Any mom will tell you how going through pregnancy and the birth process changed them. Read more about How Having a Natural Birth Prepared Me For Starting My Own Business.
Natural Birth & Starting a Business…
Those two aren’t often seen as going hand in hand… right?
But when I had my first baby… something changed inside me
Going through that process taught me some lessons that prepared me for when I started working from home a few years later.
Have you ever thought about having a natural birth… but you were a little intimidated or weren’t really sure how to prepare? You may be asking yourself “is a homebirth is right for me?” Today, I’m sharing some of the Benefits of a Natural Birth and why I chose to have a home birth.
Is a Home Birth Right for Me?
When people learn that I have had both of my babies without medication (and am currently planning my third home birth), I usually get a few different reactions… “Wow! That must of hurt!”“I could never do that!” “How did you do that?” The thing is… I’m really not that special… I’m not some super woman with an insane amount of pain tolerance. I am just a mom looking for another way to experience childbirth. If you are thinking about having a more natural experience… or maybe even a home birth! but you have questions and just want a mom’s perspective…This premium E-book is for you!
This is an easy recipe for Low Carb Cinnamon Tortilla Chips with Cinnamon Pecan Cream Cheese Dip using simple ingredients.
Tell me if this sounds familiar…
You find yourself REALLY wanting a sweet snack but knowing that you REALLY don’t need all the sugar?
That’s like my whole life right now! Managing my tendency toward gestational diabetes means that I really can’t deal with sugar or carbs so I’ve been experimenting!
Cut tortillas into 6 triangles each and dip each side into stevia/Cinnamon blend.
Bake at 350 degrees on baking tray covered in parchment paper for 10 minutes.
Beat together cream cheese, stevia, and cinnamon until smooth.
Fold in pecans.
Note: The stevia blend I use is a cup for cup substitute for sugar (this one is a good choice if you want to try it!). You can use any sweetener you like, just sweeten to taste.
This is probably the most common question you get as an expectant mother, right up there with “are you still throwing up?” (which thankfully I have found a few ways to help manage it!)
Typically, you can’t find out your baby’s gender before about 16 weeks without resorting to very expensive genetic testing (typically used for high risk pregnancies and usually costing well over $1,000).
Plus, many doctors make you wait until the 20 week anatomy scan.read more
We all know how important protein is for building muscles, staying full, boosting our metabolism. However, many of us struggle to eat enough protein each day because we don’t love eating a ton of meat. I’m sharing my tips of How to eat enough protein without eating a lot of meat.
I was never a huge meat eater… and it wasn’t really on purpose. I just tended to eat more carbs (even healthy ones) but I realized how important protein really was for my health and weight loss goals.read more
If there is one thing I don’t have time for it is being SICK. A mom spends her whole day taking care of everyone else, so when she is sick… everything falls apart. What if you could boost your immunity? Here are 4 different ways you can boost your immune system naturally.
The Cost of Being Sick
If you could prevent yourself from getting sick, would it be worth it?
How expensive are missed days at work or school?
How expensive are the medications and/or doctor’s visits?
How expensive is the loss of time and energy that could be used doing something you want to do?read more
It is a special time for a new mom following the birth of a child.
So many emotions are going through a new mom’s head: I’m not pregnant any more! This is the cutest baby I’ve ever seen! Will I get my waist back? I’m already exhausted! Will I ever sleep through the night again? Are they breathing? Am I doing this right? They are so tiny! Oww I need a Tylenol… And this is just in the first 5 minutes!
Everyone wants to help a new mom out, but sometimes we forget what they need the most. Moms need to relax and recover for at least 2 weeks following birth. Having a baby is no easy task for a mom’s body to go through. If they push themselves too soon, they could hemorrhage or develop mastitis.
This is the perfect time to offer to help them out and let them do what only they can do: Take care of the baby.
Here is my list of ways that my family and friends helped me the most following my births:
1) Keep the older kids entertained.
Aidalyn was 2.5 years old when Annaleigh was born. Luckily, Aidalyn did well with the extra TV time that she had while we were all recovering from Annaleigh’s birth. My mom was such a huge help to us before Annaleigh was born and right after. She stayed with us for about 5 weeks total, helping me with Aidalyn and the house. Not having to worry about Aidalyn helped me give my full attention to recovering and taking care of Annaleigh.
2) Cook meals for the family
Following both of my births, my church family really helped me out by cooking meals for 2 weeks. Having a hot meal coming each night was so amazing. I didn’t have to worry about what we were going to eat and it helped us all recover by being able to relax at dinner time. We used Sign up Genius to schedule meals and it made the process so easy.
3) Do laundry
Births and babies generate a lot of laundry. Adam’s mom and my mom both helped me with laundry following the births of my girls. It is not glamorous by any means, but it is such a HUGE deal to a new mom to not have to worry about.
4) Clean the kitchen and put dishes away.
Just like the laundry, this is not a fun job to do… but some things just have to get done and we don’t want our new mom to feel like it is her job. Ask her what would make the biggest help to her (maybe it is unloading the dishwasher or wiping down the counter tops). Everyone has that one thing that bugs them, see if you can scratch that off her “to-do” list.
5) Let Mom get a shower
Getting a shower and feeling normal again is so important to a new mom. She will be pouring all of herself into this new little baby and forget she needs to care for herself too. Newborns will want to be held all the time, so showers and baths become a luxury.
6) Text her to see if she needs anything from diaper cream to coffee.
New moms don’t always know what they need until after the baby arrives (or they run out of something faster than expected!) Don’t call, just in case she is sleeping or dealing with the baby. A text allows her to get to your message at her convenience. She can reply and let you know if she needs anything from the store.
7) Let her know you are there if she needs to talk or ask advice. read more
You hear it all the time when you are pregnant “the weight will just melt off when your breastfeed.” However, for some of us, this is just not the case. We are the ones who are not losing weight while breastfeeding.
You may think that you are doing something wrong since your doctor, your friends, magazines, books all tell you that the weight should be going away if you are breastfeeding. There are some real reasons why some of us just don’t “melt” away.
Are you ready to dive into the wonderful world of baby milestones? In this post, you will learn the top baby sign language signs to teach your baby that they can use before they are able to speak in words. As parents, there’s nothing quite as thrilling as watching our little ones hit those developmental milestones, right? From those first adorable smiles to those wobbly first steps, every moment is a milestone worth celebrating!
Today, I’m thrilled to share with you the ultimate guide: the top 10 signs to teach your baby. Whether you’re a seasoned sign language pro or just dipping your toes into the baby sign world, get ready to learn some fantastic ways to communicate with your bundle of joy. Let’s embark on this exciting journey together—because every sign is a step closer to understanding and connecting with our precious little ones!read more