So much has happened in the past three months that I thought what better than to post a life update. I’m going to try and break it into little pieces of life and update you on each.
Nursing/Pumping:
I am most excited to share this because it has been so successful thus far! Holly has an excellent latch since day one. Which I am forever grateful for. With all of my back issues after delivery, it would have been impossible for me to get up to pump, clean pump parts, and warm up bottles. So, it is truly such a blessing that Holly and my body cooperated. Cece was also great at breastfeeding but with her, I always struggled to pump.
This time around pumping has been so much more successful. I attribute this to 1. A new Spectra pump 2. I took the pressure off. With Cece I used a Medela pump, honestly, it was the only pump I’d heard of, everyone I knew used that one and it had all the attachments for pumping on the go. But, for some reason, it just never seemed to empty my breast. So, this time around I did some research and decided on a Spectra pump. It has been a game-changer. I am pumping on average 4-5 oz a time. Just to clarify, with Cece I pumped 5 oz ONE TIME.. you read that right ONCE (and it was because she had skipped the morning feed).
Every other time I would get a lousy 2-3 oz until about the seven-month mark when my supply depleted. The Spectra pump seems to be better at emptying my breast and it is a “closed system” which means cleaner. There are fewer opportunities for bacteria to enter the milk, which is a huge perk. So, I definitely recommend doing your research about different breast pumps before deciding on one.
Secondly, I took off the pressure. With Cece, I used an app and tracked EVERY pump session and EVERY nursing session. What was I even thinking!? I was totally neurotic. This time around I nurse on demand and don’t document it, I pump when needed and don’t document it and guess what!? It is so much easier and less stressful. As moms, we tend to put this pressure on ourselves to be able to do it all. But, what I’ve learned now more than ever is we cannot control what our bodies can or cannot do. The best thing we can do is nourish the body. If you can breastfeed for the first year that’s amazing and if you give a bottle from day one that is also amazing. We are all just doing the best we can and that is what counts.
Life with Three:
We are three months into life with three kiddos and we are finally starting to figure out a routine. The first two months were a total shit show. I could hardly walk let alone get into a routine. But, now that I’m back up and running walking. Life is sweet. I truly see things in a different light. I am beyond grateful to take care of my family and things that used to seem tedious, I now take pleasure in. I still don’t enjoy dishes but honestly, guys I am thankful that my body allows me to do dishes. My back issues were so eye-opening and life-changing. It is still so fresh but, I hope I never forget about those months and always cling to this gratitude. My husband has been super dad throughout all of it. He goes into work a little bit later to help in the mornings and it has been so nice. Cece is the best big sister and absolutely dotes on Holly. She has such a strong maternal instinct already and we always say she was meant to be the middle child. Vinny has really come into the role of big brother. He is a helper when he needs to be and can entertain himself when he needs to. I try and give him all the extra snuggles and attention I can because I know how important it is to him. I’m planning a surprise trip to LEGOLAND for just him and me next month. I really try and carve out one-on-one time with my kiddos as best I can. Holly is just a dream baby. She is so relaxed and loves it in my arms. She is sleeping in her crib now. Her sleep is still not predictable but when she does wake she will nurse and go back down so it’s super manageable. To say it’s not chaotic would be a lie but, it’s so blissful. I truly feel like my family is complete and my life is exactly where it is meant to be.
Blog:
If you’ve been following along for awhile you probably noticed I took a bit of a break while pregnant with Holly. But, I am back!! I’ve been putting a lot of time and energy to bring you guys content regularly. The blog can be a bit more work but I try and stay active and engaged on Instagram. This year my goal is to network more locally and it has been great so far. Recently, I worked with a new local clothing boutique, local photographer and I have an upcoming “influencer” mixer in May. I’m so excited and honored to link arms with these women. You may also know that I am a Beautycounter consultant. So many people are turned off by MLM companies but it is a brand I love and a mission I feel passionately about. I have continued selling the product. To be completely transparent it has not been the most successful for me but, I am really trying to stick with it and give these next six months a shot. If I can continue to hit the numbers needed I will stick with it and if not I will just be a Beautycounter consumer ha! You may also see the “shop the look” posts that I share with LikeToKnowIt. How this works is when you like/want something I share you can either
- Shop it with the app by screenshotting my image and the products will be emailed to you.
- Come to my blog and click “shop my Instagram”
- Search me in the LikeToKnowIt app and click the image to shop.
When you shop through my links, I will earn a small commission based on the sale, at no cost to you. It’s basically like a referral. The money is such a nice perk to blogging but it has never been the goal. I take more joy in sharing what I love and seeing you love it too than earning from it. But, I do so appreciate when you use my links to shop. Blogging is not free so the commission is also great to help with the costs of running a site.
If you’ve taken the time to read through this thanks so much!! I appreciate every one of you and I can’t tell you the amount of happiness this blogging community brings me.
Forever grateful for all of you.
