BEFORE I Became a Mama

This is my husband and I a few months before I became pregnant with my daughter.  

The way I thought 'living life as a mom' was much different back then.  I had elementary teaching experience behind me (so I knew everything there is to know about little kids, since I've basically taught toddlers all the way up to 12th grade) and I had just graduated from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, which led me to starting a career as a Holistic Health Coach, which meant I was living life in full-on natural living mode.

I had all sorts of plans and ideas in my mind of how I was going to parent my child.  

First, I planned to have a natural birth.  This did happened.  I gave birth to C without any meds and with a doula by my side in the hospital.  I always kept an open mind though - I knew that if things went the other way, and had to, I would be OK with that.  I didn't want to be that person who was upset that I didn't have a labor and delivery experience that I wasn't expecting (and I'm still thinking this way with baby brother - but this time I don't have a doula since I have midwives).

Next, I told myself I was gonna be the mama that wore her child in a Moby wrap or the Ergo while walking the aisles of Whole Foods and Farmer's Markets.

I was planning on breastfeeding for as long as I could (there was NO way I was gonna give my baby formula with the ingredients that I saw on some of those labels) and I was going to make all of C's solid foods (100% organic, too!) from scratch.

I was still going to make 90% of our home cooked meals from scratch (which would consist of only local foods found at the Farmer's Market and from the local farmer that I was a hostess home to).  I had no intention of NOT cooking 3 wholesome meals a day even after C was born.  I even started a little garden during my pregnancy because I REALLY wanted my foods to come from my own backyard (I didn't want my family eating any of the yuckiness that comes from our conventional food supply).

I was still planning on making my green smoothies, too (these weren't as popular as they are today a few years back).  And, of course, I was gonna give them to C when the time came for her because I was NEVER gonna give her juice.  Oh, and not to mention I was gonna feed her lots of kale and any other dark leafy green that I could get my hands on.

I was gonna cloth diaper and I read everything I could on natural parenting (I literally filled my head with anything I  could find so I could be well prepared for this new job of mine - but it was ONLY natural parenting info.  I stayed away from all conventional information).

I was VERY indecisive on whether to vaccinate.  I wasn't going to give the Hep B. shot and I didn't want the solution that is put in babies eyes as soon as their born.

I was only going to give C natural toys to play with - plastic toys...um, no way, jose!!  And, she was only going to have a few toys...I didn't want her drowning in them.  And, of course, TV was going to be very...VERY...limited as well, if put on at all.

I also wasn't going to have any baby lotions, shampoo's, etc. with chemicals or unnatural ingredients in it.

I was going to keep doing yoga, meditate and cardio after I got the OK from my doctor, too (and still do all the other stuff that I liked to do!).

I wouldn't call myself a full-on granola, but I definitely had a majority of granola living in me.

I also had plenty of opinions of how other parents parented their children.

I mean, at this time, I just thought I knew everything it took to be a parent and I was just going to keep doing what I've always done even though I had this amazing and beautiful human being to take care of.

Little did I know what I was in for and how much I was going to change once my teeny-tiny baby was in my arms. 

Stay tuned for the AFTER I became mama post (and it may be a little longer since A LOT has changed!!). :)

Until next time...

{life IS colorful}