The past 2 months with our baby #4 have honestly been some of the sweetest days of my life.
I keep repeating something to myself that I heard from one of my favorite writers Hannah Brencher:
Embrace the good moments, look for the serendipity!
Motherhood can easily spike comparison, but something that I’ve come to realize is that we all experience mountain and valley seasons. It’s a matter of choosing to persevere through the hard times and totally soak in the good times!
I really struggled postpartum with my third baby due to extreme sleep exhaustion and postpartum anxiety and depression. I am starting to see now how God used that season of struggle to strengthen me—struggles make you appreciate the good SO deeply.
I knew I wanted to do things differently this postpartum season. So I reverse engineered the plan—started with the desired outcome and then brought in the habits and tools to accomplish that.
I wanted to soak in the moments, wanted presence, wanted healing. I wanted to enjoy this postpartum season and it has been such a gift.
With each baby, I learn more, naturally that’s just how life goes. There are so many good things to do postpartum, but reality is you could never implement all of them. While my hands and heart may be fuller than full with 4 kids, the beauty is that you learn with each postpartum season and can implement new ideas and tools that will actually help.
Here’s a short list of what I’ve done differently this postpartum season to feel great, physically and mentally.
** Disclaimer: Sharing personal experience and thoughts, this is not medical advice. If you have any questions regarding your or your baby’s health, contact your healthcare provider.
01. Fully embracing rest the first 2 weeks.
Many people call this the 5-5-5 ‘rule’—5 days in bed, 5 days on bed (minimal movement), 5 days near bed (staying home or close to bed).
Every other postpartum time, I have been up and moving right away—pregnancy is so hard for me, I think that initial adrenaline rush postpartum gets me moving…but then I always crash hard after the first few weeks.
This time around, I told my husband, I want to stay in bed for a few days as much as possible…yes, even with 4 kids, we made it happen, loosely and not following any strict ‘rules’!
…and it made the BIGGEST difference.
For the first 2 weeks after birth, I enjoyed breakfast and coffee in bed, I didn’t go on walks, I released meals and groceries to my husband and parents, I let everything go…including my email inbox (which is truly NOT in my nature). I practiced stillness and rest.
Yes I am tired, but I am in awe of how those first few weeks of intentional rest has left me feeling SO good, both physically and mentally.
This season has been less about consuming vitamins and supplements and more about allowing my body to heal through rest. Because when you allow the body to rest, it has energy to do the healing as designed—that’s the science!
02. Belly Binding for core support.
Belly binding is quite common in traditional cultures around the world, especially Latin and African cultures.
Think of this like a hug for your core, tummy and back. At a time when you have no core strength, this lifts and supports.
I had a postpartum doula come and she brought the belly wrap, showed me how to do it the first time and gave the best abdominal massage. You want to start wrapping sometime in the first week postpartum—I did it right at a week and then wore it just about daily for a month.
I was amazed at how supported my back felt—I didn’t have those bad back aches with breastfeeding. It really helped my posture and made me feel strong.
The wrapping process is pretty easy but does take time, so that’s the biggest con is it takes about 20 minutes to wrap, but it’s well worth it!
After the first 5 weeks I switched to using this waist trainer which is very similar in providing support!
03. Taking CBD for physical and mental balance.
The one tool I desperately wish I could gift all moms postpartum because it has been such a difference maker in my life. I started taking Green Compass CBD a year postpartum with my 3rd and instantly felt a sense of calm, joy, energy and balance wash over me.
CBD balances the nervous system and endocanabinoid system which are the body’s “control centers”—when the nervous system is balanced, everything works smoother. CBD does not alter or suppress you like medication, but rather it brings out the best in you so that you can navigate through situations with more ease, both physically and mentally.
CBD brings the entire body (from your head to your toes) into balance, reduces inflammation, supports sleep and energy, balances hormones and helps navigate the waves of emotions.
This has helped me sleep deeper, be able to function after a rough’s night of sleep rather than collapse, keep calm and a bit more patient while navigating 4 small children and decrease inflammation to help the body heal.
AND honestly when you feel good you enjoy motherhood so much more!
*My personal routine:
- Daily Nano Jelly: your baseline of balance—slow acting, absorbs fully and lasts 24 hours due to this unique technology. I like raspberry flavor the best!
- Hemp Flower Extract(tincture): instant, in-the-moment support—I like to use a small amount to calm moments of anxiety or pain. Full Spectrum can also be great to help you sleep or power nap—it does not put you to sleep like melatonin, rather works with your body to give you what you need in the moment. If you give yourself the opportunity to nap, this can help give you deep sleep without any groggy feelings.
- Lemon Lime Collagen: great to help re-build muscles and connective tissue postpartum, helps with hair growth like crazy and has added electrolytes. Reach for this over caffeine in the afternoon!
*not medical advice.
04. Using feeding time to rest, not accomplish my to-do list.
With every other baby, I used feeding time to “get ahead”…tackling something on my to-do list or scrolling on my phone. This postpartum season, I have been intentionally putting aside the phone and picking up a hard copy book, reading, praying, snuggling my other kids, listening to a podcast, practicing stillness or even watching a classic movie (hey Audrey Hepburn and Meg Ryan).
This has shifted SO much for me—restoring me physically, calming me mentally and lessening anxious thoughts. I feel filled up even through the physical drain that breastfeeding brings.
I think it’s important to remember that when the body is tired or in a weakened state of energy—we naturally (not by our fault) look for dopamine hits to keep us afloat. Scrolling is a cheap and very short lived dopamine hit that only spikes anxiety and stress more.
Ways you can boost dopamine without scrolling on your phone:
- reading a book
- listening to music or a podcast (long form content is always more calming than 10 second clips)
- sunshine
- writing
- allowing your brain to get bored and daydream—this is where stillness comes in to play
- celebrating
- accomplishing a goal
05. Supporting my liver with fresh vegetable juice + fresh veggies.
When we left the hospital, my husband and I actually stopped to get fresh vegetable juice on the way home. The first few weeks postpartum, every time I drank a fresh vegetable juice my swelling and headaches would quickly go away. I saw first hand the power.
Fresh vegetable juice and vegetables are literally living medicine. This helps flush out excess hormones from pregnancy and any medications you may have been exposed to during birth.
While it’s not recommended to do heavy detox while pregnant or breastfeeding, or anytime the body is in a more limited state of energy (not getting a complete night of sleep or adrenal fatigue), we can absolutely support our body’s detox pathways with fresh foods. In fact, hormone balance directly depends on the liver!
My go to fresh vegetable juice is apple, beets (for liver support), celery (potassium for adrenals and kidney support), greens, lemon/lime, ginger (warming and digestive support) and mint.
I also love getting a few weeks of Sakara meals delivered postpartum as these are SO nutrient dense, packed with fresh vegetables and full of real foods and spices that support hormones, liver, digestion and energy.
06. Creating a postpartum snack drawer.
The postpartum snack drawer might just be my best idea yet! I keep a few nutrient dense snacks in the drawer next to my bed, so that when I need something or my blood sugar drops I have quick access to a snack without having to move or prep anything.
When your hands are full and you are tired, it’s easy to reach for a fluff snack to quickly pump you up, but that momentary sugar rush will only leave you more tired. Being prepared is key—plus let’s be real…chocolate while feeding your baby is the best treat!
In my snack drawer I keep:
- crackers, peanut butter filled pretzels
- Balanced Tiger functional mushroom bars (SO good)
- cashews + pistachios
- dark chocolate
- parmesan crisps
- jar of CBD jellies (so I don’t forget to take them)
07. Investing in good sheets + PJs.
There’s nothing better than a good shower and getting into PJs before dinner in my opinion.
Treating myself to some much needed new sheets and lounge wear at the end of pregnancy is the gift that keeps giving. I happen to have this baby the week of my birthday, so I asked for new sheets and PJs that we desperately needed too. I guess you know you are 30 when you get excited about sheets!
I adore these linen sheets—linen helps regulate body temperature and has naturally healing properties. Once you sleep on linen, I say you never go back.
I’m super picky about PJs because I sleep hot. This white scalloped set has been my fav—crisp, soft and plenty of room but so feminine.
My husband gifted me these organic cotton PJs and they make me feel so put together.
I’ve had 2 pairs of these washable silk PJs and they are ultimate luxury. Worth the investment.
These nursing tank tops are the best I have ever tried! Obsessed for sleep or day with a sweater and linen pants.
These lounge pants are great as temps are cooling off, so soft and cute with flats too for a quick pulled together look.
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