Tongue Ties, Lip Ties, Oh My. (Sponsored by Motherlove)

It will be great, they said.

Breastfeeding is easy, they said.

Breastfeeding my second child, Jedi, started off like most. My poor nipples suffered agonizing pain, feeling as if they were going to walk off into the sunset, bags in hand, in search of a better life. I was determined to nurse Jedi longer than the five days that I had nursed our eldest kiddo, Jax. Back then, I had little to no support in the breastfeeding department. This time around, I hoped for a different outcome and received support in the form of a local mama group. We were a gang of mamas, all seeking answers, comfort, and relief from Nipplegeddon (Armageddon, but for nipples.) Eventually, Jedi and I found our stride and went on to nurse until 2 years 7 months and 4 days, or until I became pregnant with Jupiter. By this time, I was nursed out, touched out, and completely over it. I was a breastfeeding champ. We did it. We did well. It was time for a new chapter.

Me and baby Jupiter’s early breastfeeding journey were wrought with tears, sleep deprivation and triple feedings. Prior to Jupiter’s birth, I was prepared for a long labor. After all, my previous births had proven to be long and arduous. (Jax 18 hours with Pitocin and Jedi 43 hours unmedicated.) Surprisingly, Jupiter’s birth was swift, lasting only 3 hours from start to finish. I remember he and I nestling up together, basking in all of our after birth glory. I latched Jupiter to my breast. My doula, Nicole, supported his head as we began our beautiful nursing initiation. All was well. All seemed well.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Coursey Photos and Film (@rebeccacoursey_photosandfilm)

Two weeks later, Jupiter had yet to gain back his birth weight. I began to panic. Whenever and wherever I could weigh him, I would. My midwife, Racha, would be on the phone with me, talking me through the devastating pediatrician weigh-ins. Jupiter’s birth weight was 6 lbs. 12 oz. He was now 6lbs 7oz Our lactation consultant, Kimberly Durdin visited our home. It was made apparent that Jupiter had both a tongue and lip tie. My midwife secured donor milk so that we could bottle feed while we sorted everything out. In the meantime, our LC recommended triple feedings. What is triple feeding? It’s hell. It is sleep deprivation hell. Every two hours, I would breastfeed, bottle feed with the donor milk, and then pump. I would repeat this holy trinity every two hours hoping to boost my milk supply and to simply feed my child.

The days of triple feeding were intense. Let’s face it, doing anything in triplets is intense. Setting up my pump and having a bottle of breast milk ready at my bedside was a part of my bedtime routine. The nights turned into mornings. I began to lose track of time. Forming sentences and engaging in any form of conversation became quite the task. This is not how I imagined our breastfeeding journey. I had successfully nursed a baby before. In the words of the great Beyonce, I wasn’t new to this.

Being a birth worker, I was aware of a frenectomy (tongue/lip tie revision) as an option. With slight reluctancy, we decided to proceed with Jupiter’s tongue tie revision. I was sleep deprived and on the verge of giving up. My husband traveled quite a lot, so triple feeding (especially in the middle of the night without support) just wasn’t conducive or practical while raising two other children. After the tongue/ lip tie revision, I stopped triple feeding and simply nursed through the night, putting Jupiter to my breast in the side-lying position. During this time, I was introduced to Motherlove via my postpartum doula. I began taking their More Milk Tincture along with Moringa capsules. Between their supplements/tinctures and nursing on demand, Jupiter and I were able to find our breastfeeding rhythm.

“More than a generation ago, a young mother and herbalist founded MotherLove to empower women with the wisdom and healing strength of nature.” - Motherlove

Motherlove has proven to be an amazing support, enabling me to find all of my nursing essentials. My favorite being, More Milk Plus, is available in a traditional liquid Organic herbal extract and as a capsule. I love Motherlove because they are GMO-free, organic, and are tested for contaminants and heavy metals! As a breastfeeding mother, these are all things that make me feel safe using this amazing product. Along with their More Milk Plus and More Milk Special Blend, Motherlove also carries herbal supplements such as Shatavari and Malunggay (Moringa) along with nipple balms and diaper ointments.

“Known as the “miracle tree,” malunggay is widely recognized for its nutritional benefits and has been used for generations by breastfeeding women to support breast milk supply.” - Motherlove.

“Shatavari is an Ayurvedic herb native to the Himalayas that contains phytoestrogens that help balance the female hormonal system.” -Motherlove

The beginning of our breastfeeding journey was tiring AF. However, we made it and we are thriving. The takeaway? Gather support. Gather all the resources needed. Visit your local mama support group. Trust me, there is safety in numbers. It truly takes a village. Check out your local Le Leche League. Hire a lactation consultant. Can't afford an LC? Visit your cities local WIC office, where you will find trained CLEC’s (Certified Lactation Educator Counselors) available to support. Most importantly, try not to navigate breastfeeding struggles alone. Breastfeeding is not a one size fits all. Every nursing adventure is unique, presenting itself with its own set of triumphs and challenges. Nevertheless, the adventure is ours. Keep milking, mama. You’ve Got this!

A Lesson During Morning Meditation

Lately, my mind has been centering around peace... resolve... balance. This morning, as I began my morning meditation, my little one, Jedi, crawled into bed alongside me. Now, I think that it's imperative that I include that in the morning (and in life), Jedi completely lacks a sense of personal space. Especially when it comes to me, mommy. Oftentimes, when we wake up, he will find me and either place his little hands on my face and sweetly whisper super close to my nose, eyeball, chin or some oddly placed region of my face (where most seldom choose to whisper.) Sometimes he will find me and pull my shirt over his head. I'm guessing that he's reminiscing about our morning nursing sessions. (Sidenote: He officially weaned two months ago.). Of course, by now, it's becoming a bit more difficult for him to pull my shirt over his head, as my belly is beginning to take up the majority of the space. Jedi takes space. His joy fills our room in the morning. Truthfully, I wouldn't have it any other way. This morning was no different. 

This morning, as I was meditating, Jedi crawled into bed and began his morning Jedi mind tricks. Truthfully, it was a bit difficult to stay focused on my breath and centered with a toddler pulling my face, jumping on the bed, and basically being a toddler. In that moment, distraction in the form of my little one was front and center. However, at the moment, I realized that while I couldn't change the distraction/ the environment (and why would I?) I could change my viewpoint. I could change my focus. I could stay with my breath, paying attention to how freely my chest would rise and fall on each inhale and exhale. I could pay attention to the air flowing in and out of each nostril. Within that moment, my child was safe. He was in our bed. Our children are healthy and full of life. This is a gift.

The beautiful lesson at that moment was not lost. In the midst of the distraction, I didn't lose focus on my breath. There will always be a demand on your time, your energy, your self. There will always be distractions, even beautiful ones. However, continue to breathe, to capture peace, to embrace all of the joy. Pour into yourself, so that you can contunue to pour into those that matter most. Take space and then return. How are you breathing today? 

Get Ready With Me... and Glossier

As a child, I remember waking up to the smell of bacon and coffee. I remember the smell of my mother's perfume... how it would linger around her vanity mirror in the morning. I remember the hustle and bustle... the grand parade of marching the children out of the house and on to school. Needless to say, the morning routine was real, with real memories of good. 

Truthfully, my family's morning routine looks quite different than the one I remember. For starters, our family's diet is plant based. Jon and I both work creative jobs, so therefore our mornings may differ from day to day. If there is school, the morning may start earlier (around 6am to be exact). If school is out, liberties are taken... the opportunity to breathe a bit and take in the morning's glory becomes the top priority. 

I usually start the day by shimmying into the kitchen to pour a fresh glass of water with a squeeze of lemon to flush out toxins and jumpstart my morning. A shower normally is soon to follow. Because I don't drink coffee, my morning shower stands in as a loyal substitute. (Side Note: I first start off with a warm shower, and then gradually shift to cold. Cold showers help improve circulation and immunity, combats stress, and increases mental alertness.) 

After my shower, I moisturize with coconut oil as well as some of my favorite essential oils (patchouli, lavender, bergamot). I personally, I love using essential oils as my scent, as they are known to do more good than harm. Unlike most commercial perfumes, you can be sure that essential oils do not contain synthetic ingredients that can also act as hormone disruptors. Therapeutic grade essential oils are just that... therapeutic. They can uplift mood, ease anxiety, and cure common cold symptoms.

As far as makeup goes... I use my ultimate fave Glossier. I love their mission of creating products that truly focus on skin health.

"It all began back in 2010 on IntoTheGloss.com, our super successful beauty blog with a loyal, influential readership—and editors with a sixth-sense for what’s relevant (and what works)."- Glossier

Their Skin Tint is the best everyday foundation around. It goes on smooth and feels light. It goes on smooth and feels light... as if I'm going sans makeup, hence allowing my skin to simply glow.  It becomes apparent that when wearing Glossier, people notice my skin... not my makeup. My other favorite product by Glossier is their Boy Brow. I wear this even when going sans makeup. Boy Brow is like the cherry on top, giving my brows a very full and youthful look. If I don't have time to do anything else, I will simply swipe on Boy Brow, coconut oil, and some balm.com on my lips, and I'm out the door. Trust me, as a mom of two, doula, and creative, I don't have time to sit and contour my face. I want my makeup to celebrate my skin, not hide it. 

Lastly, I believe that personal style resides deep within. I don't believe that we should have to sacrifice comfort for whats considered "cool". (Cool is overrated anyways.)  Give me something free flowing from my closet, a hat, and out the door I go. A lot like our choice of clothing, our morning routine says a lot about who we are... whats necessary... whats important. Our routines may all look different. They may differ from day to day. Its all good. Do you, mama... It looks good on you. 

Suzanne's Quest To Achieving Balance

On most days I feel like a Mom fail.  I am racing to get my kids to school on time, but often falling late.  I open the fridge to find a lunchable as the only thing to throw in my kiddos lunchbox because I didn't have time to grocery shop this week yet.  I am often late to pick them up from school too, as my kids know that 'spot' to go to when Mom is late again.  We race to baseball practice.  Race to dance class.  Race here, race there.  I work on the weekends, including Sundays.  My kids are used to their Mom being over extended and way too busy.  They want to slow down.  Stop at the park.  Not eat in the car.  But we are racing here and there every day.  

I recognize that these most precious of days are flying by, and Mom is just racing through life.  Even my own fitness practice has suffered this year as my business grows and triples in size.  Every month I recognize that my motherhood goals have fallen short.  I am racing around, and forgetting to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures of their childhood.  Last night, I was so exhausted from racing around all day that I was too tired to cuddle my 8 year old son who longs for a good cuddle at night.  I fell asleep disappointed in myself.  There is no balance.  Work has taken over and the balance is lost.  I long to slow down and soak up all of that good togetherness of family.  I always wonder if the next week will calm down and get better, but I recognize that I need to create the balance or life & work keep spinning faster and faster.  I stuggle to hit the brakes, but long for balance.  

Mamas Got A Brand New Bag...

Growing up, my mother had many nicknames for me. First, there was "Sister Bell." For some reason, I reminded my mother of a little old lady. My other personal favorite was "Bag lady." As a toddler, I would go into my mother's closet and gather all the bags that I could find and wear them. I would then proceed as if I had somewhere to be...some place to go... with all of my bags in tow. 

Fast forward many years and many moons later, and you will find that I still have an affinity for bags. I believe that what one carries in his or her bag, says a lot regarding what is important and necessary to its carrier. In fact, if you take a quick look in your bag, (hopefully, as you're reading this entry) you will most likely notice that the majority of things that you keep on your person are very important... probably even "desert island" important. What you carry in your bag, not only bears witness to who you are as an individual, but also to the things that you value as resources throughout your everyday life. I can still remember the things that my mother carried in her bag. If you were one of the lucky individuals who had the privilege to take a peak into my mother's bag, you would find her checkbook, lipstick, and an array of pens. My mother always had writing pens. 

Today, I have partnered with my friends over at Tucker and Bloom, a functionality centered, Luxury Bag brand based out of Nashville, TN. "Tucker & Bloom is a family business with over 30 years in the bag industry, focusing on organizational products and clean design." Since the beginning, Tucker & Bloom has manufactured bags with a strong emphasis of sincere individuality in mind. I am absolutely in love with my Ranger Market Tote. Its comprised of wax canvas... its super roomy, with ample pockets (to store sippy cups and more). AND... it is water resistant (just in case those sippy cups spill.) Hands down, its pretty amazing!! I truly believe that every mama should have a ranger tote. It made my life a bit less hectic, and definitely a bit more organized on the go. 

A a lot like our mother's bags, I believe there are important things that we should keep as resources / necessities to survive this wild, crazy, messy... and yet still, very beautiful journey called motherhood. 

1. Flexibility.... Motherhood is crazy. Planners are amazing. However, leave it to a blow out diaper to completely throw your morning/day schedule off. Having flexibility with your bag is a must. Remaining fluid is key. Otherwise, you may just drive yourself and those around you mad.

2. Self Care... As the saying goes, If Mama aint happy, no one's happy. I truly believe in keeping Self Care in your bag of necessities. Allowing yourself moments to breathe, is vital. Try to consistently hold space for yourself, so that you can better hold space for those of whom you hold dear. 

3. Nourishment.... It goes without saying that keeping nourishment/food close by, is imperative. Whether you are breastfeeding or not, YOU are exerting energy, day in and day out. However, I would challenge mamas to ask yourselves: What are you feeding your spirit... your mind? What thoughts are you nibbling on? Are you staying inspired? Are you currently depleted? We must stay nourished in order to continue to nourish those connected to us. 

4. Gratitude... Carrying gratitude in our bag is key. We must remain grateful for the air moving throughout our lungs... our arms... our legs... all of the little things that make up the big picture. When we practice gratitude, we begin the journey of valuing all that we have... well beyond its monetary value. Let us recognize and appreciate all people, places, and things for who & what they are... no more... no less.   

Lastly, in the spirit of gratitude, Tucker and Bloom has offered all of you #NotSoPrivateParts readers, a very special Mother's Day 20% off Discount!!! Just simply use the Promo Code: MUTHALUVA @ checkout. Promo Code Valid through the end of May 2017.