Secret #1: Your Life Will Never Be The Same

Are you tight on cash? Or you’re up for saving some money if you don’t HAVE to spend it? Or you just want to lower the number of clothes and baby items being sent to landfills? In my podcast today, I talk about how I was able to get most baby items “for free”.

 Alternative Title: "Know the Risks and Benefits YOU Are Willing To Take" Yes, you read that right. 44 weeks and 1 day. That’s 29 days AFTER my due date. I had only ever heard rumors about babies born that late. And it wasn’t a home birth OR with a midwife… It was a hospital birth with a doctor. Today I’m going to share with you the Birth Story for my first baby. It was not at all what I expected. It was not at all what my family or doctor or friends expected. In fact, it’s still kind of surreal thinking about it. But I don't regret any of my decisions. I also learned some huge lessons that I want to share with you. And hopefully they will help you with the birth of YOUR baby… Check out today’s episode to hear about the baby that was a month “late”!

Whether it’s your first or your fifth… (or more) Congrats on your baby! People were so excited when I was pregnant with my first… Less with my second… Third was a different gender, so the excitement increased… Not much excitement with baby number four. Regardless of what “number” you are on. Regardless of what “situation” you are in. Your baby is still valuable. Your baby will still be an incredible human. Your baby still is such a blessing. So congrats!

The Truth About Trying To Get Pregnant How many kids do you want to have? When are you going to have another? Was this kid planned? How far apart do you want your kids to be? When are you going to have kids? Why aren’t you pregnant yet? These are all common questions people have asked me over the years. And they lead you to think that you get to decide your pregnancy stories. How many kids you want… When you want to have them… When you want to be done having kids… But the truth is, only a few people actually get that “luxury”. For most people, those questions are a reminder that they DON’T get to decide. A reminder of struggles… A reminder of loss… A reminder that things didn’t go as planned… In this episode, I just want to acknowledge that struggle. Hugs to all of you on this crazy journey!

Plan For POST Birth… Not Just Birth… When I was pregnant with my first baby, I spent a LOT of time learning about pregnancy and birth. Some on Google… But I also read a few books about pregnancy and childbirth. I am SO glad I did that. It was very helpful to learn what was normal and what to expect… BUT I wish I had spent more time learning about what to do POST birth. How to take care of a newborn… What to expect and what is normal with feeding… Breastfeeding in general… How to soothe a crying baby… How to help my baby develop good sleep habits… What development leaps do they go through during those first few months… What is normal for doctor’s appointments… I did not have a lot of time after my baby was born the focus on these things… So I wish I would have spent some time learning about post birth BEFORE my baby was born.

Advocate For Yourself It is SO important to communicate with your doctor… Your midwife… Your doula… Your birthing partner… You have opinions. You have questions. You have concerns. It is important to voice those. With my first kiddo, there were a lot of things that I just went along with what my doctor said. After all, she’s the doctor—so she knows best, right? As I read and researched on my own, the more I found that my doctor had to make judgment calls based on her own opinion. Where other doctors might make a different judgment call. The more I interact with other moms, the more I see how many doctors and midwives are not following “best practices”. And the more I read about “pros” and “cons”— “benefits” and “risks”— The more I realized that even with the SAME FACTS, People will choose DIFFERENT courses of action. We all weight pros/cons and benefits/risks differently. Because we are all DIFFERENT. So I now encourage all moms to educate themselves. Learn the benefits and risks of different courses of action… Different routine procedures… Different interventions… So that YOU can decide what is best for YOU and YOUR family.

I knew my life would completely change when I had kids. Not only did all the details of what my life looked like change… But it also impacted other relationships, My goals, My plans, And even me. Becoming a parent drastically affected ME. At first, it felt limiting. That by choosing to be a parent, I was limiting my future options. Confining myself for the next 18+ years… Putting “my life” on hold. Don’t get me wrong, I WANTED to be a parent. I loved my kiddo. And I even wanted to have more than one kid. But there were aspects of it that felt constricting. When I realized WHY I felt this way, it changed everything. And it no longer felt constricting—it felt FREEING. Anyone ever feel like that? Like you’re putting your life on hold by having kids? I’ve found that this is a common struggle moms have. And I want you to know that you are not alone. Check out today's episode to learn this secret changed everything.

Pregnancy can be tough. There is no doubt about that. And parenting can be tough. Especially in that newborn phase. There are ups-and-downs to every season. Every stage has BOTH positives and negatives. But you want to know a secret? Most parents sabotage themselves... They work against themselves... With their words. It's crazy how powerful words are! How you talk about things affects everything. Listen to today's episode to hear the secret power your words have over your experience. Especially during those difficult times.

It's true. Your life will never be the same again. And I used to think that was a limiting thing. I wanted to have kids. I wanted to start a family. And I mentally prepared for the change. I mentally prepared for "locking in" the trajectory of my life. Even "limiting" the trajectory of my life. But boy was I in for a surprise. The past 4 years of parenting has completely changed my life. And it has opened up more opportunity and possibilities than I ever considered. Listen to today's episode to learn more of how your life will never be the same.