SIX week postpartum update!

I can hardly believe it has been almost seven weeks since baby Zavier came into this world! WOW! It has just zipped by! Zavier has grown so much and is getting more and more expressive every day! There are days when he is showing all of this “daddy features” then the next day I will see a glimpse of me in those eyes or lips as they curl to laugh. I am in love with my son! He is just amazing!
Breastfeeding has been going very well. I have the hand of it now and feel like a super mom. The first week was a little rough and tough I must admit. My nips felt like they were going to crack and bleed. I was not getting any sleep at night and my back was in knots. A week into mother hood I was still high on “New mommie” yet felt rugged. There were moments I had to say “Are you kidding me! Am I really cut out for this!” Then…
I discovered ways of making my life so much easier and here are the updates!

BREASTFEEDING: It started with learning how to get Zavier to latch properly for comfortable and successful feeding. To my surprise it is not just a matter of giving the baby the nipple. There is a mastered technique to getting the nipple inside the mouth in a that prevents discomfort. My nipples were so red and sore that I thought I would have to stop breastfeeding because it hurt so bad. I would literally almost cry when Zavier would latch and to think it was more painful than childbirth! LOL
I perfected the technique of a proper latch as well as discovered how to breastfeed while lying down at night. YES! What a victory this was. It is most prized between the hours of say 10pm and 5am. Zavi would begin to stir in the middle of the night, I would sit upright, grab the bobby then get him all situated to nurse and try not to fall asleep and hunch over on him. Instead I now scoop him right into my chest, turn him on his side and like a ninja pop a nipple in for a comfortable feeding. He and momma can fall asleep and all is right in the world.

DIAPER LAND: This has been an adventure. I intended on being the ultimate nature lover by going all cloth diaper style and even danced in the world of Elimination Communication. “Diaper free. “ This was just plain nuts in the first week of being home because I had so much to adjust to, that waiting for Zavi to pee or poo and hold him over a bowl wasn't easy. Even though I couldn’t have been happier being a new mom, I found it boarder line irritating trying to master the EC so soon which is unrealistic. I am the kind of person that thrives on figuring things out and master them. HA! No diaper eh? Zavi laughed many times. I decided to just do what I could do with no stress and that was to use cloth diapers and sometimes the biodegradable ones at night or on car rides. I had to let go of the idea that I could or SHOULD be able catch every single poo and pee before it happened by having the bowl ready. I quit shoulding all over myslef! Our washer and dryer hasn’t seen so much action until now! Because I believe it could work with more practice, pacience and care, I will look more into EC at a later time. Phew

MY BODY: When we came home from the birthing center I was instructed by my Midwife to stay in bed naked for the first 2 weeks and bond with Zavier through breastfeeding and cuddlin'. Jeesh! twinst my arm! This sounded like a great plan. I spent many weeks lounging naked, nursing and admiring my little boy. I attempted to do some light house cleaning but what I didn’t realize how much trauma my body endured through birth and that I would need ample healing time. My hips, pelvis and everything else in between was very sore and tender. If I wasn’t careful to move faster than an old lady pace, I would begin to cramp and bleed. I realized I needed to truly take it easy and just relax. My body snapped back rather quickly. By the beginning of week two I was in my pre-pregnancy jeans yet very week muscularly. I was planning on getting into yoga right off the bat since it was mellow, but was hit with a dose of reality which takes me to our next topic:
MOMMA’S WORK OUT PLAN: Like most new mothers I had a whole workout plan and ideal on how I was going to get back into shape after giving birth. I was down to my pre-pregnancy size, however I hadn’t done an intense yoga session, ran, or anything aside from basic stretching in months! I was ready to gain back my strength, gain muscle and stamina.
After five weeks postpartum I was no longer sore and felt like I could begin to kick it up a notch. My new plan was to do yoga online every morning with YogaGlo, then three times a week I would do a ass kicking beachbody© workout called Insanity. Which turned out to be just that. Totally INSANE. I forgot to factor in breastfeeding, sleep and something called TIME! I had no realistic concept of what the demands of being a new mother would be. Dahveed would watch Zavier when I would do my yoga in the am, but then when it came time later in the day to do something more intense like the BeachBody dvds, Zavier needed me or Dhaveed was in class and unable to comfort him. Baby Zavi's needs are simple bless his heart. He wants to be held, a clean diaper and of course the boobies. I tried sitting Zavi up on the couch in front of where I could do my INSANE workout and he wasn’t into it. Maybe he really does know what is best for momma, and an insane workout isn’t it for now. This reminds me of a saying “Make plans; God Laughs”. After a few days of pouting and being resistant to what truly IS. I made a new plan. I love it and the best part is, I can change it moment by moment! In the morning I get up and do my yoga online while Dahveed has Zavi and some back up breast milk I pumped earlier. We then have breakfast together which is typically a smoothie, then a little while after that I take Zavi for a brisk walk and or other movement. It’s a nice fast passed walk and I have him in the MOBY™ which is fantasticly- hands free! Sometime I will even wear Zavier and the Moby and do a light workout video or do some fun stuff outside using him as my weight. This is much better than my INSANE plan and Zavi likes it too. With my old mindset and plan, there were several days in a row I wouldn’t even go outside even for fresh air because I wasn't "doing my planned workout"! I would then be bummed amd grouchie. With this new plan of having Zavi be apart of my fitness plan regardless if Dahveed is available, I find that going on a few walks in a day just to get out of the house ad move my body is vital too!

FOOD and DIET: My diet has been shall we say interesting the past few weeks. The equivalent of Mr. Toad’s wild ride. When I first came home from the Center I didn’t have much of an appetite. I was in LA-LA land nested in bed, so a few smoothies a day and a blended green soup was perfect and sustaining. As I healed and got out and about more I was craving all sorts of just ridiculously-crazy bizarre foods such as French toast, French frys (baked of course), Amy’s pizza and anything in the pastry case that was sweet and dirty. *blush* What on earth sparked this obnoxious-ness! I mean really!? I have to be honest…my diet was frightened there for a few weeks then I pulled my head out! I felt like complete crapola after I would indulge in this $%^&*! That's a no-brainer! So it has been easy to snap out of it. I deserve better and so does my baby. Thank goddess I am now having a deep craving for seaweeds which is a new “crave” for me. Last week I did not desire fruit for breakfast, I wanted soaked arame with minced garlic, lemon, and avocado all mashed up. I repeat FOR BREAKAST! I just went with the feeling and it tasted divine. I then soaked a big bowl of arame for future cravings and have been enjoying it every day at most meals.
Here is what I do and recommend you try:

For one serving:
About 3c salad green
1/3C of already soaked and drained arame seaweed
½ ripe avocado diced
6 cherry tomatoes halved
Toss all ingredients in bowl with my miso lemon dressing WOW! So satisfying.

In the next few weeks I will keep you posted on my routines, any new recipes and of course more baby pics to smile at.

Xx ~Melissa