Thinking that this is weird. That in our current world full of accessible smartphones and advanced technology, we are constantly recording our everyday lives. And that that is a little weird.

I say this fully aware that I am one of those people capturing photos and videos almost daily. I love to capture special moments, hard moments and all the in-between of my adventures, children, and every day life. I have always been like this; purchasing disposable film cameras since I was 13 years old to take photos of me and my friends, then taking photos at every university party with my digital camera to post on Facebook, and then taking photos with my iPhone to post on Instagram as I explored yoga for the first time in my early 20’s. I experience something exciting or see something beautiful and I instantly think, “I need to record this.” It’s a knee jerk reaction. Completely subconscious. And that’s weird.

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Recently a sentimental item was broken in our home while cleaning. A handmade Ukrainian egg my mother had passed down to me many years ago. It smashed into many little pieces and was unrepairable.

But earlier that morning (around 4:30am, MUCH earlier that morning), Odessa was at the Alberta Children’s Hospital being treated for severe distress due to Croup and a high risk ear infection. They were worried about an inflamed trachea making it very hard for her breath and her ear drum rupturing.

I have never seen Odessa in so much pain.

She was inconsolable.

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A Poem inspired by my daughters, Langley and Odessa.

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Does your toddler love their soother? Ours wouldn’t go anywhere new without hers. She wouldn’t sleep without hers. She couldn’t get through a tantrum without hers. It was her only comfort item which made is SO HARD to take away. We felt terrible taking that comfort from her. But Langley’s soother obsession was effecting the alignment of her teeth, so we knew it had to go. Many kids do not have teeth issues with soothers, but if they do, paediatric dentists recommend removing the soother before 3 years old so that their teeth have the opportunity to self correct with their growing bodies. So about two months ago we finally bit the bullet and got rid of Langley’s soother (or soothers I should say, she had about 8 of them)! Our daughter was 2.5 years old and we felt like she was ready. I had a few people ask me to share how it went/what method we tried, so here is what worked for us!

WHEN is the best time?

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Today I taught my third Mom & Baby Yoga class in person and it was so much fun! Probably one of my favourite classes I’ve ever taught. And then the class finished, and I realized I forgot to press record on the virtual class. Major mom brain moment!! I offer all my registered students a recording of each class so if they are having a rough day, they can take class another day. But forgetting to record did give me the opportunity to re-teach the class at home with my little cutie and share the class on Youtube with everyone! So here I am making my mistake something positive, sharing the gift of yoga with all the mamas of the world. Enjoy!

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:

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