32 Weeks IN VS 32 Weeks OUT

32 weeks IN vs 32 weeks OUT

I thought I’d only need to double down on self-care during my 4th trimester as I was healing from Wilders birth. I couldn’t have been more wrong

The entire first year is way more realistic.

As someone who prioritizes my health and is super consistent with daily self-care through nutrition, exercise, sleep, meditation, etc, the last 7 months have been a roller coaster.

Roller Coaster Ride

One day I sleep well enough to get to the gym and power through a lifting session. The next, I decided to swap my self-care time for extra sleep because I seriously can’t function off only a few hours.

As Wilder has grown and developed his sleeping patterns continue to change and shift. Since I’m breastfeeding him and he’s still nursing a few times a night, my sleep is interrupted constantly. This means some days I’m a walking zombie and take naps with him to catch up on my zzz’s.

I quit drinking coffee, green tea and anything that has caffeine, to support my nervous system during this process. I learned the hard way that caffeine and sleep deprivation are not a good combo!

Self-Care

I recently hired a chiropractor and massage therapist to make house calls to work on me every two weeks. My SI joint continues to slip out of alignment and it causes pain from my low back down through my left leg.

I thought my only recovery would be from birth, but I’m learning that picking up and carrying a squirmy infant all day long also wreaks havoc on your body. Especially once they hit 20+ lbs.

And these are just the physical changes and adjustments I’ve had to make. The mental and emotional shifts are massive as well. That’s for another post.

My point in sharing my journey is to normalize the postpartum experience and empower women everywhere to continue to take the best care of their bodies far beyond what is talked about in the books.

Birthing a human and becoming a mother is the most massive rite of passage a woman can go through. It demands and requires us to slow WAY down and reprioritize everything, including how we honour our bodies.

Did motherhood change how you care for your body? I’d love to hear from you mamas out there!

Much Love,