When I first became a Mom, and even after my second birth, there were many bodily experiences I did not expect that had me 3:00am Googling whether I was normal or not. These extra worries adding to my “new mom anxiety” kept me up at night when I needed every minute of sleep I could get. So I wrote down some of my weird yet supposedly common postpartum body changes to help soon-to-be-mamas and new mamas know that they are not the only one!
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A friend recently reached out to ask what I did to assist my healing after vaginal birth. This conversation got me thinking about how our health care system in Canada gives fantastic information on how to care for our babies but often neglects the care for the mother. We are prepared for the birth itself, but what happens afterwards?? It is disappointing that so many new moms are left to figure out how to take care of themselves during such a vulnerable time. We are already dealing with a huge change in our hormones, sleep deprivation, caring for a newborn baby 24/7, and on top of all that our body is fatigued and in pain from birth. I wanted to share some tools that helped me heal from my two vaginal birth experiences so that others don’t feel as lost as I did at first.
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The time leading up to my first birth was full of fear of the unknown.
The second time, the time leading up to birth was full of nervousness because I knew the pain to expect. But it was also full of excitement because I knew that I could do it and that was the most empowering feeling.
Each of my two births were completely different from one another, yet both were the best moments of my life. Never have I felt so proud of my body, never have I felt so empowered as a woman, and never have I felt so in love with another human being.
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If you’ve ever given birth vaginally, you know how amazing padsicles are. The nurses gave them to me at the hospital and I asked for a new one every chance I could! Then I tried making some at home…well they just weren’t that good. I completely soaked maxi pads in water and froze them in a ziploc bag, not realizing that 1) you shouldn’t soak them because if there’s too much water they are hard and uncomfortable (the opposite of what you want), 2) if you use more than water they’re way better for healing, and 3) that if you don’t lay them flat to freeze before putting them in a ziplock they will warp in shape and again are uncomfortable. So now that I am on baby #2, I have learned a few things from other mamas and my own experiences and want to share. Here is the best padsicle recipe I have found so you are better prepared then I was for round one!
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I can’t believe we’re 38 weeks pregnant! And that I saved packing my hospital bag until now! For my first birth I was over-prepared for everything, including packing my hospital bag 6 weeks before my first born was due. Instead of 2 weeks before this baby is due! And my first was born one week early, so I highly recommend packing your bag a little earlier. 🙂 I decided to post this list because last time I also packed waaayyyy too many things that I did not need. For example, I thought I would enjoy playing cards and board games with my husband between contractions. I definitely did not open a single board game at the hospital hahaha So learn from my mistakes and enjoy the list below:
Continue readingI am so grateful for all the mamas that registered to yoga with their beautiful baby bellies in my virtual prenatal yoga series. It was such a lovely group and I truly looked forward to sharing space together every Sunday for 4 weeks. I recorded one of the four classes to share on Youtube as I strongly believe in yoga accessibility for everyone, so I hope this class helps bring a little joy to a pregnant mama. Please feel free to share the class, it is meant for all yoga levels and is safe for pregnancy in any trimester. I am 31 weeks pregnant myself while teaching this class. 🙂
Yoga has been a massive part of my life for the past decade. It has healed my physical body, guided my decisions beyond the mat, calmed my mind, introduced me to true self-love, and now, yoga is deepening my connection to my growing baby and helping me prepare for birth. I am so grateful to have this practice and that technology has gifted us the ability to yoga together online during these unusual times. The best part of online yoga is that we can share this practice not just locally, but all around the country/world! So join me from the comfort of your own home as I guide a 4 week prenatal yoga series live on zoom every Sunday, January 10, 17, 24, 31, 1:00-2:00pm MST.
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If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed a few weeks ago that I changed my Instagram handle. After 7 years of being @NictheHappyYogi, I edited my name to @NictheHappyMama. I did this to be more honest, vulnerable and open to who I am now. The person who created NictheHappyYogi 7 years ago was very different from the person I am now, and I did not feel I could be true to myself anymore with this name.
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Dear Mama,
One year ago your baby was born, and one year ago you were reborn as a mother.
You read all the books, researched all the best products, painted the nursery, and attended all the birthing classes. You were prepared. Yet you still knew so little.
You knew you wanted a child, but you did not know how much you NEEDED this child.
You knew planning for an unmedicated birth would be painful and scary, but you did not know how much the experience would empower you.
Ready to yoga together online some more? I know crazy schedules sometimes do not allow for everyone to be available for Live-Streamed classes. So I’ve uploaded a couple more classes to YouTube for you to do anytime, anywhere!
Here are my two new classes available:
PS. I would love if you Subscribed to my YouTube Channel! Not only does it support my videos, you will also get notifications every time I add something new. 🙂 Happy yoga-ing friends!
