Author: justbloommomsblog

Your second pregnancy is different from your first pregnancy

Your second pregnancy is different from your first pregnancy

by justbloommomsblog ♥ 2 Comments

Now that I am halfway through my first pregnancy, I wanted to share a little about how your second pregnancy can feel a lot different from your first and share some of the differences I have been experiencing so far.  I found out very early that I was pregnant and this time around the symptoms started immediately for me, I would have to run to the bathroom every few minutes and that’s how I knew something was up.

People would tell me all the time prior that every pregnancy is different and that you can try to compare them but there is usually something that will stand out that is different. With my first pregnancy I didn’t start to show where it was visible to others until I was about 4 months. I could see it and know it was there, but I was able to cover it with loose fitted blouses and sweaters until I was ready to announce. With my second pregnancy I was showing at 5 months pregnant, I believe it was just bloat at the time, but it was poking out to where others could see it and not just me. I could not believe it. There was no hiding this second pregnancy at all. I was told this is due to your abdominal and uterine muscles being more laxed since they have already stretched before. My first pregnancy I was extremely nauseous and sick the entire first trimester, throwing up every single day to the point where I lost 15 pounds. It wasn’t just in the morning either it was any time of day, and it was awful. This time around I still got nauseous and did a good amount of puking the first trimester, but the puking was not as bad as the first time at all.

I felt more tired the second time around in the beginning. I also can blame that on chasing around an almost two-year-old, there were times and still are times where I just want to sit down in one spot and do nothing for a little while but often with a little one running around there is always something you need to get up for. Whether it be them asking for milk, snacks, ripping off their pamper or trying to get into something they shouldn’t. If you have any help at all make sure to utilize it and enjoy some resting moments to yourself. Try your best to sleep when they are sleeping or if you can’t sleep at least do something small for yourself like take a warm shower or binge some shows, anything to help you relax.

Once the second trimester began, I started to feel right back to my normal self and was still amazed at how much bigger I looked compared to the first time. One thing I noticed right away is that my belly is also much lower this time around which causes me to feel a lot of pressure on my pelvic, pressure that I didn’t feel until the third trimester with my first. This has been uncomfortable and so I am thinking about finding a belly band to hopefully give me some relief. The pressure also makes you run to the bathroom a lot and makes some of your normal daily movements or activities a little bit tougher and slows you down. Something I’m hearing a lot though is that all this discomfort is going to pay off because my second labor experience may be a lot quicker due to my body already being prepared and loosened up more than it was the first time. Remind yourself daily that all this discomfort is going to be so worth it when you see your baby looking up at you and when you see your first child bonding with their new sibling.

Telling everyone I was pregnant was such a joy and having all the love and support is helpful in helping ease your mind into the huge transition. I do feel like the first time your pregnant everyone around you that cares may be overly protective of you checking on you every day and the second time they will still check but maybe not as often. Its not because they don’t care they just know your more seasoned and experienced now. As far as your own emotions you’re probably going to feel a lot less anxious the second time around. My first pregnancy I was anxious about everything, and everything had to be perfect before my little one got here, this time around I am much more laxed and taking my sweet time with a lot of things. I would be scared to eat a bunch of different things and just stressing myself out the first time and this time I’m just happy to finish my first child’s leftovers. I do spend a bit of time daydreaming about how my two kids are going to get along, wondering how my first child will handle the change since we have such a close bond and I try to imagine how I’m going to be with them as a mother of two. I think about how I’m going to split my time between two children, set routines, find time for myself, and just have a system that makes sense for all of us. The thoughts can get overwhelming and there are highs and lows in all of it, but I know we will get through it and do what works best for our family.

I look forward to feeling more experienced this time around, I have been breast feeding for almost two years and I know my journey won’t be the same with baby number two, but I at least feel more confident this time. I feel more at ease thinking about the caring part of things and I just want to encourage other moms to get to this space too. I am of course nervous about delivery and hopeful everything will go well but at least we are more prepared for what to expect and know how to handle things better. You have done it; your first baby is doing amazing and you’re going to do just as good with your new arrival too.

You’re going to be a mommy of two and this time when a lot of things come your way, you’re going to know exactly what to do and will probably shock yourself with how much you already know. You got this mama enjoy your growing family.   

Finding out you’re having a second child

Finding out you’re having a second child

by justbloommomsblog ♥ 2 Comments

You’re feeling a little sick and running to the bathroom every few minutes what is going on? You grab a pregnancy test just for the heck of it and wow it reads your pregnant! Yep, that’s my story! I was not planning to have baby number two so soon and honestly wasn’t completely sure if I wanted more kids at all and then this amazing message reads across the screen saying I’m pregnant, and just like that with a toddler almost two years old running around another one is now baking in the oven. I was excited but after a few days it hit me like woah I am really going to be a mommy of two.

 My nerves started to go insane, and the over thinking started to set in. My beautiful toddler Marley has me chasing her all over the house, starting tantrums and ripping off her diaper and running every chance she gets. I would sit and think how I am going to do this I am already tired and exhausted sometimes just chasing her around. How am I going to make a routine that works, I am still trying to figure out this one with sleep regressions and molars coming in. I honestly felt nervous and just hopeful that I would do a good job in such a huge transition with our little family.

As weeks went on, I feel like something in me just clicked and said hey you got this! I think time is the only thing that really helps to settle your mind because the baby is coming no matter what. I went to my first appointment saw the sonogram and heard the heartbeat and that was the motivation I needed. This baby is going to need me to figure it out and things won’t have to be perfect because they are going to love me regardless. Once you realize that things become much easier, and you allow the process to just flow.

Don’t get me wrong there were some nights where I would stare at my baby girl and think things like was it to soon? Am I taking away my bonding time with her to early? Isn’t she going to miss it being just us? Will she like being a big sister? Will I be able to divide my time equally between her and her sibling? Will the new baby feel all the love and affection that my first baby got? And more questions that would just fill my head repeatedly. Though these were all valid questions I knew that I would have to acknowledge those feelings early and plan to make sure I do my best to help her and me with this transition.

Its okay to have those thoughts and its okay to worry but we must know that we have plenty of love to go around and somehow us moms can always make it happen. I have been telling Marley that there is a baby in my belly, and she has been super excited about it. She comes over and kisses or rubs my belly and if we ask her where her sibling is she will come over and hug my stomach. I think she will be a great big sister and I think just telling them ahead of time is helpful even if it feels like they don’t fully understand. I also bought her a baby doll to take care of herself so she can understand to be gentle with babies. I think as I take care of her sibling sometimes, I will encourage her to take care of her baby too, to give her something to do and to help her to not feel left out. It appears as a mom we will think of things that are going to work best for us, our schedule, and our family, that’s just what we do. Don’t be to hard on yourself about any of it our babies will feel the love and that’s all that matters.

So, if you’re just finding out your having baby number two embrace the news, embrace the journey of your pregnancy, don’t over think it and everything is going to work out just as it needs to. The same way you were probably terrified when you brought your first little one home from the hospital and you handled it, figured things out and got through it you’re going to do the same thing this time around and now your more experienced and more prepared than you think. Congratulations on baby number two you’re going to do great and seeing your two babies love each other is going to be such a reward for you.  

30 Affirmations A Mom Can Say When She Wakes Up

30 Affirmations A Mom Can Say When She Wakes Up

by justbloommomsblog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Affirmations are positive statements that you write down or say out loud as often as you need to get you out of the habit of negative talk, self-sabotaging, and negative thinking. Once you think about the different thoughts you have been having, you can change the negative thoughts by simply changing the way you speak and feel about them. As a mom it can get very easy to put yourself down or constantly wonder if you are doing enough for your little ones and it’s easy to fall into a habit of speaking negatively of yourself even when you are doing an amazing job. I wanted to share a list of 30 affirmations you can say to yourself in the morning when you wake up to get your day started with a positive attitude filled with gratitude and confidence.

 Affirmations a mom can say when she wakes up

Health and well being   

1. I deserve the peaceful rest I had last night, and I will aim to have a peaceful rest tonight.

2. I will eat healthy meals today that nourish my body and give me energy.

3. I am thankful I woke up this morning.

4. I am grateful for my life.

5. I will take a break if I need it because I deserve to rest.

6. I will ask for help if I need it because I don’t always have to do it myself.

7. Today I will drink enough water.

Tasks for the day

8. I am doing enough.

9. I will not do more than I can handle.

10. I can make mistakes.

11. I welcome change into my schedule if it needs to happen.

12. I am happy to learn new things.

Self-care

13. I deserve to take care of my body.

14. I am proud of my body.

15. I deserve time to myself.

16. I will love myself as much as I love my family.

17. I will nurture myself as much as I nurture my family.

18. I deserve to do nice things for my self.

Happy thoughts

19. I am so happy to be a mom.

20. I choose happiness.

21. Being a mom makes me feel fulfilled.

22. I deserve to feel happy every day.

23. I am worthy of all things good.

Mom thoughts of the day

24. I am an amazing mom.

25. I am doing the best I can, and my kids are happy because of it.

26. My family loves me just the way I am, and I am exactly what they need.

27. I can love being a mom and still need to take a moment for myself.

28. I do not need to compare myself to other moms.

29. I will trust my maternal intuition.

30. I will become more confident in my mothering each day.

What pandemic moms feel like they are missing out on since having their new babies

What pandemic moms feel like they are missing out on since having their new babies

by justbloommomsblog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I had no idea a pandemic was on the way and the day after I had her they announced we were in a global pandemic. It was quite the shocker for me seeing as I had such a normal pregnancy with baby showers full of people and a regular daily routine up until I brought my baby home from the hospital. I immediately felt like I had to of course protect her from it and basically quarantine at home as much as I could. In doing that I do feel like I have missed out on a lot of the normal things people do with their babies when they have them during normal times and so I want to talk about it.

Normally when a new mom has her beautiful baby after a few days she wants family to come over to the hospital and to her home and meet their new bundle of joy. Fortunately, I was able to do that because I was able to have visitors at the hospital, so her grandparents and her aunts and uncles were able to meet her when she was first born. For a lot of pandemic mom’s that is not the case a lot of them are only aloud to have one person in the room with them when delivering and no visitors. I have spoken to other moms about the anxiety that causes for them and how they wish it were different. A lot of pandemic moms also cannot have their significant other in the room when they go to their regular baby development checkups as well while they are pregnant. The dads have been missing a lot of this part of the process and the moms are of course wishing they could be there with them to experience it together. My significant other was only able to go to her first doctors visit and has had to wait in the car when I go inside with her for her monthly checkups.

Once I started to get the hang of being a new mom and got done enjoying that maternity leave time with my baby it started to hit me that I did not feel comfortable doing a lot of the things moms who did not have a baby during a pandemic would do. I was not eager to invite my friends over to visit my baby and meet her for the first time, I did not want to bring my baby to the office to meet my coworkers or travel to go visit family that did not live close by. I did not feel comfortable taking my baby to get her ears pierced. I was one hundred percent to nervous or afraid to be around people because of the virus. I of course had all these amazing people who were so excited to share this time with me and meet the baby that they love as well and I just could not bring myself to do it, everything felt like to big of a risk.

I decided to stay home as much as I possibly could, I would leave her home with her dad when I ran out for errands like grocery shopping or laundry. So, she has not been to a grocery store or a laundry mat or anything like that. I imagined I would have been able to point and just show her things and just have fun pushing her down the aisles while I ran errands. I also thought we would have mommy and me time and dates where I would be shopping for her, picking out cute outfits while pushing her around in the clothing store but we have not done anything like that either yet. We have not been to a restaurant, a zoo or museum as a family yet or on a mommy and me foodie date.

As much as I enjoyed doing her milestone photos, having professional photos done would have been amazing. It would have also been nice to have professional holiday pics with Santa or the Easter bunny. Due to feeling like it was safer to keep her away from as many people as possible in-home photo shoots and milestone pics just seemed the best way to go for us. I ordered milestone blankets or just cute outfits to at least get a nice pic of her each month. Amazon and online shopping have been huge for the world during this pandemic, but I think it has been even huger for us pandemic moms who cannot get out to the stores as much to get all the toys, teethers, outfits and baby essentials. Being able to have everything delivered right to our door has been the biggest help and has made me at least not have to miss out on that side of mommy hood. I cannot even imagine how many packages we have received since the pandemic started.

A huge part of this quarantine mommy life that weighs super heavy on my heart is all the family time that has been missed. We try to see family at least once or twice a month now, there was a moment where we were not leaving at all. Our families have been supper supportive and understanding during this situation, but I know it has been hard for them as well and that they would love to see her more often. I try to share as much as I can with them like pictures, videos and milestones but I know it is not preferred of course. With everyone having their own active lives with work and other things they also want to make sure not to expose her too much to stuff as well.

Being able to schedule play dates with other moms who have kids has also been something that has been difficult. One fun thing moms look forward too is being able to connect with other moms, share mom tips, talk about mom life and watch their kids play together and the pandemic has made that very awkward. A lot of us moms find ourselves saying no to a lot of stuff we really wish were not too afraid to do. If I could of, I would have been having mommy dates every day, but I was just too afraid. I would have loved to do mom and baby yoga, swimming lessons and other activities with a mom pal.

A huge debate has been birthday parties a lot of moms are so stressed out trying to figure out if they should have a party or do something virtually or just take pictures. I have seen a lot of families being super creative and coming up with whatever works best for them and their comfortability. Some parties are only for immediate family and some are for the whole family. Some parties are strictly online, and some are only outside and not indoors. Moms are doing whatever they can to capture the moments and feel like they are being as safe as they can.

A lot of the stuff I have mentioned may sound simple but to new moms those little things mean the world. I want all pandemic moms to know that whatever you are doing or not doing as far as activities and memory making, there is no right or wrong answer to any of it. Always do what your most comfortable with and what you feel is safest for you and your baby. Continue to give your very best and that is all your baby really needs. Your doing great and and I am hopeful that someday this pandemic will be a thing of the past.

The mixed emotions you feel when your kid turns one

The mixed emotions you feel when your kid turns one

by justbloommomsblog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

My daughter Marley is turning one years old on the 10th of this month and I am excited for her and all her growth and milestones she has achieved but I cannot seem to figure out why I feel like crying.  It just seems like it has gone by way too fast for me. I feel like I was just pregnant anxiously waiting for her arrival and excited to meet her. I feel like I was just on my way to the hospital ready to have her. I know people say all the time that it flies by and boy were they right. My baby girl is growing up so quickly and becoming a toddler.

The first time we laid eyes on her it was the most magical moment of our lives. I cried like a baby and her dad said “Wow I knew you would be cute but not this cute” and we laughed. It melted my heart because she truly was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. I could not stop staring at her, I stared at her while she was awake, I stared at her while she slept and here, I am today still staring at her. Those first few weeks bringing her home from the hospital were exhausting figuring out when to get sleep and dealing with the healing process after giving birth, but every single moment was worth it. To have this beautiful little being love and need me so much it felt so amazing. I exclusively breast fed so waking up every 2 hours to feed and bond with her made me feel so needed and gave me a sense of purpose I had never known.  

Next thing you know she was one month old and so I started taking the milestone pics celebrating every month and before you know it, she was six months and now about to be a year. Her six months celebration we had a little half birthday party with immediate family. It was a lot of fun and I just could not believe how big our baby girl was getting. Marley’s bubbly, energetic and silly personality started to really shine through at about three and a half months. I remember I kept saying wow I did not know babies could have all this personality. She just has this spirit about her, full of life and excitement. She is always laughing, dancing and singing. She gets very excited over her favorite toys and shows. She would reach a lot of her milestones ahead of schedule and is just always so curious and eager to learn.

It feels great to know that even with all the stress in the world over the pandemic and a million other things she seems to be completely unaffected by it all. I was worried about how she would be around other children or groups since she does not spend much time outside of the house, but she is a social butterfly and does not seem to be bothered by it one bit. Once the weather is warmer, I am excited to bring her to the park socially distanced from everyone and just explore with her. I want to get her to the zoo, the store and maybe a museum since she has not been anywhere outside of the park, grandparents houses and the doctor’s office.

She is starting to do a lot of toddler like things like throw a fit, throw her food, touch whatever she can and just have mommy and daddy chasing her around. Sometimes I look at her and I am like “Where is my little baby that I brought home from the hospital?” Thankfully, she is still pretty attached to her mommy and loves our cuddles and bonding time and I hope it stays this way. Even though I fuss about her keeping me up at night all night sometimes I know I am going to miss these days, so I am trying to make sure I stay as present and, in the moment, as possible. I am making lists of all her favorite shows, foods and anything else I can think of and I am taking a ton of pictures and videos to look back on. I am so grateful and thankful to have such a beautiful, happy and healthy little girl and watching her grow is seriously the biggest joy of my life, but I still have a small part of me that is sad and wants her to stay my little baby forever.

I sometimes just want to grab her and say “Hey slow down baby girl” but then I see her reach another new milestone and I am the proudest mommy I can be. This mommy role has its share of emotional roller coasters. I am so excited to celebrate her first birthday with our immediate family and celebrate this amazing being we have been blessed with. I am excited to see what this new year will bring and to see all the new things she learns to do. At the moment she says a few small words and I cant wait for her to start saying more. Since she loves singing la la la so much I always joke and say she’s going to just start out immediately singing full song lyrics. We are going to continue to shower her with so much love and cheer her on with every single step and milestone she has. We are so proud to be her parents.

Keep growing baby girl you are doing great!

Tip’s on getting your baby to take their first steps

Tip’s on getting your baby to take their first steps

by justbloommomsblog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

My daughter Marley is 11 months, and she has taken her first steps. She is now walking, enjoying her newfound skills and walking all over the house. I didn’t know when she would take her first steps because I know all babies are different, but they usually take their steps somewhere between 11 and 16 months. Watching her take her first steps was like nothing I had ever experienced or felt before I was one proud mom. I cried tears of joy and cheered her on giving her the biggest hugs and kisses. If you’re wondering when your little one will take their first steps I would say don’t worry to much and let it happen when it happens, but I do have a few tips to get your baby in the mood to walk.

Most babies start to pull themselves up on whatever is nearby, and they try standing independently over and over to start to learn their balance. Once they get a good sense of this, they usually use the couch, fence, bed or walls to lean on while they make their little selves to where they want to go. This is when you can start to try and encourage them to come to you or toys that they like. I noticed leaving her with no shoes or socks when indoors was more helpful for her to find her balance as well. You can purchase baby socks that have grips at the bottom to help so your little one wont slide or glide to much but for me the best thing was just to let her feet be free.

You may notice that they will start to crawl a lot faster once they get closer to walking or they will even half crawl, half walk. They will put one leg up higher than the other and jet across the floor. They may also stand up and fall a lot on their bottom to learn how to get their balance. My little one has curved feet which probably started inside the womb after being a little scrunched, but I was told its nothing to worry about because the more she walks it will start to correct itself. If you notice anything like that it won’t hurt to bring it up at the next doctors visit just to make sure all is okay. Try to pay attention to your child’s legs and feet as much as you can because some kids do have flat feet, bowed legs or pigeon-toed feet. Your child’s doctor will be able to determine if your baby has any of these and they now have so many different tactics to help get our babies walking and running perfectly.

A few things that can help encourage walking are getting your baby a toy that they can push like a walker they can stand up at. They will enjoy getting the wheels to move across the floor and feel proud of themselves when you cheer them on for pushing it. You can walk with your baby as well by standing behind them bent over and encouraging them to put one foot in front of the other around the room. Even though you are right there they will usually feel very inspired and start to think they are doing it themselves.

Try to limit the amount of time they are in their bouncers or standing activity centers and give them the freedom to explore. This will help them take more risks when exploring and help to not slow the process. Your biggest role in all of this is just going to be building your babies confidence and making sure they do not hurt themselves by making sure they have a nice landing when they start and stop. Keep it fun, do not try to force it just let it be enjoyable. You can even turn it into a game and sing and count how many seconds they stay standing up and then praise your baby for trying. Stand up your baby as much a you can when you are putting them down to show them its okay to not only crawl. Practicing over and over is going to get the best results.

Your baby is going to reach all their beautiful milestones at their own time. Try your hardest not to compare your baby too much to what other babies are doing. Your baby is unique and will have their own developmental story. All these milestones are making your baby become their own little person. If you have any concerns at all remember to bring it up to your doctor if not just enjoy this journey. Log these precious moments in a journal if you can, take a lot of pictures and videos and be present. With your encouragement and love your baby is going to do great.

How to help a new mom during Covid-19 times

How to help a new mom during Covid-19 times

by justbloommomsblog ♥ 1 Comment

If you have a friend or relative that had a baby during the pandemic or is having a baby soon there is a huge chance, they need your love and support more than ever right now. There is also a huge chance that they are not telling you that they do. Most pandemic moms are currently dealing with a level of anxiety or worry they have never felt before and the pandemic is causing them to want to isolate themselves from people to make sure they are keeping themselves and their baby as safe as possible. This may cause your friend or family member to take on a bit more physically and mentally than they should. There are a few things that you can do to help your friend or relative while keeping your distance so that they can have less of a hard time with all of this.

Thankfully, we have so many ways to interact with each other using our phones and social media. You can send them a text message as often as you can to check on them and make sure they are okay and make sure they don’t need to vent about anything. You don’t always have to send long passages you can also send inspirational quotes, mantras, links to meditation videos, funny videos and anything that you think will uplift them or encourage them. Most of our phones also offer voice messages as well so you can send audio of you telling them you care or cheering them on. This way they can listen to it while they are busy with the baby. A lot of the apps we use have a video call feature and you can even schedule group chats with you and some of her favorite people, even if she cannot be on video at the moment, she will be able to see all of you giving her air hugs and showing support. Try not to be offended if she cannot do video because chances are, she is in her mom clothes or nursing very often. Scheduling facetime calls with her and the baby might be easier.

Most pandemic moms are leaving the house as minimal as possible, so to help you could offer to do her groceries for her and run any errands she might need sometimes. She can send you the cash through an app and you can grab stuff for her that way. You could find out what type of wipes and diapers she uses for the baby and when you are out on your own errands you could pick some up and leave them at her door before you head home. If you want to do something more heart warming you could leave her a care package at her door with things like candles, bath essentials, baby stuff, uplifting cards and her favorite snacks. You can also cook a meal for her and her small family that might last 2 days or so, so she has one less thing to worry about. If you are not into cooking, you can offer to deliver something from a food app as well.  

If she is open to visits or meeting up make sure your as open and understanding as you can be when she is expressing her concerns and what would make her feel comfortable. Reassure her that you understand her worries and that you will follow all necessary guidelines to make sure you all will be safe.

It is very important that she knows that she has you for support and that she has people around that understand her. Make sure to let her know any feelings she might be having are valid and that she is not alone. As someone who cares about her make sure you pay attention to her moods and the way that she speaks about things. If she seems like she needs help make sure to encourage her to get help from you, her partner, a therapist, friend or relative depending on what she is dealing with. Encourage her to join support groups on social media and to connect with other moms dealing with the same situation as her. Let her know the importance of selfcare and how she needs to make sure she is making some time for it and making time for sleep.

Celebrate milestones and accomplishments with her like reaching a goal with her breast-feeding journey or her baby learning a new thing. Make sure to tell her she is doing a great job at being a mom and that your proud of her. A little bit of love, encouragement, and support will go a long way and I am sure she will be very thankful for any of these gestures. Remember you do not have to do anything grand to just let someone know that you are thinking of them during these hard times. We never know what someone’s day to day is like or what they may be battling with. This is just a reminder to let any of your family know you care and to especially check in on the new mommies.

Dont forget your me time

Dont forget your me time

by justbloommomsblog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Don’t forget your me time

When you first become a mom, you can easily get so wrapped up in mommy life that you can completely forget yourself. You have this new little baby and all you want to do is learn all you can about everything your baby will need from feeding, sleeping, health needs, and how to spend your time with your baby productively. Your mom baby brain becomes like an insane spinning wheel and before you know it you realize that you have not been thinking about the little things that you might need in your daily routine to not become lost in mommy hood.  You must figure out a way to not lose yourself.

You can get so focused on your babies needs that some days you can forget about your own daily needs like taking a shower, eating a balanced meal, taking a nap, doing your hair the list goes on. You might tell yourself that you don’t have time for those things some days, but you have to find a way to make time. You deserve to make the time. You are doing an amazing job; the most important job and you need to take care of you. Whatever that means for you, you must find a way to do it.

If you look down and you are still wearing the same shirt, or your hair is in the same bun, or you hear your stomach growling when you have a moment of silence or you smell, you are ignoring yourself mama. If things are feeling hectic for you, you feel like everything must be rushed, your exhausted all the time and cranky then you are ignoring yourself mama. It is important to create a schedule where you can take care of your simple needs and fit in a moment of me time. If that means you must ask someone for help so that you can do it, do it. Find help if you are taking on too much in your day. It is not healthy for you to not have any time at all for yourself.

Making sure your making time for yourself is a huge part of your health. If you continue to ignore yourself your stress levels are going to go through the roof eventually. You will start to lose the motivation for all the productive things you were doing before. You will get burned out. Making sure you spend some time alone even if its thirty minutes to an hour is going is going to make you a happier person and being a happier person is going to help your family. Depression is like a gray cloud that will cling to you when you are not loving yourself. You cannot do it all on your own and you should not try.

You are not selfish because you fee like you need a break. You need a break because you have been selfless. Taking “me time” is going to help you reconnect with yourself, your passions, your partner, your relationships with friends and family. Me time is simply taking some time for yourself that is for your enjoyment, something that is going to make you feel better no matter how big or small. If you don’t, you are going to risk getting anxiety and depression. When you are a better you for you, you will be a better you for everyone and everything around you. Being a mom is hard work and of course you are enjoying it, but you deserve to play as well.

A small list of “Me time’” activities

  • Take a shower or relaxing bath
  • Paint your nails
  • Go for a walk
  • Watch that show you have been thinking of starting
  • Change your hair
  • Meditate
  • Call a friend or family member
  • Shop online
  • Read a book
  • Change your living space around a bit
  • Work out or dance
  • Cook your favorite meal
  • Write in a journal
  • Sit on your patio and just breathe
  • Do absolutely nothing at all for a few minutes
  • Do a DIY project
  • Go to sleep
  • Put down your phone
  • Work on a hobby or something your passionate about

If you are wondering how to get “me time” you may have to schedule it with your partner or whoever helps you with your little one. You must treat your “me time” like its important and be stern about it like you would anything else that is important. You may even have to say no to stuff sometimes. If it does not allow for you to make anytime for yourself then just say no. If your someone who struggles a little bit with saying no you just have to start to believe that you deserve to set boundaries and just start setting them. You do not have to be mean about It, but you do have to be assertive. You are going to set the tone for how important mommy time is in your home. We do not realize how we can come off as super humans sometimes and our family may not mean it, but they might start to think “oh she’s got it all figured out, and she doesn’t need any help.” They probably will think that because you are not complaining, or you are getting things done and you’re not asking for any help, but you know inside your exhausted and could really use a break. Be vocal about how your feeling no one will know your burning out if you do not tell them unless its physically starting to show.

It is so important for us to be healthy happy moms. It seems like we can do it all sometimes, but we are still only human at the end of it all. Take care of yourself on all levels. Put your physical and mental health above all things and I promise you, you are going to benefit from it and so are all the people you love so much. Once you start to practice your new routine you’re going to be amazed at how much more inspired you are and how much you needed it. Take one day at time and keep on blooming.

Marley’s birth story

Marley’s birth story

by justbloommomsblog ♥ 1 Comment

Marley Willow being born was seriously the most beautiful day of my life and I want to share her birth story because I love talking about it and I also think moms should share their birth stories as much as they can since no one has the same story. A birth story is unique to all of us. Sharing with each other is a great way to bond, share tips and relive these amazing experiences.

I was sleeping on the couch in the living room because the couch was just way more comfortable for me. It has always been more comfortable for me but during pregnancy the bed just did not do it for me. I started to get these dull sharp pains in my back around four in the morning that made it impossible to sleep. I kept flipping from my right side to my left side, but nothing felt right. The hours were passing, and I was just laying there thinking about how I would be shocked if it were time because it was my mother’s birthday. It was also eight days before my due date. The pain level I would say was at like a six. It was just shooting up my back and my pelvic felt heavy. I could feel her pressing on it. I woke up my significant other a few times so he could comfort me a bit but for the most part I just took the pain and did some deep breathes in and out. I just tried to relax as best as possible.

Before I knew it, it was time for me to get ready for work. I made it to the bathroom, and I was standing at the bathroom sink feeling overly exhausted. By now the pains were at an eight and so I called my job and told them I wasn’t going to be able to make it in and made myself back over to the couch. I called my doctors and they told me to come in if my contractions reached a certain time between each other. I honestly don’t remember how far apart they said. The pain was getting worse and the pressure on my pelvic area was insane. I was using my phone to log the times and basically crying and taking deep breaths. After a few hours of this, I was not exactly where they said I should be with times, but I just knew. I told my significant other we needed to go to the hospital. He was like “are you sure you don’t want to wait another hour or so just to be sure?” and I was like “No, we need to leave now”. Its amazing how my body just knew it was time to go. I could barely stand up straight I was sort of hunched over after getting dressed.

The car ride to the hospital I was very quiet, just taking deep breathes. I could remember the whole ride, the weather that day, what the air felt like and what was going through my mind. I was scared but I was also super excited because I knew I was about to meet our baby girl. We had already knew exactly where to go at the hospital because we had done a tour of the maternity floor and preregistered and everything.

When we got upstairs to the maternity floor, I was literally leaning over their desk telling them I was about to have the baby. My pains were like nothing I had ever felt, I just felt like my body wanted to push. The pain was not unbearable though. They put me in a room and checked me to see how many centimeters I was, and I was at eight and to give birth they want you at ten. I was in shock I busted out laughing in shock that I had already did most of my contractions on the couch at my house. They then said lets get you to your room and have this baby!

By the time I got up to the room I was so tired of having the contractions since I had been having them since four in the morning and by now it was around 1pm so I asked for an epidural. I needed a break. My mom and significant other were comforting me and then the guy came in to do the epidural and to me the worst part about it is the fact that you are still getting contractions but having to stay completely still. It was in that moment that I realized how amazing and strong I was, I felt like a superhuman. The epidural started to kick in and it felt amazing, it gave me a chance to just enjoy the moment and not be screaming in agony. I could not feel anything like literally my legs felt nonexistent. My mom and significant other are with me in the room and we were just cracking jokes and then my water breaks. It just made like a pop sound and I felt like I peed myself. After a little bit longer, they said it was time to start pushing. I was pushing but when I tell you I had no idea what I was pushing or doing I mean I was totally lost. I would recommend pregnant women look up breathing techniques and tips on how to push. For me that did not come naturally. They decided to stop my epidural so I could get some feeling back to help me figure out what I was doing. They waited a while and then came back to start pushing again. My mom and significant other cheered me on the whole time telling me I got it and I did I pushed out our beautiful baby girl. The pushing wasn’t that awful to me once I got the hang of it, for me it was more painful when they pushed on my stomach afterwards. That part hurt like crazy! It was all so worth it though.

She was so beautiful when she came out like I mean breath taking. She was six pounds thirteen ounces and 20 inches long. I cried and cried and we were just so in love. Her grandparents and aunt and uncle came up to meet her and the whole time was just beautiful. I could not believe that this beautiful human came out of me! We were so proud of our little creation and could not wait to take her home!

To any women that are pregnant for the first time reading this I want to tell you to not be afraid, your body is going to do what it needs to and you are going to do great. You were made for this and you are amazing! Giving birth is going to show you strengths you may have not known you had and it will show you your super powers. To the moms who have done it look how far we have come and how much we have over come. We are resilient and we are enough.

I’m a pandemic mom

I’m a pandemic mom

by justbloommomsblog ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

My pregnancy was so beautiful my love of ten years plus and I were surrounded by so much love and support. Both sides of our families were so happy for us and so excited for our new addition to the family. We were so excited to become parents and enter this new journey of our lives. Everything was so normal, we had two beautiful baby showers surrounded with family and loved ones and after that we were just ready for our baby girl to join us. Her arrival was slowly approaching, and we started hearing little things about corona virus but did not think it was about to take on the world the way that it was about to. The big day finally came, and Marley was ready to make her entrance into the world on March 10th, 2020. I started having contractions at 4 am and had her around 7 in the evening on my mother’s birthday. Only my mom and significant other were allowed in the room for what was a beautiful delivery. (I will tell my delivery story in another post if you ladies would like to hear it) A few of our family members came up to the hospital to see Marley. Even though the pandemic was declared in the U.S the day after on March 11th. So, for the most part we got to have a very nice experience in the hospital and then we were ready to bring our princess home. 

The first few weeks being home was hectic adjusting to being parents, but it was also like being on a cloud being able to see and hold our baby girl. I would spend hours just staring at her knowing I should be trying to sleep when she sleeps, especially since I chose to exclusively breast feed. Family was coming over to help and clean and it was beautiful how much support we got. My significant others mom would even stay the night just to be in the house in case I needed help with anything. A few weeks passed and I started to be able to check my phone a bit more and started to see that the virus was getting much worse and spreading like crazy.

I started to go into panic mode a little bit. Every morning I would check my phone looking to see how many new cases were reported around the world or in our county. It was getting bad! I started to get extremely worried. When you first have a baby your mom instincts kick in like crazy and all you want to do is nurture and protect your baby. You cannot think of anything else besides it. You are creating this bond that you’ve never known and basically seeing what it feels like to have your heart and soul living outside of your body. The feeling is super intense, and you cannot control it. Once we started to see all the cases, we made the decision that we were not going to have visits as much. This way the less people come in the less chances we have of catching the virus. It was hard making that decision because we were so lucky and blessed to have so much support and family that wanted to be there. I felt awful and I was worried that our loved ones would be upset. 

Each time we had visitors I was happy, but I can’t lie and say that it didn’t give me anxiety. It felt so unfair that we couldn’t just enjoy our new baby with friends and family without feeling guilty or like we were taking a big risk. It also would feel sometimes like no one truly understood how I was feeling and honestly there was no way they could because well I was the only one having a newborn during a pandemic. No one but another mom in this situation could truly understand how I felt. New moms are already worried about most things, nervous about a lot of stuff and just overly doing things because it’s all new and you just want to make sure you are doing everything right so throw a deadly pandemic in the mix and you’re definitely going to get one anxious and terrified new mommy.

I was going to sleep and waking up every morning to the most precious thing life could give me, figuring out how to be a mom and keep this little baby alive and well while the virus was just getting worse and worse. I got to the point where I had to make the decision that we just were not going to see people for weeks at a time just to be safer. I was a new mom, barely ever cared for a baby and now here I was taking on mommy hood in quarantine. While I was on maternity leave my job decided that our job was going to go remote, so I never physically went back to the office for work after I had Marley. Imagine going to work every day for years and then you leave to go have your baby and you never return. I was so thankful that my job decided to go remote because I obviously was not ready to leave her side in all of this. Keeping her close and away from as many people as possible felt like the best thing. Learning how to juggle being a work from home mom and a stay-at-home mom was tough. I would sometimes get mom guilt because I knew how lucky I was to be able to spend this much time with my baby girl while being able to exclusively breastfeed. Something I never imagined I would be able to do since I work full time, but it would get to be a lot some days. Some days I just missed having coworkers I could see and chat with or getting dressed in the morning or I would get touched out and just need a break. 

Days started to blend being in the house so much and Marley started reaching little milestones and I started to feel like we can’t stay away forever. I knew it wasn’t forever, but it started to feel like it. Marley has so much family that loves her they needed to see her and spend some time with her. I also needed to see our family and feel normal after being confined in the house with a baby on my boob all day. I needed social interaction too for sanity. So, we decided to visit family like once a week and then gradually we started sending Marley to her grandparents for a few hours while I worked from home on the phone. I still had the anxiety bad and I felt stuck in this feeling of fear. I just didn’t want to see my baby girl sick, the thing about the virus that is so scary is that it affects everyone differently and you just don’t know how it will affect you if you get it and the fact that you could die from it. I just could not fathom one of us not being able to be there for our baby girl. I just could not. I met up with my mom a few times to take Marley to the park but that’s the only place she has been besides grandparent’s houses. 

I would sometimes just break down and cry asking why me, why I had to have a baby during a pandemic. Sometimes I still do if I get a little overwhelmed. I just want to take my baby to the mall and roam around, take her to get her picture taken, take her to get her ears pierced, or take her to a friend’s house and have girl’s night without feeling nervous about it. I just stay inside mostly because I don’t think I could forgive myself if I took her to do something leisure and she gets sick from it. It’s like doctors visits I have to do so my mind is like well its nothing you can do about that. The only place I would go is to the grocery store and now I don’t even do that I just get food delivered. Lately I have only taken Marley out the house for a holiday, special occasion or to see grandparents but as of right now we have not left the house for weeks. It gets so hard spending so much time in doors. I work a full time shift with Marley right with me most of the day then we get up and just go in another room of the house. I hate complaining about working from home because I feel so thankful to be able to do it but its just hard when you are basically a full-time mom and work from home mom. I am pretty sure people shouldn’t spend this much time in doors and when the weather is warmer in upstate NY, I will definitely go to the park more and just focus on connecting me and Marley to nature more.

It has been so hard watching people just live like we are not in a pandemic. People are still going to big gatherings and meeting up with a lot of people like its normal times and it so frustrating. Here I am staying inside trying to be as cautious as I humanly can, and other people are just not taking it as serious. So, I just stay away from everyone right now. I feel bad of course because Marley has only met one friend of mines and hasn’t really met any family from my side of the family just her grandma and uncle. I just do everything virtually. I created a private Instagram with close friends and family, and I share everything I can on there to make sure they don’t feel like they are missing to much. I know it’s not the same, but it has been a great help. I think for her 1 year party we are just going to have strictly immediate family. We have a new strain now in CNY that is even more contagious so throwing a big party would just not make any sense and I’m pretty sure not allowed anyways. This is not the way I imagined the first year of her life to be at all, like who could have predicted we would be in a pandemic. I am just making the most of it and wanting to share what I am dealing with, with other mom’s so they know they aren’t alone. I also want to share my story for people who may have a relative or a friend having a baby during this time so they can understand more what their loved one may be going through. Mom’s we are so strong going through all of this and our beautiful children have no idea what our worries are because we are carrying it so well. I cant wait for the day we can think of these days as a thing of the past and joke with our kids about how we got through these times. Just keep blooming mommies, we got this.