Hey there lovelies! My name is Jess and I'm the sweetheart of my amazing husband Sam and the mommy of our little mister, Forest Káel who is 5 months old. In my non-mommy moments I am an artist, scribbler of thoughts and designs. I have a passion for living and loving every moment it. My man is a cinematographer and musician which means our home is a creative buzz most of the time. Our little boy has opened up a whole new world of a crazy kinda of love into our hearts that has changed us for life. It's rather fabulous.
I'm super excited about these series of posts Dani has started up and was so tickled to be a part of the heart sharing.
Mommy Thought #1: Give Me Some Love
I remember right after I had my son, I was tired, I was worried about doing everything "right" and the way I had laid out in my mind while I was prego. At the moment I was stressing about something and my mom called me. I was ranting and raving about something that wasn't going exactly as I had thought it would, freaking out that I wasn't being the perfect hippie mom that I had planned on being. In her soothing voice she said, "Babe, the thing that your baby needs and wants most from you than anything right now is your love." For some reason that simple fact has helped me more than anything. In the middle of my meltdowns that happen to all moms at some point or another, I realized that I am always doing the most important thing right, loving my baby. Yeah, I might have to supplement with formula because my milk supply won't go up or I might use huggies diapers instead of cloth like I had planned. But, it's ok. He needs my love more than anything and that is a big smiley face sticker of awesomeness to put on my mommy chart of accomplishments.
Mommy Thought #2: Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk
There it was, that precious milk I had spent 45 min, pumping... a mere 4 oz...my son's next feeding...soaking into my brown carpet. I was in tears, heaving sobs because I didn't have any more milk to pump. The drama of the moment was serious then but humorous now. haha Oh dear Jess, it's going to be ok.
Boobs. Yes, all of us ladies have them. All shapes and all sizes. If you're a mom, going to become a mom or wanting to be a mom, you'll find that they become an increasingly common subject in your daily conversation. Oh lordy, then there's (shhh, I better whisper it) nipples. Did you know there are more than one type? Eeek! Yes, I said it. You'd be surprised but those little suckers, that before were just assets to your lovely figure can become the main source of sweet wonder, terrible heart ache or confusing stress. One friend said, It's amazing how easily you say the words boob and nipple once you've had a kid. You say it without even thinking. Sam and I would laugh at that fact because it was and is so true.
As curious as it is, breast feeding is amazing but I have to say one of the hardest things I've done. Some girls have a breeze of time with it, which is AWESOME and so encouraging. But, for others it can be rough. I had some funky info that it's not supposed to hurt at all when you first start. (All my mom friends tell me, and now I you...that if your boobs are the kind that hurt and/or are tender when you start feeding-stick it out for 2 or 3 weeks and it will be smooth sailing from then on out.) My boy had a perfect latch but because I had some weird boob issues it hurt like heck. I ended up pumping because I thought the pain would last forever and I needed a break. I started up again a few weeks later with the use of a nipple shield and it was fine and eventually felt pleasant. But, by that point my milk couldn't keep up with my boy's tummy needs. And, you're not a bad mommy if you need to supplement with formula, that's good for him/her too. I ended up using Earth's Best Organic Formula to supplement so I could enjoy my baby because I was dreading him waking up because I didn't have enough milk to give him. That was a biggie for me to get over. There are SO many pressures and expectations that are placed on mom's and ones we put on ourselves, bringing so much guilt when those expectations aren't met. No guilt momma. Do what you think is best and be confident because you're amazing.
Mommy Thought #3: Fave product
My last suggestion and thought for the day is going to be a simple treasure that I will get for everyone of my new mommy friends forever and a day. Aden and Anais swaddling blankets. I'm CRAZY about them! They are large, light, and gauzy making them great for SO many uses.Car seat covers, burp cloths, play blanket, pretend fort and swaddle. One of my girlfriends even knotted one of them up and used it for a temporary sling out by the pool. Ours have ended up being our sons favorite thing to play with. He loves the patterns on them and the fact that they are light weight makes it easy and fun for him to pull over his head and play. You can get them at Target and most baby supply stores. They are definitely a MUST and fav on my baby list.
Enjoy your mommy-ness ladies. It can be hard, but your baby is the most freaking awesome and beautiful thing you will ever experience.
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Hello, Sometimes Sweet readers! My name is Katie and I run a little blog and shop called Skunkboy Creatures. When I'm not spending my time sewing up critters, I'm busy playing with my 8 year old daughter Hope, or feeding and cuddling my newborn daughter Poesy. My husband's name is Johnny and he is the best daddy and the biggest help ever! We started homeschooling Hope this year, and between having a newborn around, working for myself, and doing school with her everyday, I wouldn't make it without him.
1. Set boundaries. More than anything else, I'm constantly being complimented on how well-behaved Hope is. We don't live in a particularly strict household, but we do have a few firm rules that have seemed to help Hope develop into a great listener and respectful little girl. Hopefully Poesy will follow in her big sister's footsteps!
2. As your child grows, help feed their individuality. As your child shows interest in a particular area, allow them to explore it! If your little one likes books, make sure to take a library trip once a week. If your kiddo loves doing art, having ample supplies around the house is important. Hope has always liked pretty dresses, so we started letting her pick her own clothes at the ripe age of 3. No matter how crazy the outfit was, we let her wear it! Now she's quite the stylish and eclectic little gal.
3. Take care of yourself. When we had our first sweet baby, Johnny and I NEVER left her. Heck, we hardly ever left the house. I went through some pretty major postpartum depression, and I attribute a lot of it to never taking a break or treating myself. I felt guilty when I would think about doing something without my child, almost like I was being a bad mother. We've taken a different approach with our newest addition, and now make time for "us". Weekly dates are a must for us, even if it's just driving the car out to a pretty place or sitting at a Starbucks and chatting. Poesy is 4 weeks old now, and beyond the first couple of weeks of crazy hormones, there really hasn't been any sadness. It's GOOD to love and take care of yourself, too!
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