambitious and pursuing beautiful things that matter to her too. It’s our lean-out, best of both worlds reality, that I feel so privileged to live, and to share.

This time, I had a strong sense that while my baby (turned toddler) could thrive without me around, I needed to be more a part of her life, and I was inspired to prepare to leave my desk job life. So in preparing to conceive and give birth to my 2nd child, I started my own business with this amazing tribe of women you see all around you, and I choose to work in finance in an environment with better work-life balance, and I knew I would be saying goodbye to office life after my 2nd was born, so my husband and I did everything we could to prepare financially for this transition. I had these incredible nutritional tools that are being shared (with my 2nd pregnancy) and felt amazing (no GD, worked out until 37 weeks), and my birth to a 9lb 11 oz baby girl was a beautiful experience, and my recovery was swift, I felt amazing just days after birth. I went on the road and traveled when she was 3 weeks old; to our global conference and our families. Balancing postpartum with a toddler was challenging but I wisely put myself into situations (the homes of my aunt, my mom, my mother in law) where I could rest and be cared for in those early weeks. But when I was preparing to go back to work at 8 weeks (to finish up a project then give my notice), the familiar deep dread set in. It’s just against everything in our hormonal and natural makeup to leave our babies so young and be sitting in an office, often doing work we could do remotely. Pumping and bottle prep takes women sometimes up to an hour each day/evening, and it’s just draining. My child didn’t take a bottle well at all, so I was going home on lunch breaks to feed her, then rushing back to work, pump, work some more, all knowing that things would shift soon enough. When she was 3.5 months old (and I’d been working for 6 weeks to complete an audit project)–I brought her in, in a carrier, and gave my notice to my boss, one of the moments I’ll always remember. I focused on my littles and worked on growing my at home business. The challenges of self-care, and balance remain, but with the empowering community of business owners, no one judges you for bringing babies to meetings, to conferences, and I felt so empowered and grateful. I had mom friends commenting to me–“you’re so lucky you get to have time with your babies and still use your brain”, and this beautiful reality drove me to share this gift with many other mommas. The work-life balance we desire, and which our babies need from us in their first years of life, is possible with some creativity and grit.

I LOVE seeing the women of my generation–from all walks of life and careers, rise up and take a stand for better balance in their work, in the baby’s first year and beyond. We’re continuing to show that we’re more valuable in our careers of choice BECAUSE of being mothers, not in spite of it. And with enough women doing just this important balance, the general culture can shift towards being more understanding of flexible working, a win-win situation.

I have now had 2 other postpartum experiences, as a business owner, and it’s incredible beautiful and freeing. I have had to learn to be better about asking for help, outsourcing everything except the most precious roles that only a mother can fill, and learning “radical self-care for radical service” which is my tagline for mommas. It’s not selfish to make sure our bodies, hearts and minds are working at their best to care for and raise these humans. It’s essential. And we need to rise up and create a stronger culture of care and support, enlisting folks who truly understand what is happening (and needed) in postpartum to provide that for mommas.

Of course, dropping off meals and baby clothes is a kind gesture, and appreciated, but even more appreciated or needed is taking the other kids away for an hour so mom can nap, or, when she’s ready, coming over to provide company to the new mother, or just hold the babe while she gets a moment to herself.

Additionally, all the nutritional and hormone balancing tools we offer are a crucial part of the puzzle for me. I use the foundational nutrition tools that the women in this room all use and rave about–I don’t know about you, but I want to age with grace, and alot of energy. I’m healthier now in my mid 30s, after 4 kids, than I was in my mid 20s, and I know it’s thanks to these daily vitalizer and daily shake. I literally can’t imagine going a day without them.

I’ve had 3 incredibly healthy pregnancies, with perfect health markers, high energy, the ability to workout, and this sets up for a smoother postpartum experience–less “baby weight” to lose, more energy, easier time transitioning into postpartum fitness habits, and of course it takes discipline and a strong WHY, but this is something all new moms crave and need more of, to be uplifted and reminded that they too, are allowed to thrive. Even the age old “sleepless exhausted” momma of a newborn doesn’t have to be that way. I had 1 baby (before Shaklee) who was the classic collicky, gassy, fussy, not a good sleeper, and I have since had 3 larger (healthy birth weight) Shaklee babies who sleep well for me from day 1, and not only that, we have tools like the cal mag and the pm recover to ensure mommas get the most out of their crucial rest.

With my 3rd postpartum, even though I was very healthy and had a good recovery, I began to experience some signs of adrenal fatigue and PPA, which is less diagnosed, understood or talked about. For me it looked like being super busy, keeping my super mom cape on too much, and getting frayed/fried around the edges. Getting exhausted easily, snappy at my kids (too easily anxious or angry) and I had to work to reset my nervous system, with tools like the stress relief complex, B’s, valuing sleep more, and I also discovered the incredible healing art of reflexology, and regular massage, etc, to support my body and give it extra doses of self-care, for all that I was expecting of it. This is when I embraced the concept of “radical self-care for radical service”–when we know WHY we want to be at our best, and who we’re doing it for (in addition to ourselves) it rises from the level of “extra” to essential.

This time around, in my 4th postpartum with Blaise, I wanted it to be as peaceful and restful as possible, and I called on my mom and family/sisters to come and stay with me for the first full month. I cooked very few meals, did almost no driving or caring for the kids, and this allowed me to have my best, fastest recovery, which amazed my midwives, considering it’s my 4th. I used Every Mother throughout the pregnancy and in the weeks following to prevent any additional separation and to continue healing my DR–which is a huge challenge for many moms, and I know SO many folks who’ve seen huge improvements in their back pain, posture, core strength and more.

I also did the extra resting/focus on support in those first weeks to balance my mood and ensure I didn’t develop early triggers for adrenal fatigue. It’s about giving mom permission (and value) to deeply REST, and in doing the very important work that she and baby are doing. We need communities and a society that support this understanding of postpartum, and as I look around this room, I can see that all of you are inspired by, and working towards, and can commit with me towards that.

I’ve become so much more aware of what my body needs in postpartum, with the phrases “intuitive eating” and “mindful movement” shaping much of my daily habits, and I’m so grateful for the incredible set of nutritional tools at our disposal. I’ve gone on to run a half marathon at 6 months postpartum with my 3rd, and things that would have been unthinkable to that original sleep and energy deprived me of 9 years ago. The GLA complex helps with balancing hormones and I take it whenever I’m feeling my mood is out of whack, along with lots of healthy (mindful movement, walking, stretching), socializing with those who lift me up, and epsom salts are hugely healing for postpartum nerves, afalfa for breastfeeding, vivix for reducing inflammation and of course, healthy digestion with optiflora DI. I eat a hormone balancing diet and have learned so much about the nutrition of postpartum not only through coaching other women through it from all walks of life, and living it myself deeply, but also through this wonderful resource called “the first 40 days” (A perfect book to give to someone you know who’s expecting a babe) (linked below). It’s about committing to a self care routine and knowing you’re doing it for you, and for baby. Doing things that bring us joy each day are crucial–it can be as simple as reading a book you enjoy while baby naps on you in the mornings with your favorite tea, laying out on a blanket in the sun in our yards while babe is napping, or grabbing a coffee at your favorite local spot, and sitting in a park (getting OUT with babe for our best mental health)…these things build up our level of joy and gratitude during this season which is also so ultimately demanding of us. The balancing act is challenging, but so beautiful when each mom finds her postpartum groove.

These babies are our future, and caring well for their mommas in those crucial, vulnerable, fragile first weeks & months (which are also the most beautiful), is our gift to the future of our world.

Action item: Can we all reach out to a new mom in our life today; let her know she’s valued, loved and supported? Share with her that postpartum can be a thriving, energized and truly happy and wonderful experience, and that want to be there for her, to support her in experiencing just that, with your presence, deep caring, and all the tools and ideas mentioned here.

Thank you!

More resources:
*First 40 days, a guide to nourishing the new mother (book)
*Facebook Postpartum community
*Other postpartum blog posts–here and here.
*Support NAMI (Putnam county chapter) here.

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Postpartum life series: The Birth & early days with Blaise Ignatius

I want to share a series of mini reflections on postpartum life–or, what’s really going on behind all those cute baby milestone photos we love to smile at. Sometimes it’s hard to peel back the layers–to let others in to this truly intense, often emotional, exhausting, time–it can feel that we’re in the eye of a hurricane–quiet but with huge forces of change all around us.

The reality of postpartum is that of a truly transforming existence for mother and child; as they learn to be apart (after the womb life), and learn to be together, in new ways, and in the world. Each week is unique and oh-so-meaningful, and I know, for myself, I want to remember all of it.

I truly believe that postpartum is a time when both baby and momma are meant to thrive. This has been my mission in coaching many women over the past years, and having this focus myself has helped me tremendously in the past years when #postpartumlife was my ever-present reality.

I’m immensely grateful for my tribe of mommas over in the FB postpartum community; they have been incredible in this phase, and I know if you’re not in there already, you’ll be very welcome indeed–whether you’re about to have a baby, or had a baby 6 years ago…

I’m finally ready to write and process some of the beautiful incredible things that made up the first weeks of postpartum life with Blaise. I know this will be part one of a series, because postpartum life is far from over–but there’s something so incredible, so special about the first 40 days, or 6 weeks, when momma is resting and healing and taking time to focus on bonding with babe…and then, the several weeks following that which are a process of unpacking and beginning to take strides to a new normal–new daily rhythms that work well for all–we’re perhaps just now beginning to find these.

Knowing (as this is my 4th) that this phase is both beautiful, intense and oh-so-short…but that postpartum life is more of a marathon not a sprint I wanted to honor and deeply dive into the first 40 days, soaking it all up with intention rather than having it pass like a blur.

*To the first time momma: it’s impossible to have perspective. I remember so clearly wondering: will I ever sleep again? Will my body ever feel normal again? Will this little human being ever stop needing me so much? The answer to all of these is yes, but in the midst of it all you struggle to feel that anything is as it should be*

NOW, knowing what I know, I decided to just truly bask in the first few weeks, to document everything (sooo many pics of the 4th child, he can’t hold that over us)…and to be still, to be offline much of the time, when I needed a mental break, to be quiet with these changes, to watch my family accept and welcome this new life, and to let the big ripples of this major life change, turn into smaller and smaller ripples as everyone breathes and leans into it, and grows. There is plenty of time to start exercising, to be “productive”, to do errands with baby (spoiled me, I didn’t set foot in a grocery store for 6 weeks around Blaise’ birth), and to look the part. (Yes, I do love new clothes in postpartum, but not because there’s a certain goal size waistline or pressure to bounce back).

There’s no going “back” We’re only going forward to new, better levels of ourselves.

Mother fills a distinct role during this time. She needs to be supported to focus on that; her own healing and re-balancing/recovery as a primary need, and with this, the ability to nourish her child as she nourishes and strengthens herself. Anyone who’s been through it can tell you the deep vulnerability and fragility that is felt, and why it’s crucial that she has a strong and supportive community around her, so she can keep her nervous system at peace.

The realization that postpartum life needs to be paced (and this is just my first post in a series, because there are many distinct phases & topics of postpartum)…is something that’s come to me over the years, and helped inspire a group of us to come together to take back conversations about postpartum life, just how different moms’ needs, goals and habits should be during that period, and to honor it as a time to thrive. This requires a tremendous family and community support to do well–mom must be allowed to re-focus her precious energies without guilt.

A short (mini) birth story

Yes, all postpartum experiences begin with the birth. This wasn’t meant to be the focus of this post/series, but I will share a bit about this beautiful birth experience we had with Blaise.

We waited 10 long days from Blaise’ due date to when he was ready to arrive. My patience grows thin during those times, and it becomes harder to care for the kids and do everything as my body preps for birth. I’m no stranger to post-date babies, but this time, with my hypno-birthing meditations each night, I was able to get perspective and embrace/welcome the natural process of things even as my overly planning/impatient mind couldn’t compute it all sometimes. I called on all the help for school pickups, etc, and rested alot, nested more, and stayed in during some of the coldest days of the winter.

The midwives finally did encourage me (when I was mentally done–and spent the morning both crying/swaying on the birthing ball, and bouncing on my kids trampoline!) that it was time to try castor oil. We did that on a thursday morning (Jan 24th) and my husband stayed home from work, and we arranged to go to the hospital by that evening, no matter where things were, because we knew we didn’t want it dragging on. The castor oil was a totally positive experience for me, not at all icky or hard to manage (I snacked alot and drank tons of hydrate/elecytrolytes)…the contractions were consistent all day, not picking up in pace, but remaining, and when we left the kids peacefully and went in to the hospital and met the midwives and team, I was 3cm along, and contracting well but they were ready to get me into a better pattern and prepare to break my water. I was given a little bit of Pit, and then once my water broke, things progressed quickly. I used my hypnobirthing meditations and then went into the tub to labor once a few contractions felt stronger than I was managing well. Once in the tub, I was only there 5 minutes before I told Joel–I need to get out and push. This was 1.5 hours into my active labor. He was used to two over 24 hour labors (Corinne and Ambrose) so he was seriously skeptical, and tried to convince me to stay in the tub just a bit longer, but somehow husbands wisely know not to argue with their laboring wife…sure enough, I was on the table and pushed Blaise out in 3 pushes, before they had time to even finish wheeling in all the materials, and the midwives laughed at me as I held my 9lb 7oz babe with the biggest grin on my face. He spent so little time in the birth canal and I felt AMAZING as soon as he was out. Such a dream labor and delivery–beyond anything I could have hoped for (though I had been visualizing my perfect birth for weeks, so maybe it’s not a coincidence).

Last pregnant picture–this is it!

Born right after 2am January 25th, our little perfect chunky gift of a baby, to start out 2019 with a bang.

I LOVE the hospital for their “baby friendly” policies and he didn’t leave my room once as we recovered. I had the kids visit and then was ready to go home with my parents who drove up the following day. Getting away from it all and being in a different (short) bubble helps me focus in on the important bonding and early postpartum moments, before life, home and kids come rushing at me. Grateful for the right place to make that transition, and wonderful, wise caregivers.

We loved introducing him to the siblings. He was an immediate hit, and slept through all their pokes, snuggles and “kisses”–for weeks, literally 😉

Intentional & restful postpartum

As I talked about before his birth, I had found myself rushing through the other postpartums with the other kids–if I felt great physically, I would push myself too early, take on too much (or travel alot, etc) and end up frazzled and mentally fried. Even if my body could handle it, it was taking a toll on my nervous system, and felt like more of a blur.

This time around, I RESTED. So much. Way more than is normal for me. I don’t consider myself a very restful person 😉 And it was good.

I napped every day for the first 4 weeks–during the first 2, it was hugely important and I craved that break; my mom would drive Ambrose to pick up the girls from school and I would curl up with Blaise and get at least an hour of lying flat rest. The rest of the time I was totally curled up on the couch with meals being brought to me, teas, broths, I literally didn’t cook a single meal or unload my dishwasher for the first 2 weeks. SO so grateful for my mom stepping in and doing everything. The kids loved it, Joel and I even got out on some date nights when my parents were around the first few weekends, and life felt so different and hugely calm, and like a little bubble of love surrounding us, and it was just perfect. The cold evenings we all hung out by our fire, and took turns cuddling this chub. I had imagined it would be fun to hibernate with a baby, and it has suited me so well (ie, needing a major excuse to stay in and enjoy it, rather than itching to get out, and being stir crazy in winter).

I had a no visitor policy for the first 2 weeks (anyone I would have to get dressed to welcome;)). This was challenging only in a few moments with folks wanting to come by, but they did understand, and it gave me permission to focus entirely on babe, nourishing and resting. I’m an extrovert and love hosting, but I like to have things tidy and at a certain level, so this way, the focus was entirely on my own kiddos and those directly supporting. Having family around to socialize with was wonderful—I could chat as long as I had energy, and hide upstairs when I was done (and know that the kids were in the best of hands).

I will look back on and treasure those moments for a long time—I could feel my body recovering well each day, and while I often am high energy and motivated to do things by day 4-5 postpartum, it’s not that wise for me (and I would regret it) so this time I just did less than I thought I could, and was able to get my sleep into good patterns, my hormones and stress levels were balancing, I held baby all the time, whenever I wanted to, and I didn’t experience any deep exhaustion that way; it made it all more balanced and joyful. I didn’t do anything around the house or much kid management at all–since Joel and my mom were both eager to help with that. I did fold some laundry but that’s because I enjoy doing it and insisted 😉 My mom staying here was a huge gift, and having others doing driving of the kids to and from school, etc, made my restful routines at home possible.

As anyone who’s met him will tell you, Blaise is just a chill, fun kid. He’s the dream baby (that I’ve earned:)) who sleeps like a king…and his little lazy self, just drifting into naps whenever he felt like it–on me or anyone holding him, has been inspiring me in a big way, to take my commitment to sleep/napping more seriously. We could all use a little more lazy Blaisey in our life, right?

Postpartum as a time of transformation

I really embraced this experience of postpartum as a cocoon metaphor; we were in an intense and brief period of transformation, and to do so well, we needed to be away from it all//resting//welcoming support in all forms, and really just being quiet and present to the transformation. I journaled (as I always do) daily, and found that to be a hugely beneficial way to process all that I was experiencing and feeling—not always wanting to talk it out, but mothers always have things that need to be processed, and the right supportive helping team provides this for her too. This quiet/inner work went well with the natural hibernating patterns of Jan/Feb up here, and I knew that soon enough, right about when the warm weather came, we’d be ready for adventures, but to enjoy this brief moment fully–not rushing any bit of it.

When possible, I enjoyed moments of getting dressed and getting out—new moms need this too! Staying in pjs all the time is a recipe for losing sanity a bit ;)—but always followed it up with a nap, and we never tried any crazy outings without extra hands to wrangle the toddler–for the first 4 weeks, to make it enjoyable for all.

This level of rest & welcoming help was huge for me, and of course all my nutrition tools–which I’ve had for the past 2 recoveries which made them so good. You can’t underestimate the effects of post-natal depletion–it’s real, and it’s not good. Our bodies have given SO much to create and birth these human beings, and we have to give time and high quality nourishment and rest to re-balance and come out stronger on the other side. It’s possible, but it takes some serious effort and focus. Energized postpartum starts with a strong baseline for the mother, who’s both nourishing/re-balancing herself and giving alot through feeding her baby.

(to check out these tools for your personalized needs, start here—or message me for a quick health consult if you’re in postpartum).

Having been no stranger to some signs of adrenal fatigue in prior postpartums, I can tell you that it’s something that you can’t mess with–pushing to the edge of your physical or mental capacity. Both you and baby need you at your best, so take that extra time and care. That’s been our focus and why we set things up the way we did for this period of time, and especially since I was so clear that I wanted to come out of this postpartum mentally strong and able to exercise (I have a spring race in the calendar), and ready for some exciting things on the business front…so the more rest and rebuilding that I allowed myself in the first 40 days, the more I could be present and ready for the beautiful next phases as they came.

Some other tools in my toolkit for thriving postpartum:

*The Early reclaim program by every mother. It helped me resolve my diastisis in pregnancy and provided an amazing baseline for core recovery and gentle movement in the first 6 weeks.

*Reflexology; I’m a huge fan of Pippa and I had a session right at the end of my 40 day quiet period, to re-balance my nervous system, energy levels and hormones. Such a gift to find someone who truly knows how the body is meant to heal and re-balance itself. I highly recommend this for postpartum if you haven’t tried, and want an optimal recovery.

*Pelvic & core PT: this has become my go-to for staying active/being an athlete and having babies. Melissa is a wonder worker and I went to her at 3 weeks pp, and schedule to go every 3-4 weeks up through my first running races and getting fully back to a new, better level of fitness. Every mother needs this in their life after birth.

As you may know, I’m a huge fan of the book “The first 40 days, the art of nourishing the new mother“–it completely changed my perspective on postpartum life when I read it after Ambrose, and I embraced many of the healing foods of the book this time around, especially broths and all the focus on hormone-balancing foods and snacks, and they helped me so much.

My dream postpartum breakfast: steaming bone broth with a heaping helping of local ice-cream topped with local granola.
Breakfasts cooked every day for me for weeks–a true gift, and so that I could focus on serving breakfast to Blaise:)

I also experienced it as a time of clarity about what mattered—-it’s humbling and beautiful to strip life down to the most essentials, not leaving the house, not cooking meals, barely moving from the couch, and reflecting on–what do I want to add back in to my life? Of course laundry and carpooling are non-negotiables (though outsourcing is wise and I’ll reflect more on that in future posts)…but I mean, beyond, what do we want life to look like? How can we create a new balance that includes this new human beautifully and well? I’m so grateful I was able to lean into these reflections and really consider it all without stress or apprehension. It was instead a perfect moment of “creating space”–the term I focus a lot on in coaching and in my new life design course–that of being willing to add blank space to our schedule—letting go of being busy and instead being free to welcome the memorable, surprising, beautiful elements of life that can sneak up on us when we make room in our planners & hearts.

My 3 words for the year of 2019: First is integration–focused on integrating well as a family of 6, and integrating new routines, etc with baby as a focal point. Another word is intention…and living with the highest level of purposefulness that we can. Life with an infant brings this into sharp focus. My 3rd word for 2019 is impact–and already we’ve shifted things to make this possible in new, smarter ways. Blaise is a huge part of the expanded vision and focus I have, and it’s so exciting to know that family goals can accompany our larger life vision. These weeks really allowed us to delve into these themes and make them real in so many ways.

Thank you for taking time to share in this beautiful, unforgettable chapter of life with us. All the lovely notes, gifts, meals brought, helping hands and beautiful reach-outs just made it all the more special as we enjoyed welcoming and falling in love with our new guy.

The series will continue with posts on topics like: postpartum fitness (lots to say there, as I’m smack in the midst of it all), postpartum and work, postpartum & mental health, and much more. If you have topics you’d like to see discussed–reach out and email me. It’s so important to me to emphasize the beautiful layers of postpartum, and to build a culture that helps moms and babies thrive during this time.

If you’re not on my email list yet–you can hop on at the top of the page to catch the rest of the series in the coming weeks.

And here’s some other related posts:

And our postpartum community where many of these discussions happen in real time with other amazing mommas.

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CSA: the importance of locally grown fruits and veggies in 2019

Written By: Lauren Briggs, RN, BSN, TNCC, RYT

What is a CSA? CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and that’s exactly what it is! A community of individuals coming together to support a local farm by buying shares as you would in a company. In return, the farm gives its shareholders an equal portion of their harvest. There’s nothing quite like weekly fresh and organic vegetables from a trusted source! Imagine knowing your farmers by name, touring the farm in which your vegetables are growing, and knowing that you have made a difference to secure the future of a small farm.

I have been a member of a CSA for five years now and a coordinator for my local farm since year four. I fell in love with not only the organic farm fresh vegetables but also the process of the operation. The vegetables we receive are local, seasonal and incredibly fresh. Yes, my lettuce has some holes in it, but that guarantees me that there are no pesticides in my salad. In fact, joining a CSA has made me think about vegetables in a whole new way. Perfect vegetables are now worrisome to me, wondering about where they come from and what is in or on them. Knowing the farmers and understanding the process of how they grow organic vegetables gives me peace of mind in what I feed my family. Joining a CSA has expanded my taste palate to fully understand what vegetables should taste like and opened up a new range of vegetables that we eat. I loved being introduced to Rainbow Swiss Chard, now a staple in our house! Or Kholrabi, which I have listed a fantastic recipe for below.

The CSA we belong to is in Upstate New York and delivers to NYC, Westchester and Lower Connecticut. The farm harvests their vegetables and delivers them the next day to your CSA for pickup. Pickup times are sometimes challenging, usually after working hours. This is where a share partner or friend comes in handy! If you find that you cannot make the pickup time, someone else usually can. It’s important someone shows up on time for pickup or you forfeit your vegetables for that week. Your share partner is also very useful on weeks when you are away. It’s great to swap vacation weeks so you know your food won’t go to waste. Most CSA’s offer a donation program as well. In case you forget to pick up, your weekly share will go to a food pantry or family in need. One common logistical problem that arises is the abundance of the harvest. People worry that it will be too much food for their family and this might be true. If you are not a vegetarian family, I highly suggest thinking about getting a share partner. This person would share in the cost and help make sure nothing in your weekly basket goes to waste.

If you haven’t considered it before, think about joining a local CSA! Just Google, CSA near me to find a farm that you can trust and love. Every CSA is a little bit different, but they all have the same amazing goal: bringing you one step closer to growing and knowing your own food. It’s an investment in your health that is definitely worth making!

About me: I am a full time mother of two little boys and a part time RN specializing in functional medicine and vitamin infusions. I currently live in Stamford, Connecticut and coordinate for a farm in Upstate New York. I am currently heading up my second CSA start up operation out of Stamford with Stoneledge Farm. I love to cook, practice yoga and travel as much as possible!

Email: laurenbriggsrn@gmail.com

Facebook.com/LaurenBriggsRN

www.stoneledge.farm



Blueberry, Fennel and Kohlrabi Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing

This recipe uses three ingredients commonly found in a CSA basket that people often question how to use. It’s incredibly easy and quick to prepare using the mandolin. If you don’t have a mandolin, simply use a potato peeler.  The salad is delicious on its own, with crusty bread or with a grilled protein on top.

Salad Ingredients:

1 head of frisee – rinsed and chopped

1 Kohlrabi – sliced thinly with mandolin

1 Fennel bulb– sliced thinly with mandolin

½ cup sliced almonds – lightly toasted

1 cup blueberries

Homemade dressing:

¾ cup olive oil

¼ cup white vinegar

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

Salt and Pepper to taste

Add all dressing ingredients to a Mason jar and shake! Toss on salad and enjoy!!


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10 things I might say to my 10 years younger self…

A few musings on the occasion of my 34th birthday…

1) you’re going to have to learn how to trust & lean into a bigger, better picture of your life. Controlling or planning all the details doesn’t always (ever) work, and instead just steals the joy and wonder of the journey. Lean into the unknown & watch beautiful things (better than your plans) unfold.

 
2) loving and living with your best friend in marriage will deepen your appreciation of life at every level, but is also going to take a lot of work. Yes absolutely you can wake up more grounded and in love 10 years from now, but to do that you’ll need to lean into every challenge and choose trust, hope, gratitude, growth. 


3) 4 beautiful human beings will come into your life and absolutely change you, forever, in so many ways. Nothing can prepare you for this, but do everything that you can to stay open to the all the lessons & joy of those moments.


4) Your professional life will look radically different from what it does now, and nothing like a “standard” path. Lean out, whenever you need to, towards your family priorities and be overwhelmed with amazement at the opportunities and a new fulfilling balance that falls into place. Pursue what feels scary and exhilarating, with a heart ready to serve. 


5) Listen to the longings of your heart. Unearth & explore them. They will continue leading you toward your ideal life—involving nature, vitality, family, simplicity, abundance. 


6) Care for your physical & mental health as a top priority…you may even have to learn the hard way, but understand that radical self-care is for radical service. Never feel guilty about making health & optimal energy a priority—you can absolutely be stronger & healthier as a mother and in your next decade, with the right daily habits. You will also learn proper self love & acceptance through marriage and mothering…and while it won’t be easy, you can heal old unhealthy patterns around self image, and a beautiful freedom can emerge.


7) Choose courage & intuition (and the H.S.) over peoples’ understanding or approval. Build your confidence around saying no to things that aren’t serving you. Drop the guilt & experience real freedom.


8) Commit to personal growth, see challenges as opportunities, and journal daily so that your experiences and gratitude builds on each other, watch life unfold in all of its unexpected glory, and leave room in your heart for everyday miracles.


9) Gratitude first, pray alot, have fun everyday. The rest will take care of itself.


10) Find your deep worth in being rather than doing. This one is both a cliche and a great challenge. When you get closer to peace in who you are, rather than seeking affirmation in accomplishments or what you DO on any given day, then life gets lighter. More joy and flow arrive. 

Now, what’s one thing you would say to your 10 years younger self? 
#birthdaymusings #thisis34

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Guest post: exercise & mental health, a journey

By Claire Wilson, artist, runner, lover of nature.

We often hear about the importance of the exercise for the benefit of mental health and overwhelming data and research proves this to be true—physical activity is essential in maintaining a healthy mental outlook. There is a second component to mental health that has been steadily growing in popularity in past decade and that is mindfulness (I think it can also be considered meditation or prayer depending on your religious background). Not surprisingly in our hectic world, people are looking for ways to slow down, to take time to create space in their heads, to breathe, to just be. People are finding this in a myriad of different ways, meditation, yoga, intense physical activity, being outside etc. Mine came in the form of a marathon and a rosary.

I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety my freshman year of college and ran the gamut of antidepressants for three years. After dropping out of school and finding myself in a zombie like state working at a coffee shop I decided something had to change, the conventional way was not working for me. I was looking into a future of being a slave to a pill that at best put me in a state of no emotion and at worst actually made my symptoms worse. Growing up with a mother whose philosophy towards health and well being  was using conventional medicine as a last resort helped motivated me to start looking at more natural alternatives and start my journey to finding the root cause of my depression and anxiety (I just want to put a disclaimer here, I am by no means judging anyone on antidepressants, they have their place and your treatment is between you and your doctor. I would encourage you to look into alternatives though). That is when I got the insane idea to run a marathon, insane because at the time I had just enough will power in a day to crawl from underneath my covers, work my seven hour shift, and crawl back under my blankets. That’s not exactly conducive for doing the 10 to 15 mile training runs needed for a successful race. To this day I am not exactly sure why I chose to start with exercise and particularly running something as extreme as a marathon. Part of me needed to reach for something so huge, so seemingly beyond my capability that it really was a race against myself, to prove to myself that if I can run a marathon than I can take this far more challenging and difficult race of getting well,

By the grace of God a little over a year later I ran my marathon! It truly was by the grace of God because there was a time in my training that I was going to quit, it was too hard for me. That is when I brought in the spiritual and, being a Catholic, that came in the form of the rosary (sometimes 5 or 6 of them if the run was very long!). By meditating while exercising I was able to create a space of peace in my head beyond the physical discomforts I was feeling.  it was a space that i could think, something I was struggling to do because of my fears and anxieties. It was a space where I could go beyond my mental illness and start to feel human again because I was mastering discipline with my body and making it do something amazing. A space where I could offer up my current discomforts for someone going through a difficult time. It brought these two elements, the physical and the spiritual, into a relationship with each other working towards the goal of total health!

Fast forward nearly ten years later, my journey, while definitely a bit of a roller coaster, finds me in a much better place thanks to the lesson of combining the physical with the spiritual. I am able to see difficulties in my life as opportunities to grow or to sacrifice for others. I can be fully present with family and friends and enjoy quiet time alone without let depression and anxiety consume me. And for the times when things are difficult (because let’s face it even the happiest and healthiest of us have bad day or even weeks, it is part of the human condition) I turn to the lessons I learned in therapy, I review how my diet has been, I lean more into my supplements and vitamins and I turn to the moments of movement and mindfulness, of prayer and breathing.

Whatever form your mindfulness takes, do it with great intention and combine it with some form of physical activity. Go for a hike and meditate or pray at the the summit. Hit your crossfit session hard and think about someone you know who is suffering and dedicate it to that person. Do some form of stretching, strengthening and/or breathing exercises and really concentrate on calming your mind. I wish you all the best in your journey to optimal mental health!

Claire Wilson an artist, outdoor enthusiast  and promoter of mental health living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest! She hopes to help others see the importance of whole body (spiritual, mental and physical) health and how it can help one live their best life!
You can find her on instagram at @onefingeroutofwater

and at her blog by the same name.

She also leads a PNW hiking group that can be found through instagram @upwardspnw

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Life Coach’s Perspective: New Year’s Tips for 2019

Executive & Life Coach Salley Lee-Chung, ACC

Happy New Year, 2019!

What do you envision this year?

Imagine you are waking on the last day of 2019. What would you like to tell yourself about 2019? What are you proud of yourself? And why? To achieve those goals what are things that you let go of?

Those are the basic questions that I ask my client when they ask me to help them set a goal for the year.

Are you ready to commit to 2019?

When I became a life coach, I learned lots of tips and strategies related to setting up goals, overcoming hurdles, and setting the right mindset that can support them in their personal and professional life. Those are great, so life can be so much easier and fuller. But as you can imagine, I learned the hard way it’s not enough with those tips and strategies to make your better life a reality. In order to be successful in your goals, you need to have a clear goal, right mindset, consistent action and to measure your effectiveness. And making sure your daily actions are aligned with your goal is the golden key for your success.

Every new year, many people set up great goals and are full of energy. I love this sensation and it’s very hopeful. And what happens after few months? Where do the energy and desires go? When we notice that our attempts at new things are challenging, then we often default to our normal routine and wait for another new year, expecting something different is going to happen.

In this article, I’d like to share some tips that keep you focused on habit building rather than just writing goals. When you build up daily actions towards a goal then you just might change your life.   

I’ve been committed to my healthy lifestyle for a long time. Such as eating locally grown food, consuming less red meat, home cooking, walking if I can, riding a bicycle, and so on. But after I had two children, my health went downhill without me noticing. Eventually I wasn’t enjoying all the great things my little ones brought into my life. Finally, I woke up and decided to have a healthy lifestyle focused on exercise. I made a goal that I would do a push-up every day at least one a day, after I read a book ‘The power of habit’. It was very easy in the beginning and one month was not a problem. I increased more exercises as time went by. At one point, I decided to run 5K, 2 – 3 times a week. For 2 to 3 months was worked well. But then my knee started hurting, it impacted my daily life and I stopped exercising. I wanted to keep my exercise up but at the same time there was roadblock that made my momentum stop. I needed to navigate my deeper beliefs around health, and look at new habits.

After consideration, I realized my beliefs around exercise were “I am healthy, I walk a lot, so I don’t need to work out”. In fact, all those stories were not serving my health anymore. I reset myself with 4 phrases: “let go,” “let be,” “let it come,” and “let God.”

I let go of my old ideas that no longer support me, let be with my willingness to try and to accept that I don’t know that much about physical training, let it come with new method such as use Classpass to try new classes, find what I can commit to for long time and tell myself playful words even when I was discouraged, to keep at it, and let God– remembering the divine wants me to be healthy and happy.  

Now I am committed to exercise 5 days a week. When I decided to commit to 5 days a week exercise, I doubted whether I could keep it. But I realized it is much easier (for me) than to do exercise once or twice a week. I don’t need to negotiate anymore with myself because it’s part of my routine. I can say my action became a habit, it feels so natural.

I’d like to share my habit building process. When you want to build a habit, in order to be successful, make sure that you give enough time, be generous to yourself and do one habit at a time. Understand that some will take shorter, some will take longer, to really master.  

Habit building process

Choose one habit that you want to build.

●        Recognize why do you need this habit or not.

●        What does life like for you have that habit in daily life? (describe with as much detail as possible)

●        Envision who you become when you have that habit?

●        How do you feel when you have the habit?

Now, what step will you take to build the habit?

●        How? By when? How do you know when you achieve it? (write in a journal about what did you do and how do you feel about it)

●        When you miss a day or two, what would you like to tell yourself in order to back on the habit?

●        How do you celebrate it?

To implement goals and habits you’ll need to rely on tools such as calendars & planners, alarms, self-discipline app (Such as Goal attracter, Weekdone, 7-minute workout, Sleep Cycle, Simple Habit, Tide, Classpass) and your social network/accountability from friends.

I hope you are newly inspired to have great goals and new habits for a great 2019. Every lifestyle and stage of life are unique. Most of all, you are the one who can create your best life. Allow yourself to be you. Remember that will invite more people and achievement in your life. I think positive habits is what makes you and your family grow. Feel safe to share your challenges with your family and friends, choose your diet to make you healthy and energized all day, your commitment to work that is meaningful. There are lots of positive habits that you can build by defining what is most important in your life + reflection (collect data about your actions) + implement in your daily life. My email signature is always followed by Love & Flow. I wish your life full of love and flow. Hope you can find great value in this article and I would love to hear your experience. Sending lots of love ~~~

Recommend books to read:

Martha Lasley. Courageous Visions – How to unleash passionate energy in your life and your organization.

Damon Zahariades. The 30-Day Productivity Plan – Volume 2: 30 more bad habits that are sabotaging your time management.

Charles Duhigg. The power of habit

ABOUT SALLEY LEE CHUNG, Life coach & momma

Salley is an adventurer, motivator, and innovative thinker. As certified professional coach and member of ICF, she supports students, professionals, and executives who are interested in navigating a multicultural world. She specializes in working with bicultural clients to improve work-life balance, develop cultural sensitivity, and grow their leadership. Her holistic approach helps clients to flow and take action that reflects their power, creativity and authenticity. She coaches in both Korean and English. She resides in Brooklyn with her husband and two little boys.   

Linkedin:  Salley Lee

Website:  www.SalleyCoach.com

E-mail: salleycoach@gmail.com


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Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup–and life with 4 littles

Welcome to our first guest post of the coming months! So grateful to my lifelong friend Monica for taking time out of her busy life with 4 littles to share this amazing recipe, and some beautiful reflections that all us moms can take to heart.

Congratulations on the entire Pidel family on the beautiful new addition to the family! There is nothing more beautiful than a loving family. I know your newest little angel is going to be so well taken care of by all his siblings!

When I added my fourth child to our tribe this past spring, I received an inspiring piece of advice that, while simple in declaration, has proven to be rather challenging in execution. A nurse at the hospital who was tending to me post-delivery, advised me to be sure to give each one of my children 20 minutes a day of my undivided attention. We could do anything we want during those twenty minutes as long as the focus is entirely on them so that they feel cherished and special. Thinking that was a wonderful idea, I have made that a priority over the past months and at first it seemed an easy enough task to fulfill each day. But then, the days grew shorter, the school year started up again, our schedules became quite hectic, and the baby started becoming more mobile and less content to sit in a bouncy chair or play pen while I tended to his siblings.

I began to notice that my eldest received his 20 minutes of attention fairly easily – he simply demanded it. He never stops talking and will not be silent until he finishes telling me what is on his mind, as well as ever juicy piece of gossip he learned at school that day. He also requires a bit of help with homework on a daily basis, so I always devote some amount of personal time to him in that regard.

My third child, Lucia, is home with me still during the day and I am able to find precious moments here and there to play a game with her, do a craft, or read a book. Lately, she has been enjoying schooling me in Candy Land and I have no idea how she does it because I’m almost completely certain that game is entirely based on luck. But, regardless, she makes it to the magical, sugary Promised Land before me every single time. She easily gets in her 20 minutes of attention.

And baby Daniel, please…he is practically an extra appendage, always hanging off of me similar to a baby orangutan at the zoo. He gets lots of mommy time.

Then there is my second child, Emma. The child who is the most independent, the most dependable, and the most capable of getting all her work done without much fuss or reminding. Emma is very good about entertaining herself, often disappearing to our basement after school to make paper flowers, crowns, or other little creations in solitude. I love her independence, but an unfortunate result of that is she is often the one who gets skipped having special time with me each day.

So, I began inviting Emma to sit at the counter and draw, read, and chat as I make dinner each night. She has never been very enthusiastic about helping me in the kitchen, both Matthew and Lucy are much more willing to lend a hand with cooking, but she has jumped at the opportunity to just be with me as I cook away each and every evening. She is a funny little thing and I so enjoy listening to her perspective on the world – it certainly beats any podcast I would otherwise be tuning into! And she just visibly brightens after having some attention from me and goes to bed at night happier and content. Even though she does not ask for or demand my attention, I have to ensure that I do not skip making some time for her – and all of my children. Even if the dishes are dirty and the laundry is piled high, nothing is more important than being a mother to these precious little ones. I can have a spotless home later in life, but my children are little right now and right now they just want me to be with them.

On that sentimental note, I wish to share with you a recipe for a nourishing, rich, and filling soup, one that soothes the soul while feeding the body. Not everyone loves mushroom, but I have found that even mushroom skeptics – like my husband – think this soup to be delectable. It’s creamy, delicately flavored, and filling while not weighing you down too much. I love the rich mushroom flavor in the broth, the heartiness from the wild rice and the bright finish from the lemon zest. It’s a perfect winter soup, simple enough for weeknight meals but not quite too humble to serve for guests.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

adapted slightly from America’s Test Kitchen

¼ ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed

4 ¼ cups water

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 garlic clove, peeled, plus 4 cloves, minced

Salt and pepper

¼ teaspoons baking soda

1 cup wild rice

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced ¼ inch thick

1 onion, chopped fine

1 teaspoon tomato paste

2/3 cup dry sherry

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon soy sauce

¼ cup cornstarch

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup minced chives

¼ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Chopped fresh parsley, for serving (optional)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grind shiitake mushrooms in spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle until finely ground – you should have about 3 tablespoons.

Bring 4 cups of water, thyme, bay leaf, garlic clove, ¾ teaspoon salt, and baking soda to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Add rice and return to boil. Cover saucepan, transfer to oven, and bake until rice is tender, 35 to 50 minutes. Strain rice through fine-mesh strainer set in 4-cup liquid measuring cup; discard thyme, bay leaf, and garlic. Add enough water to reserved cooking liquid to measure 3 cups.

Melt butter in Dutch oven over high heat. Add cremini mushrooms, onion, minced garlic, tomato paste, ¾ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned and dark fond develops on bottom of pot, 15 minutes. Add sherry, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until reduced and pot is almost dry, about 2 minutes. Add ground shiitake mushrooms, reserved rice cooking liquid, broth and soy sauce and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until onion and mushrooms are tender, about 20 minutes.

Whisk cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup water in small bowl. Stir cornstarch slurry into soup, return to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in cooked rice, cream, chives, and lemon zest. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with the chopped fresh parsley, and serve!

More about Monica of A Beautiful Mess

Monica is the cook, baker, and primary administrator of the blog A Beautiful Mess. She initially began the blog at the urging of her husband and sister-in-law as a way to share photographs, stories, and recipes with our families. An avid lover of bread in any form, Monica has had to demonstrate major restraint to not post only carbohydrate-centered recipes. She has successfully convinced her husband that a salad can be a sufficient main dish and vegetables are his friends. When she is not blogging or cooking, Monica enjoys chasing after her kiddos, running, pilates, drinking copious amounts of coffee, scrapbooking, and relaxing with a good book while listening to a selection from her collection of vintage vinyl records. However, her absolute favorite pastime is probably poking fun at her husband.

You can find her at her blog: A Beautiful Mess

On Facebook at her page A beautiful Mess

or on Instagram under the username @monica_abeautifulmess

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Life by design: the power of vision boards for a new year

Perhaps you’ve heard of this concept of vision boards and it’s sounded cheesy and weird to you—like something for a high-school sleepover party (young girls picking out their dream weddings), or more recently, just an offshoot of a pinterest driven lifestyle.

But it can be so much more than that. It’s not just a visual wish list of home decor items, or a gallery wall of photos, but rather a visual map to your best life, usually one year at a time.

I’ve had so many folks ask me about these, and I wanted to share more of an in-depth look into what I do to create mine each January, as well as some of the overarching framework for approaching goals/plans and dreams for each coming year.

I know this practice of vision boarding has literally changed my life since I put it into practice 5 years ago. For some of you, this may be the year this practice catches your interest and you run with it to your best life.

We’re also doing a module/focus on it in my Life By Design course—be sure to get on my email list (up top) if you want some of the fun content and details I’ll be sharing about that in the coming weeks (yep, it’s already been prepped, before babe). Ideally this vision board practice is part of that larger 5 week lifestyle transformation that we’re undertaking, in a fun and easy to implement program that’s for anyone, in any walk of life!

If you’re someone that doesn’t like traditional goal setting, has already forgotten what your New Year’s resolutions were, or, if you were like me, and are very driven/connected to goals but sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture of WHY they really matter (so checking them off is not as satisfying), creating a vision board is the habit you need. It’s about leaning into a bigger picture perspective of how your life is ready to expand, to transform, to be different.

We all know life will be different in 365 days, but a vision board can be the key to having a strong hand in shaping and creating that difference, and not just letting it happen to us.

I love this quote. It’s been on my vision board for the past 4 years, and it helps me frame what we’re about.

My First Time Vision Boarding I Was Afraid

The first time I did a vision board it was tough and somewhat scary to really try to fix on what I wanted. What visuals, materials or pictures represent my life? (But that exercise is exactly where the magic begins.)

And of course, there’s the objection I got (and continue to get) from folks: “well, what about what if I don’t know what GOD has planned for me, aren’t these just my selfish desires being put out there, and how can I know if I’m actually supposed to be wanting this stuff?”

Well, I have lots to say on that topic, but I’ll try to just pose this question: what if you can make the process of developing a vision board a prayerful exercise?

Vision Boarding as an Expression of Hope

You can discuss things with your life partner/spouse, make plans based on where you see your family and life going, and with prayer, put it out there in the form of a vision board. We know God is ultimately in control, but you entrust your hopes and dreams into His care with the knowledge that He wants to make good things happen for, through, and with you. If life plans do a big shift—through a job change, or an unexpected move, a child coming, or anything else planned or un-planned—then you adjust. The vision board isn’t going to be “wrong” at any moment, it might just need to be updated as life unfolds and you continue to hone the muscles of discernment along with life-design.

I find that so many folks are just not intentional enough, or don’t believe enough that their own vision, desires, needs and goals CAN and SHOULD shape their real life, so I like to encourage you to take this seriously, and then simply perfect it with your overall goal setting/discernment as you go. My family vision boards are very different than when we first started making them…they are much more specific and focused on our core values, because that’s where we can do the best work and where we’ve seen fulfillment over the years.

These boards are not just a list of things you want to purchase or a home design pinterest board, they can be a record of the way your desires and values shift and change as you get to know yourself and your God-given purpose better with every passing year.

See, the more specific we get with letting our heart and desires shape reality, the more God actually can work, and move things for us.

I love the following quote, and I think we can understand the sense of divine intervention/support for our deepest desires—they are in alignment.

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

A Look at My Vision Boards Over the Years!

So, I’m going to now share a few vision boards we’ve made over the years, and some details on how I like to set ours up now-a-days, in line with our circles of focus: such as social, spiritual, success/skills, etc.But there’s really no right or wrong way to do these—as long as you have fun with them (ideally do them with good friends and a glass of wine or champagne, we’ve done vision board brunches before, so fun)…just have at it, and see what unfolds in the process!

My 2016 vision board: I had some travel, business and other goals come to pass (and we set up for a job change and prepping for our big move!)–also, I have images on here of being pregnant with a boy…baby boy shoes…and a month after making this I conceived Ambrose, he was born that October 😉
My 2015 visison board: I seriously get chills when I look at this: travel to Europe, business expansion, the kind of new family car we upgraded to, the giving back focus, and upon some key themes and words that I needed to embrace (including from scripture).

Topics for our vision board this year: grouped into these 6 main categories:

Family

Travel

Business growth/focus (this could also be a hobby or passion project)

Giving back/philanthropy

Personal growth/Inspiration (spiritual, emotional, mental)

Fitness

Of course I have intentions/focus in a few other areas; Spiritual etc, but the visuals for those can be grouped within these, above, as you can see.

If you have a word for the year, or words, or themes you want to emphasize, those go well on this board as well. You can see my 3 words, with visuals surrounding them–Intention, Integration, Impact. For me, words are another powerful trigger, so I find ones that will really pull me into the feelings behind the goals/vision, in each section, and quotes are huge for me too.

I love getting the kids involved in this process and they make their own; it’s fun to help them shape their sense that they can put dreams, visions and goals onto paper, and then focus in to make them a reality. Something we’ve all had the ability to do, but often lose as “practical minded” adults.
Make it a social activity! This was a vision board brunch event we did a few years back with teammates and friends.

In summary, this practice is something that I laughed at at first, finally tried with the encouragement of some wise mentors, and then got hooked on, and have gotten better at (more specific, building around a family vision and focus) over the years.

It’s incredible to me how the visions of what life could be like several years ago back when we lived in an apartment in Brooklyn, have become our reality. I had country sheds and gardens and all these things that seemed totally incongruent with that current lifestyle.

Last year, it was hard to make a vision board with anything that was a stretch beyond what I currently had, and I was cultivating/focused on contentment.

There’s always a balance to be found: some people can be tempted to live in the future and only focused on what they want that’s coming/hasn’t arrived yet. This practice isn’t meant to encourage that spirit. Rather it’s about creating space, giving sight and vision to allow MORE good to come, to allow ourselves to be pulled out of our comfort zones, and to become more of who we are meant to be (which after all, is what this is all about—not just what we have, where we travel, or any of the material stuff). It starts with a deep gratitude for where your life is at, and perhaps even some visuals/prompts around that, if you need it.

Have fun creating your 2019 vision boards! I hope you’ll share with me whether this article inspired you to give it a try, and even share with me by email a pic of your vision board when it’s finished!

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Stocking the postpartum freezer and pantry

8.5 years ago, when prepping for my first postpartum (and maternity leave from work)…I had not a clue what life would be like, and I also didn’t feel like many of the mothering resources or moms I knew really got into details after the pregnancy and birth. Except for the idea that you won’t sleep as much, I didn’t have any insight into what recovering from birth would be like. I thought it would be like my best ever 8 week vacation, with a cute babe snuggling in my arms…

I remember distinctly after my first was born, about the blurry 2 week mark, when a dear relative gave me the best gift a postpartum mom might ask for…she brought a huge basket of food (already prepared snacks/etc), and held my fussy baby, while sending me down the street (we lived in Brooklyn) to a deep tissue massage. With everything physically and mentally feeling upside down, even just stepping out into the September air, by myself, and having that healing treatment before rushing home to my babe, was such a gift.

And, being a go-getter and priding myself on bouncing back fast (and having relatively easy recoveries, in my 20’s as I like to say;)—I went back to work after my two girls (part-time) at 8 weeks (and 7 weeks), took a several week road trip when Corinne was 3 weeks old (ok, it was to my moms and MIL, and then a work conf). No regrets, just not the smartest for my overall well being;) And with Ambrose, even though I needed to give myself more recovery time after an intense labor, I was running around town as if life was normal after 5 days…but really, it wasn’t, and I realized the hard way, just how much rest and true recovery time is needed after baby. It’s not selfish, lazy, or anything other than wise to rest for 2 full weeks postpartum (doing very little) or more, depending on the kind of birth you had, and there’s something especially important about the first 40 days, or the 6 week mark, that needs to be honored and given to moms and babies. I read this book: The First 40 days: the Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother

while postpartum with Ambrose, and it changed my perspective on postpartum entirely. Obviously, nerding out on the incredible nutrition and recipes related to just what the mother’s body needs to heal, but also how, culturally, we’ve lost a sense of what a sacred and important time this really is for a mother. So….I’m aiming to do things quite differently this time, and while I won’t drop offline or do absolutely nothing for 40 days, I will be treasuring the ability to create a cocoon of care, quiet, warmth, nourishment, and support during those weeks, which conveniently coincide with a cold CT winter…hibernation and babies just might be the thing that works for someone like me (my first 2 were summer girlies, and I struggled to stay home and quiet during that amazing season!).

There’s a lot at stake here for mothers, notably, a large rise in PPD and PPA in recent years, which can be connected to so many things, but especially can be quickly triggered (even with all the hormone and other things that are in flux) by a lack of proper rest, care for mom as well as babe, and giving her permission to get off the fast track life, or for others, perhaps isolation with baby, being alone too much during those first weeks can augment it. It’s a delicate balance of people being able to help, but in the ways that she needs, and not having to play hostess and simply show off the babe in rotation, without thought for her. In any regard, these recipes are focused in on the essential nourishment of mom–body, mind and spirit–and therefore babe…and I enjoyed creating a few of them from my experience/what I already know I usually crave after babies, and a few are straight from the postpartum cookbook, which you’re going to want to get for all the new moms in your life, as a tremendous gift. We’ll take back the culture around a truly restful postpartum experience, and help moms everywhere thrive, with their babies right there with them.

For me, I know I’ll want to keep my head in the game a bit, and that’s the beauty of this work/business that we’ve been able to create…but you’ll see more guest blog posts here, which is super exciting, prepare for some great ones! Postpartum is a terrific moment to just be willing to ask for help, and for some of us, that can be harder than others…but it’s always beautiful to see the response from our community (and create one intentionally, that will support you putting baby and momma needs first).

If you are on maternity leave and feeling that pressure that real life will come rushing at you all too quickly, I get it (been there)—definitely savor these weeks and fight off pressure to do anything except the stuff that matters for yourself and babe.


This book when I discovered it in my postpartum with Ambrose (it had just come out)–spoke directly to my wearied heart—moms in all cultures and times have been given a sacred space and time and had rituals surrounding postpartum rest–often with family members coming and living with them, daily massages with oils, not being allowed to entertain/host “guests” etc…but to simply rest…and this current culture of idolizing the “bounce back”–whatever that means–is perverse and not helpful for women or their babies, from what I’ve seen, especially with working with many women from a health coach perspective in their postpartum stages. Her perspective is unique and valuable, as a high-powered career focused woman in LA who expected popping out babies is just a blip in the radar, who yet as 2nd generation chinese American, had a tie to the past cultural norms and support that we now have no concept of, and it led her to start the company called Motherbees to precisely address this need she perfectly expresses in this book, and which resonates so much with me and those I share it with. 

You will want to grab this (it’s linked above through amazon) to send to any new moms in your life, just about to enter this stage, or even better, grab it and prep some of the meals for the new moms in your life–and bring them over with some of the awareness of what moms need from their “guests” that the book addresses–like the willingness to clean her sink or hold the babe while she naps, while you’re there.

Postpartum bars for energy and hormone balancing

These ingredients were languishing in my pantry so I mixed this up for complete hormone balancing via yummy snacking–if you’ve never heard of seed cycling, it’s a fascinating and natural approach to balancing hormones and cycles with various types of seeds, and this recipes uses all of those super-seeds.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil

2/3 cup almond or peanut butter

1/2 c maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup flax seeds

1 cup pepitas

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1 1/2 cup organic coconut flakes (unsweetened)

1/4 cup organic chia seeds

1/4 cup organic maca powder

Directions:

Melt coconut oil, almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla together in a medium saucepan on med-low heat, until fully combined.

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then pour in and mix in the saucepan ingredients in slowly, stirring well to fully combine, using a spatula, scoop it into a 9×13 pan with freezer paper or parchment paper lining it, and then pop it into the freezer for min of an hour. I love how they taste cold and right out of the freezer, so you can store them there for a month. Or you can also keep at room temp. They are super tasting and pack an amazing hormone balancing and energizing (maca powder) punch.

My goto for preventing PPD (along the topic of hormone balancing) is this fantastic GLA complex that I start taking in 3rd trimester daily, and it really seems to do o the trick for warding off PPD tendencies  in the first weeks following birth. There’s now so much more research and focus being put into natural methods that can help moms–this article shares some encouraging ideas, and I hope that these ideas of prepping and eating well, as well as all the holistic care for postpartum focused on of the art of nourishing in the new mother in the book mentioned above will give support to anyone who’s looking to navigate that season with support and good resources.

Here’s a peek into my postpartum freezer–some of my go-to soups, snacks and more.

Last week I got busy making some soups that I knew I’d want to have at the ready when baby is here. In the First Forty days book, she goes into detail on why it’s important to start with soups for momma, no matter what the season—slowed digestion after birth, and needing to replenish vital nutrients quickly and easily are some of the main reasons. I’m a soup fanatic anyway, and this winter baby/hibernation agrees with what I’m naturally craving, so it works out. I did 2 bone broth based soups, and 2 vegetarian ones. There’s a good reason why it’s great to focus on bone broth for replacing essential amino acids and healing/supporting the mother’s gut while nourishing her back to strength…a classic healing tool, but it will be best combined with other warming spices that increase her circulation, and vitality, even as she continues to release blood after birth. I didn’t include this Weston Price recipe for a postpartum soup in my freezer, but if you can stomach pigs feet, it’s a good concept 😉

Soups

*Split Pea Soup (made in my crock-pot from my new year’s ham bone, and a whole foods split pea soup mix–super easy, and I added onion and garlic)

*Chicken, Red dates and ginger soup (from the first 40 days cookbook)

*Curried chickpea and lentil daal (vegan)

*Celery/veggie stock vegetarian puree (recipe below)

*Stock some containers of homemade bone broth as well–I use organic rotisserie chickens, as this saves me a step. You can drink this straight, or have your support folks whip up easy soups for you.

Vegetarian postpartum healing stock/soup
*5 celery stocks, chopped
*5 carrots, chopped
*1 head cauliflower, cut, and roasted for 20 min at 425 with EVOO/salt/pepper
*9 cups water
*3-5 cups of spinach
*Garlic–1-2 cloves
*Salt, pepper

Cook celery, carrots and water together, simmering an hour until soft. Roast cauliflower (I prefer that flavor), and then dump into the pot as well. After 2 hours, toss in spinach to cook for the final stretch (15 min or so is fine), then let the soup cool. When cooled, pour it into vitamix in batches to blend into a puree. Then put into mason jars and freeze!

Other Freezer foods

Chicken pot pie—this is a cross-over of something I know I’ll crave in postpartum (I loved it after Emma), but will also feed the family in a pinch. Use any recipe (I don’t even follow one exactly at this point, it’s so 2nd nature to me–sorry!), I just recommend making your own broth, as that’s the key nourishing element, along with the veggies and chicken.

Quiche–with ham and brussel sprouts. Another super easy-to-freeze meal that’s hearty, will check off many of the boxes of what moms need postpartum (protein! veggies!) but also will satisfy other tastes in the house. Yum! Again, make whatever your go-to quiche recipe is, and be picky about the crust–either make your own or get an organic/whole wheat one if that matters to you.

Voila
Also, decaf & organic local coffee (see if you can avoid caffeine as a new mom, it can affect baby’s sleeping cycles, your own, as well as contribute to adrenal fatigue which I totally have had to face in postpartum, not fun)
And a GF waffle option which are super quick and easy and I LOVE them with almond butter…some shortcuts are valuable to protect mom’s postpartum focus.

The postpartum pantry

Yes, it’s true, the combination of new years energy/focus, plus nesting, and my love of #konmari after living a #sparkjoy lifestyle for 3 years, means every space in my house is absolutely de-cluttered and sparking joy–much to my husband’s teasing–though secretly he’s the same way and loves it (And I’ll have to be ok if that slips a bit in the months following babe, because the simplified life still serves us)

L-R, on bottom: dates, quinoa, sunflower seeds, trail mix, chia seeds, coconut flakes, rice, and behind: seeds, organic honey, coconut oil and molasses, nutritional yeast. The spices are all going to be found in the soups and are known for their ayurvedic warming properties–helpful for re-balancing the postpartum body.

Not too much to say here about my pantry staples, except, if you ask any new mom, the effort involved in cooking a simple meal can feel insurmountable at times…so having things prepared but also easy to reach for (rather than calling take-out, though that’s a great option occasionally too;))…will help not only me, but also my support team, to be able to easily whip things up.

Some of my favorite postpartum snacks etc that I’ll make with these ingredients are below, and the First Forty days cookbook has a killer ginger fried rice recipe (eggs, scallions, bacon, broth based) that I’m already dying for someone to make for me. You want to avoid going crazy with grains in the first few weeks (or if you’re grain free or GF like me), plan for alternatives while your digestion kicks back into gear…though never underestimate a nice beer for lactation needs, and alot of my recipes do include oats, which is a nice compromise for me. Nutritional yeast is awesome to have on hand to add to things (b vitamins!), as are the chia seeds (fiber and protein packed super seeds), and I make my favorite postpartum natural energy drink with them (energy tea, hydrate and chia seeds, so good!).

Postpartum healthy snacking

All these can be made ahead and stored in freezer for up to a month, or in your fridge for a week. So delicious and check off all the boxes of what your body needs in these early days, especially when establishing BF-ing habits, the oats and protein and healthy fats are key.

*Hormone balancing snack bars (recipe above)

*Energizing protein bites–pictured above–I ALWAYS have these stocked for myself, and my kids. Clean, delicious snacking #FTW.

*Date/oat/maca energy bars

*Banana/oat/choc/coconut cookies

Postpartum Nutritional tools—key to recovery, energy, rest and balancing hormones.

I couldn’t omit these from this post–the game-changing nutritional tools that I didn’t have after my first birth and postpartum experience. I felt SO depleted and low energy and not myself–for over a year. With these tools that I’ve used in the past 2 postpartums, I am always amazed and grateful at how much energy I have, how “easy” some of the recovery aspects are—in terms of muscle soreness, establishing rest, handling post-birth constipation/digestion issues, and reducing inflammation, setting up well for a great milk-supply and breastfeeding experience (the alfalfa is everything), and then, with the life shake, easily and gently losing the baby weight and feeling great. Of course, it’s the rest of life and the transitions that’s the challenging part, but for momma to feel her best is KEY, especially as baby’s thriving is so tied up with that in the first weeks and months.

So, here ya go.

Alfalfa: Not only does this prevent water retention/bloating for me in the 3rd trimester (say what!?) it also helps a ton with post-birth relief and reducing water retention in the early days following birth, when your body naturally begins to release it. ALSO, game changer for consistent, great milk supply. Without it, I always cycled between over supply and under-supply, and this seems to balance mine out wonderfully. If clogged ducts or any issues in that realm appear, lecithin helps miraculously.

Herblax: a gentle, very effective herbal laxative, so helpful for so many moms I know–hemorroids are common after birth and some of my friends say their’s were more painful than birth itself! Thanks to this, you can avoid all of that (and check out reflexology and pelvic postpartum care to further handle any issues in that area)

Vitalizer: the worlds best pre and post-natal supplement. Helps tremendously with replenishing iron stores post birth, probiotic is key for digestion, and the many Bs are super key for mommas who need their balanced energy with less sleep on the agenda. Also has iodine for thyroid support, and a weak/sluggish thyroid is typical for postpartum so it needs all the support we can give it.

Recover PM. So this is a tart cherry supplement used by athletes, and if birth isn’t an athletic event, I don’t know what it is. I LOVE this for my post-long run muscle recoveries, and as a natural form of melatonin, it helps with deeper sleeper cycles, so yes, a key one to have around.

GLA. This is the stuff I swear by for mood balancing and bringing the hormones back into balance. Start taking it a few per day in 3rd trimester, and you’ll notice a world of difference. I had one postpartum without it (my first) and while I didn’t have a strong case of PPD, just felt so much more moody, and with this my most recent postpartums have been a breeze in that regard. So grateful.

Cal-Mag is key for restful nights sleep and reducing feelings of anxiety/anxiousness. I’ll do epsom salt baths regularly in postpartum too, but supplementing with magnesium in the evenings (and needing calcium since I don’t do dairy) helps me get a great night sleep–and hopefully babe too:)

Pomegranate Energizing tea. If you can only get one of these amazing tools, this would be my suggestion–such a wonderful natural pick-me-up (without caffeine, just B vits and amino acids)–so many moms I’ve shared it with just swear by it for afternoon energy and a non-jittery option. Tastes amazing, pomegranate flav—with seltzer, or my fav combo, with chia seeds and the hydrate drink for a powerful nutrient punch.

Finally, Vivix. LOVE this stuff for postpartum–it’s reduces inflammation and helps with overall healing in all parts of the post-partum body–contains the anti-inflammatory benefits of a special type of grape that makes 1 serving more potent (anti-oxidant wise) than 50 glasses of red wine!! (Though you can enjoy a few of those too;))

Since I had hoped to have this freezer and pantry stocked before babe, and sharing this post is the icing on the cake, now I just can’t wait to make use of all these things to help the first few weeks flow smoothly. I hope this supports all the mommas out there–if you know someone who’s prepping for birth and would enjoy seeing these ideas, share away.

If you have recipes you swear by for post-partum, I’d love it if you could share links below in comments or email me!

xx

maddy

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Inside the birth bag–counting down to baby!

Now that Christmas and New Years are behind us, my focus has turned fully to baby prep–starting with this, and organizing the space in our room for babe, and I’ll hopefully share another post on my postpartum freezer & pantry–how I’m stocking up to be prepared for a nourished/streamlined postpartum (yep, super passionate about that topic, as you might imagine;)).

At this point, everything is, “if baby hasn’t come yet”…(insert, plans) and while that’s hard for someone like me, it’s exactly where my 
heart needs to be.

I’ve been lucky enough to deliver my 3 babies with 2 different midwife groups, in hospital settings. This baby will be delivered with the same group that delivered Ambrose, and in one of 12 “baby friendly” hospitals in the country, that emphasizes new research on the importance of mother and child being together uninterruptedly after birth. They have AMAZING rooms overlooking the beautiful Hudson river, where I’ll be recovering, and I’m so excited for that. This post is not meant to be about the pros and cons of birth setups–there is no RIGHT or WRONG way to have a baby, but this combination has worked well for us; we have loved the quiet wisdom and presence of the midwives at our births, as well as being able to feel confident that we’re in the best medical setting if any complications arise (and I’ve had both natural and medicated births, and both have been beautiful and powerful in their own ways).

These are a few of the things I’m bringing with me for baby and I, and while I did put this packing off until after Christmas, I knew that sharing a bit by post would help motivate me to pull it all together. My husband knows that when I pack the bag, I’m finally mentally ready, and he starts to gear up as well. But baby can take his sweet time, we’re in no rush, each day is a beautiful gift that we treasure with these 3, knowing that it will all shift and re-balance as it’s meant to, but the reality of a newborn is very real by now, the 4th time around. He is the first babe in this home/space and I feel really peaceful about how our rhythms and life are set up to make this work. Plus I’m calling in all the support for postpartum–finally learning my lesson; there’s no point in pushing myself and getting frazzled/exhausted by trying to do too much during that all important and beautiful healing time.

I’ll be curious to hear (share your thoughts in the comments)–if any of these tools are helpful, inspiring or new for you, if you’re in the stages of prepping for your own babes. I find that being able to focus in on these details helps me so much with the mental state for embracing and enjoying (if possible:)) the inevitable process of birth. It’s like anything we do with great intention, focus, and in this case, acceptance–we can gain great value, even if it’s difficult.

FOR BABE:

The beautiful thing is, babies don’t need alot at first–just their mommas! Which is why I always encourage folks to pamper and love and nurture the mommas right after baby–they need it most, and their thriving = baby’s thriving, in so many ways.

*2-3 Cute outfits, the sheep sleeper was picked out by Ambrose back in the fall at our favorite kids consignment shop. It’s fun for me to have a few brand new things for each baby to mark just how special it is (though I’m also thrilled I have 2 years worth of fun boy hand-me-downs from Ambrose for when we get home from the hospital).

*These booties from Target were calling to me, it’s likely going to be quite cold when we bring this guy home.

*This swaddle just arrived from Be a Heart, and I’m in love. It’s so perfect for those first hours and days when you want a light layer for them and tons of skin-to-skin time. Having this at the ready will help me keep the context for relating to mother Mary as much as I can during this time. Such a great gift to the new moms in your life, if you haven’t seen these yet.

*Diapers/wipes–I’m trying out these water wipes from my Noobie box, and babyganics which come highly recommended…no, I don’t cloth diaper and have zero guilt–my laundry room and my life don’t need that extra layer of complication right now. But I am all about using gentle and organic wipes and diaper options when possible.

*Cutest cuddly outfit for warm transport: this one kept Ambrose warm his first winter and I love it. Baby Gap all the way…don’t know if they carry the exact one anymore.

FOR ME:

*New nursing nightgown (I think it’s key to have something comfy, that makes you feel good, I’m excited to live in it for a few weeks;)–this one’s from Gap…

*Bathrobe from Anthro: this one was calling to me when I found it on sale a few months back–I can’t wait to live in it postpartum. Again, things that you love that make you feel beautiful and cozy are all-important for new moms.

*Cozy socks—I distinctly remember this being the best thing I brought with me after having Ambrose–it’s the little things that make you feel good that are all important in those first hours/days after birth, when nothing else feels normal

*Blanqi postpartum leggings–the best. These are what I’ll go home in, and wear as much as possible, along with their nursing tanks. Total game changers, just like their pregnancy wear.

Kindred bravely nursing bra—trying this out, it comes recommended.

OTHER TOOLS FOR ME:

I’m using hypnobirthing this time around, with recs from a friend, so I’ll have those meditations loaded on my phone, as well as the playlist my husband is making for me. I distinctly remember how much this helped me with Emma’s birth, when I was in transition in the busy triage room and had a wild/exciting birth from there—the music helped me tune it all out.

Essential oils: The ones I’m bringing with me are a clary sage blend for hormone balancing, and clary sage is known to support the birthing process. I truly love and believe in the power of oils setting the mood and working effectively for us. The Frankinscense is for baby after birth, known for it’s sacred quality. Incredible stuff. For my best oils hookup–my dear friend Sophia is a doula @ Wild and Wise Birth, and very experienced with oils for pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Here’s her email if you want access to these and tons more education and info in that regard!

Hydrate: Just like I would be prepped for a half-marathon or intense workout, I would never attempt childbirth without this stuff now that I have it in my life. It’s the natural electrolyte drink used by olympic athletes, and if birth isn’t an endurance sport/activity, I don’t know what is 🙂

Fun new bottle for my hydrate–my husband will keep it filled for me…and yes, surround yourself with things you love for this beautiful process, just like any other moment of life.

White Chocolate Cinnamon protein bars–yumm. These totally saved me at the end of Ambrose’ labor–a very long and grueling one, that left me with very little energy when it was time to push. I asked for this bar, gobbled it down, and was ready to do the final effort to bring him into the world. 20g of high quality protein, they are also a great recovery food and postpartum staple when baby and momma protein and energy needs are high–but ability to make meals is low.

Vitalizer. My fav pre-natal that I’ve been using for 6 years and don’t go a day without. More has been written about it here…and here/..:)

Badger lip balm–love it.

Earth Momma Herbal Perineal Spray. Goes without saying all the natural support for healing and comfort is welcomed.

Arnica oil is what my midwives use during delivery, and it’s powerful stuff–I felt it helped my birth and recovery tremendously with Ambrose…and we use it on the daily scrapes/injuries of kids–double duty 😉

Shea butter spa cream–I use it on my pregnant belly–prevents stretch marks, contains Vit E–and I have a feeling I’ll be so grateful to bathe in this (until I can take a real shower) to freshen and moisturize after birth.

I’d love to hear–what, if any of these, are you going to incorporate into your births if you’re reading this and in the business of babies (now or in future), and what did you bring and remember loving from your last birth experience?

Appreciate all the support, love and prayers for babe and I as we head into this all important preparation and the big moment.